Summer in Eclipse Bay

prominence."
    "Provenance," Nick corrected softly.
    "Right. So the way I figure it, little Ms. Brightwell is pulling a fast one on all of you. Works like this, see, she hides the picture, pretends it got stolen and later, when the heat dies down, she leaves town, maybe goes to Seattle or some place like that and sells the damn thing. That way she gets to keep all the money. Now do you get it, Harte?"
    "Interesting theory," Nick said.
    "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Eugene quaffed more beer and lowered the glass. Pleased with himself.
    "And you say you came up with it all on your own?"
    "Yep."
    Dwayne opened his mouth, but he closed it again very rapidly when Eugene threw him a warning glare.
    "In that case," Nick said, "can I ask you two gentlemen to refrain from spreading it any further until we find out exactly what is going on and maybe get some proof?"
    Eugene looked intrigued. "Why should we keep quiet?"
    "For one thing, there's a lady's reputation at stake."
    "What reputation? Everyone in town knows she's screwing your brains out."
    "I was speaking of her professional reputation."
    "Who cares about that?" Eugene asked blankly.
    "I do, for one," Nick said. "And I think maybe you and Dwayne, being gentlemen and all, should care about it, too."
    They both looked at him as if he'd suggested that they should care about quantum physics.
    Eugene recovered first. "Hell with her pro-fess-ion-al rep-u-ta-tion," he said, sounding each syllable out with sneering precision. "I don't give a shit about her reputation. You give a shit, Dwayne?"
    "Nope," Dwayne said. "I figure the fact that she's screwing Harte's brains out is a lot more interesting than her professional reputation."
    Nick rose slowly to his feet. They both watched him, taunting challenge in their faces.
    "Let me put it to you this way, gentlemen," Nick said coolly. "If you two cannot manage to refrain from further public comment on either Ms. Brightwell's personal or professional reputation, I have two words of wisdom for you."
    "What two words?" Eugene demanded, looking ready to pounce in victory.
    "Lavender and Leather."
    Eugene's face went slack as if he'd just gone completely numb. Maybe he had, Nick thought. With shock.
    Dwayne gaped. He looked frozen with horror.
    Satisfied that he had made his point, Nick turned and walked through the shadowy tavern. He pushed open the door and went out into the sparkling sunlight.
    And immediately collided with Octavia, who had just put her hand on the door to open it.
    "Excuse me, I-" She began, stepping hurriedly back out of the way. Then she recognized him. "Oh, it's you."
    "Yeah, it's me."
    The transition from night to day dazzled his vision. Or maybe it was the sight of Octavia in a dress that was roughly the color of a tequila sunrise and was splattered with impossibly oversized orchids. He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.
    She glanced past him toward the door of the tavern. "What happened in there?"
    "I confirmed something that I have long suspected."
    "What?"
    "No one in this town reads my books."

Chapter 14
    "I read them," she said.
    "You don't count. You're leaving town in a few weeks, remember?" He took her arm and steered her away from the entrance. "What the hell are you doing here? I hope you weren't planning to eat lunch at the Total Eclipse. You weren't raised in Eclipse Bay, so you probably lack the necessary immunity to survive Fred's cooking."
    "I wasn't planning to eat there. I saw you go inside and I knew you had probably gone in to talk to someone about the painting."
    "Brilliant deduction." Across the street, Sandy Hickson was watching them with great interest, a dripping squeegee dangling absently from one hand. Nick took Octavia's arm again. "Come on, let's get you out of here. There's enough talk about you going around as it is."
    She skipped a little to keep up with him. "Did you learn anything in the Total Eclipse?"
    "Always something to be learned in the Total Eclipse." he said flatly. "It is never less than an enlightening experience."
    She frowned. "What happened in there?"
    "Long story."
    "It's lunchtime. Why don't we go somewhere and you can tell me this long story."
    He looked at her.
    "You know," she said with a determinedly bright smile. "You can give me a report."
    A report, he thought. First he was therapy and now he was business. This relationship was not improving. On the contrary, it seemed to be going sideways. But an invitation to lunch counted for