Homeport

matters worse.” She closed her eyes, the better to concentrate on keeping her tone even. “Do the police know why the lab was broken into? Was anything stolen?”
    “It’s difficult to tell, but it doesn’t appear that anything was taken. A great deal was destroyed. The alarm was shut off, from inside. The authorities believe it’s possible he knew his assailant.”
    “I’d like you to keep me informed of the progress. He mattered very much to me.”
    “I know you had a personal relationship.”
    “We weren’t lovers, Mother.” Miranda nearly sighed it. “We were friends.”
    “I didn’t intend to—” Elizabeth stopped, remained silent for several seconds. “I’ll see that you’re kept up-to-date. If you go out of town, you might see that Andrew has your location this time.”
    “I plan to stay home,” Miranda said. “And garden.” She smiled a little as there was no response. “An enforced leave of absence gives me time to develop a hobby. They’re supposed to be good for the soul.”
    “So I’m told. I’m glad you’re making productive use of your time rather than brooding. Tell Andrew I want an update on the investigation there as soon as possible. I may be coming in for a short time, and would appreciate having everything dealing with the matter of the David recorded in a cohesive fashion.”
    I’ll warn him. “I’ll be sure he understands.”
    “Good. Goodbye, Miranda.”
    “Goodbye, Mother.”
    She replaced the receiver neatly, then sat staring at it until she realized Ryan had come in and stood behind her. “She had me fooled for a minute. I started to believe she was human. She sounded genuinely grieved when she told me about Giovanni. But before it was over, she reverted to her usual self. I’m to stay away because my presence at Giovanni’s funeral would be disruptive.”
    Her instinct was to stiffen when his hands came to her shoulders. That alone infuriated her. She shut her eyes and willed herself to relax under his hands. “I’m instructed to inform Andrew of my location, should I choose to leave town again, and to tell him to give her an update, at the soonest opportunity, of the burglary investigation.”
    “She’s got a lot on her mind, Miranda. Everyone in your family does just now.”
    “And when your family has a crisis, what do they do?”
    He crouched, turned her swivel chair around until she faced him. “Your family and mine aren’t the same, and can’t be expected to react in the same way.”
    “No. My mother remains, at all times, the director. My father maintains his distance and general apathy, and Andrew drowns himself in a bottle. And what do I do? I ignore all of it as long as it’s humanly possible so it won’t interfere with my routine.”
    “That’s not what I’ve seen.”
    “You’ve seen a blip on the screen, not the usual sweep.” She nudged him aside so she could stand. “I’m going for a run.”
    “Miranda.” He caught her arm before she could hurry out of the room. “If you didn’t care, if they didn’t matter to you, you wouldn’t be so sad.”
    “I’m not sad, Ryan. I’m resigned.” She shook free and walked out to change her clothes.
    She didn’t often run. She considered walking a more efficient and certainly more dignified method of exercise. But when events and emotions built up to a high inside her, she ran.
    She chose the beach below the cliffs because the water was close and the air fresh. She headed north, digging into the shale while the waves gleefully attacked the rocky shore and spewed droplets of water into the sunlight. Gulls swooped, letting out their eerily feminine screams.
    As her muscles warmed, she tugged off the light jacket and tossed it aside. No one would steal it. Crime, she thought with a giddy lurch in her stomach, was low in Jones Point.
    Orange buoys bobbed on the surface of the dark blue water. Others, tall, gray, and weathered, swayed and spoke in hollow, mournful bongs. A short pier lay drunkenly askew in the water, ignored because neither she nor Andrew sailed. Farther out, boats skimmed and sailed as people took advantage of the hint of spring and a Sunday holiday.
    She followed the curve of the beach, ignoring the burning in her calves and chest, the trickle of sweat between her breasts.
    A lobster boat swayed on the current while the waterman in his bright red cap checked his pots. He lifted a hand and waved, and the simple gesture from a stranger made her eyes burn. While