“Okay, Harry, that sounds nice,” she said. “If John’s in the store, then maybe you’d drop by and say hello. We’re both hoping you can help out a little. John won’t be able to . . .”

“Yeah, of course,” Harry said.

Alice’s gaze settled on the bay windows. “It’s staying light for so long these days,” she said. “Go for your walk.”

Outside, Harry exited the driveway and turned left onto York Street, walking down toward the few businesses that comprised Kennewick Village. His father’s store was flanked by a florist and an ice cream shop; all three shared a single-story brick building that had once been a lumber mill. Harry looked through the tinted plate-glass window stenciled with the words ackerson’s rare books. It was dark inside—no John Richards, his father’s elderly assistant—but there was enough light to see that the interior was cluttered with too much stock, stacks of books lining the edges of filled shelves. A flicker of movement made Harry jump. It was Lew, a Maine coon that lived in the store. Lew leapt onto the window’s display case, dipping his head and rubbing his tufted ears against a first edition of Peyton Place. Harry hoped the cat hadn’t been entirely forgotten since his father’s death. He’d ask Alice about it later.

Harry walked east, passing in front of the Cumberland Farms convenience store, then took the Old Post Road toward Kennewick Beach. He knew he was walking along the same route his father had most likely taken to get down to the cliff walk, but it was the direction he felt compelled to go, toward the ocean. He hadn’t yet decided whether he wanted to walk along the footpath and see if there was any sign of where his father had fallen. For now, he just wanted to move his legs, and be away from the house.

The Old Post Road took Harry to Sohier Road. Kennewick comprised four distinct sections. There was Kennewick Center, now mainly dispersed along Route 1A; Kennewick Village, with the town’s oldest buildings; Kennewick Beach, with its affordable rentals and campsite; and Kennewick Harbor, the most exclusive section of Kennewick, studded with weathered mansions and the two biggest resort hotels.