Клер Донелли - The Big Kitty

As the stew cooked, she and Mike cleaned up their mess from the prep.

“Your mom loved that thing,” her dad said, pointing at the hissing cooker. “She used to say we could have a stew in fifteen minutes.”

Sunny grinned. “That’s true, if you just count the cooking time. Of course, we spent about forty minutes peeling, chopping, and so on.”

By the time they’d finished with the cleanup, the stew was ready. Sunny ladled a serving onto a plate for her dad, her own mouth watering as she took in the savory smell. The rest of the stew went into sealed bowls to cool off and be refrigerated. They’d made enough for a couple of meals. And the longer the stew marinated in its own juices, the better it tasted.

“I bet you won’t get anything as good as this when you go out,” Mike announced, tucking in.

Sunny laughed. “You may be right.”

“So where are you going?”

“Will suggested a place up in Saxon,” she said, naming a wealthy township farther up the coast.

“Sounds fancy,” Mike said.

Sunny shrugged. “He told me it’s dressy casual.”

She spent a while going through her wardrobe to create an outfit to match that dress code. In the end, she wound up with a soft wine-colored sweater over a pair of black cords that felt more like velvet. With her car-length leather coat and a pair of low boots, Sunny felt about as ready as she was going to be.

She was upstairs, making a last-minute inspection in the mirror, when the doorbell rang. She came downstairs to find Will chatting amiably with her father.

“Right on the dot,” Mike said with approval.

Will took in her outfit and new hairdo. “You look great,” he said.

She laughed as Shadow inserted himself into the group, twining around Sunny’s legs and sniffing. “Apparently, I smell great, too.” She gave Will an up-and-down look. “And you don’t look so bad yourself.”

Will wore a pair of polished boots, soft gray wool slacks, and a slightly darker V-neck sweater with a tweed hacking jacket that accentuated his solid shoulders. His face softened in a slightly shy smile, and Sunny thought she’d never seen him look so good.

Not only had Will polished up his boots, he’d polished up his truck. Saying good night to Mike, they went outside and climbed aboard. They rode up to Saxon, a town that nowadays seemed to go more for Beemers and Escalades, though Avezzani’s, their destination, had a more rustic look, with plaster walls the color of parchment and exposed blackened beams.

A tall guy in an Armani suit and an apparent year-round tan greeted Will warmly at the door.

“Gene Avezzani was in my homeroom—now he runs this place,” Will said, making introductions. “It’s thanks to him that we got a table.”

“You don’t ask every day,” Gene replied, making a courtly bow over Sunny’s hand, “or bring such lovely ladies.”

He personally took them to a table in the corner and presented them with a nice bottle of Barolo.

Will grinned at Sunny over his menu. “When I was in high school, we’d go to the deli Gene’s folks ran next door for meatball heroes,” he confided. “The deli’s gone now—too downscale for the neighborhood—but the meatballs are the same.”

Splitting an order of those meatballs as an appetizer, Sunny had to admit they were pretty darned good. So was the stuffed artichoke they also shared. The whole meal was a throwback to the glory days of Italian red-sauce cuisine. Along with a few glasses of wine, it made for a mellow mood. Sunny enjoyed Will’s combination of ironic humor and self-deprecation.

“You went to school up here instead of in Levett?” Sunny said. “Why would you—oh, of course. Saxon Academy.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Yeah, the snob school of Elmet County. I managed to get in on a scholarship—regardless, it was a pretty good four years.”

He sipped his wine. “Of course, most of the kids who graduated tried for Ivy League schools. Some of the teachers were disappointed that I went for a school with a major in law enforcement.” Will put his glass down. “So was my dad. Sometimes I think I’ve spent an awful lot of my life annoying the sheriff of Elmet County, no matter who it might be. See, my dad wanted me to be a lawyer—that was his idea of stepping up in the world.”

“And you?” Sunny asked.

“I was interested in the law,” Will admitted. “But mainly in enforcing it. Still, after college I entered law school, just to please the old man—until everything went to hell. When Dad died, I gave up on law school and signed up with the state troopers. Took a posting with Troop F, way on the other end of the state by the Canadian border. After a few years up there, I knocked around the state on different assignments. Then I decided to take a shot at city policing. Maybe Portsmouth wasn’t the smartest idea for that. A lot of people on this side of the river were getting tired of Frank Nesbit and imported me as a thorn in his side.” He sighed. “I want to be a cop, not a politician.”

Sunny swallowed her bite of tender gnocchi in pesto sauce. “What about your mom?”

“She and Dad got divorced when I was still in grammar school. I didn’t see much of her after she moved down to New York and remarried. Never liked a city that big.” He coughed and pushed his wineglass away. “Sorry. I know you lived there for a while.”

“It was going to be my big move.” Sunny let a little mockery into her own voice. “The Standard was expanding from the suburbs into the big city, and the chain that owned the paper recruited the best and brightest from their other rags to join the spearhead. I figured if I could establish myself in the big town, maybe I’d have a chance at the Times . Of course, the problem was that the paper business was all set to contract. While I was up here taking care of my dad, the Standard got rid of its city bureau—and my job. Even worse, I had been going out with the guy who ended up canning me.”

She gave him an embarrassed smile. “Is that enough true confession for the evening? Or do I act like a pushy reporter and ask about Jane Rigsdale?”

“Ouch!” Will picked up his glass again. “My reaction when she called my name didn’t hide much, did it?”

“Well, you obviously knew one another in a former lifetime,” Sunny told him. “Hey, I went to school with Jane, although we weren’t what you would call friends. Still, I remember hearing the rumors that she was going out with a college guy. And when I saw the way the two of you acted, well, duh.”

Will took a sip of his wine. “Let’s just say it was a bad breakup—on both sides.”

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bring up Jane, Sunny suddenly thought. I get all defensive when I even think about her. It’s not high school anymore. I don’t have anything to envy her for . Sunny almost dropped her fork when she realized that wasn’t true. I am jealous of her. Jane came back to Kittery Harbor on her own terms, she’s got her own business … and she fits in. She even asked about Will before I even thought about dating him. Sunny looked down at her plate. I guess I’ll have to be nicer to her the next time we speak.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Sunny said, abruptly. “Did you find anything interesting at the Spruance place?”

“I learned that when a tweaker tries to search for something, he’s not exactly methodical.” Will sounded exasperated. “I spent some time over there this afternoon. Get this—the sheriff has actually encouraged me to poke around a little.” He looked up, struck by a thought. “Would you like to come along tomorrow? What the place needs is a horde of CSI types, but of course Nesbit isn’t gonna bust the budget or ask the state for help. So it comes down to me, and I’d be happy for an extra pair of eyes. Besides, you’ve been there before. You might spot something that I’d miss.”