13
I STOPPED in the driveway at 28 Haze Lake Drive at ten of three. As I got out of the car motion caught my eye and I saw Biddy waving to me from the window of the studio over the boathouse.
She opened the door as I got to the top of the outside staircase. She seemed to be in very good spirits. She wore baggy white denim shorts and a man’s blue work shirt with the sleeves scissored off at the shoulder seam. The seams came about four inches down her upper arms. She had a little smear of pale blue pigment along the left side of her jaw and a little pattern of yellow spatter on her forehead. The familiar slow heavy breathing was coming over the intercom.
“Maybe it’s the extra sleep you let me have, Travis. Or maybe because it’s a lovely day. Or maybe because Maurie seems so much better.”
“Electrosleep?” I asked, gesturing at the speaker.
“Oh, no. Just to get her to sleep and then I took it off. It’s more natural that way, even though I don’t really think she gets quite as much rest out of it.”
I looked at the canvas she was working on. “Seascape?”
“Well, sort of. It’s from the sea oats that used to grow in front of the Casey Key place, the way you could see the blue water through the stems and the way they waved in the breeze. It’s coming along the way I want it. We can keep talking while I work.”
“So she’s much better?”
“I’m sure of it. Strange how maybe something changed for her when she was lost and we were trying to find her. At least she didn’t go off and let somebody buy her too many drinks and get into some kind of nasty situation. I guess she must have been wandering around in the brush. But she doesn’t remember anything about it. She just seems to… have a better grip on herself. Tom is terribly pleased about it. I even think it might be all right to take her to the opening tomorrow night, but Tom is dubious.”
“Opening of what?”
“Maybe you noticed that big new building at the corner of Grove Boulevard arid Lake Street? Twelve stories? Lots of windows? Well, anyway, it’s there and it’s new, and it’s a project Tom has been working on for almost a year now. He organized the investment group and got the land lease. The Courtney Bank and Trust will move into the first four floors next week, or start moving next week. Almost all the space is rented already. Tom is moving his offices to the top floor. It’s really a lovely suite of offices, and the decorators have been working like madmen to get it done in time. So tomorrow night it’s sort of a preview of the new offices of Development Unlimited, a party with bartender and caterer and all, beginning just at sundown. He thinks it will be too much for her, but if she is as good tomorrow as she is today, I really think we ought to try it. If she begins to act as if she can’t handle it, I can always bring her home. She is sleeping well now, because I made her swim and swim and swim.”
I looked down into the back lawn and saw a chin-whiskered man in overalls and Mennonite hat guiding a power mower.
“What did you want to ask me about, Trav?”
“Nothing of any importance. I wondered if you know a Mrs. Holton. Janice Holton?”
“Is she sort of… dark and vivid?”
“Yes.”
“I was introduced to her once, I think. But I really don’t know her. I mean I would speak to her if I saw her, but I haven’t seen her in weeks and weeks. Why?”
“Nothing. I met her Sunday night after I left here, and she looks like somebody I used to know. I didn’t get to ask her. I thought you might know something about her, like where she’s from, so I could figure out if she’s the same one.”
“I really don’t know a thing about her except she seems nice. She must have had quite an impact on you, if you came all the way out here to ask me that.”