Tribute

much fun running the paint sprayer as he had hanging up three stories. “Take a break?” she asked and offered a bottle of water.
    “Sure can.” He gave her arm a quick rub. “How’re you feeling?”
    “Better since I got to work. Better yet when I stand staring at my counters with a big, sloppy smile on my face. Something occurred to me when I was working with Buddy. How he and his father did some work here. Dobby did, too. I’m wondering who else who’s working here now, or who I didn’t hire, or who’s retired, might’ve worked on the place when Janet had it. Maybe they’re pissed off because I’m changing it. It’s no crazier than Hennessy trying to run me down for something that happened before I was born.”
    “I’d have to think about it. I was a teenager, Cilla. I can’t say I’d have paid much attention.”
    He took off his hat, ran a hand through his hair. “There were gardeners, of course. The grounds were a showplace. I’ll ask Charlie if he remembers who she had for that. I do remember she had what you’d call caretakers. A couple who’d look after things when she wasn’t here, which was more than not. They’d open the house up when she was expected, that sort of thing. Mr. and Mrs. Jorganson. They’ve both been gone for years.”
    “What about carpentry, electrical, painting?”
    “Maybe Carl Kroger. He did a lot of handyman work back then. I’ll ask about that, but I know he retired some years ago. Florida maybe. I only remember that because I went to school with his daughter, and I ended up teaching her daughter. I can’t see Mary Beth Kroger—that’s Marks, now—giving you this kind of trouble.”
    “It’s probably a stupid idea. Just another straw grasped at.”
    “Cilla, I don’t mean to make it worse, or give you more to worry about, but have you considered that whoever’s doing this has a grudge directed at you? You, not Janet Hardy’s granddaughter?”
    “For what? I’m a former child star, a failed adult actress who recorded a couple of moderately successful CDs. My only ties to this area were to her, and you. You, Patty and Angie were literally the only people I knew when I came here. And let’s be honest, I didn’t know any of you that well. I’ve dumped a few hundred thousand into the local economy. I can’t see how that would piss anyone off.”
    “You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s the dolls. It’s such a direct strike at you. More than the vandalism, Cilla. Mutilating those dolls, the child you were, seems so much more personal than the rest.”
    She studied him. “Are you here to paint, or to keep an eye on me?”
    “I can do both. At least until school starts up. The summer’s flown by,” he said, looking past her. “I’ll miss being around here, the way I’ve been able to. We’ve made a lot of progress since June.”
    You and I . She understood the words he didn’t say. “We have. Despite everything, it’s been the best summer of my life.”
    FORD WATCHED WHILE Cilla hung shutters her father had painted on the front windows. The scent of the paint hung in the air, along with grass, heat and the dianthus in a big blue pot on the veranda.
    “I just want to finish this off. You don’t have to hover.”
    “I’m not hovering. I’m observing. There’s something satisfying about sitting on a summer day and watching somebody else work.”
    She spared him a glance as he sat, at ease. “You know, I could teach you how to set a few screws.”
    “Why would I need to do that when I’ve got you?”
    “I’ll ignore that since you bought me that very pretty planter. And the steaks you’ve promised to grill—on the grill I assembled.”
    “Corn on the cob, too, and tomatoes fresh from the roadside stand. We’ll have ourselves a feast.”
    She tested the shutter, checked it with her level, then moved to the next.
    “Before we move to feasting,” he continued, “let’s get less pleasant business out of the way. I went by the Hennessy place this morning. She’s not there,” he added when Cilla glanced back. “Hasn’t been there, according to her neighbor, for a couple of weeks. One supposition is she went down to Petersburg, to be close to the state hospital where they have him. That’s proved out.”
    “How do you know?”
    “I called the most likely hotels and motels in the area. She’s registered at the Holiday Inn Express.”
    “Aren’t you the clever detective?” she replied.
    “Taught the Seeker