Derrick King
While doing morning chores, I heard the Oldsmobile rumble into life as Pearl left to go to work. An hour later, I drove the truck to the cove, expecting to park it by the Oldsmobile, but I didn’t see the car. That evening, during dinner, Pearl signed impassively, “The car broke down this morning near our driveway. I hitchhiked to the cove and asked the gas station to tow it there. They fixed it. I am telling you so you are not upset by the credit card bill.” “What was wrong with it?” “The battery wires touched together.” “A waste of money! I could have fixed it. Why didn’t you walk back and get me?” Pearl stared through me. “It was dark.” “It’s always dark. That’s why we have flashlights!” On the weekend, I drove to the gas station in Snug Cove. “Don, on Wednesday, Pearl had the Oldsmobile towed here and repaired. What happened?” “Your battery cage rusted, so the battery tipped and shorted. I welded a new cage and charged her seventy-five bucks. That’s what I reported to Laurent. Pearl didn’t have enough money, so she charged it.” “What did the police have to do with this?” “Laurent asked me to do a safety check.” Don lowered his voice. “He asked me not to tell you, but you need to know: Laurent wanted your car checked for sabotage.” “Sabotage! What did you say?” “No sabotage, but only God knows what rusty part will fall out next.” I saw Laurent’s jeep near the store and parked beside it. He asked me to get in. “Derrick, Pearl’s car broke down. She saw sparks under the hood, the headlights went out, and the engine stopped. A commuter saw her waving a flashlight. He stopped to give her a lift and then saw the car blocking the road. With help from another car, they pushed it out of the way. He gave her a lift to the first ferry but, instead of walking to it, she came to me to report the breakdown and asked me to have it towed. Then she went to work on the second ferry.” “I was on the second ferry! She must have been hiding.” “She asked me not to tell you, but you need
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