“Something’s going on with that family. Carrie’s hiding something,” he admitted. “I don’t know what it is, but she was nervous about me being out there. Normally I would chalk it up to nothing more than not enjoying surprise visitors. People who love being social don’t typically isolate themselves on an island.”

“Did you know her before she got married?”

“Vaguely, and I know what your next question is going to be. No. She wasn’t like this when she lived in town. She’s quite a bit younger than me. I know what I know from the few times I met her before she married Bobby. I know him, though. I know I was surprised he married a woman so much younger than him.”

“Has he been married before?”

“Yes,” he replied. “He married a woman he met when he was working a job in Biloxi. He’s got some relatives who run a fishing charter business there. He used to spend his summers helping out before he graduated and he and his brother took over the shrimping business from their father. Susie moved here, but it didn’t work out. She divorced him after a few years and moved away.”

“Why?”

“The divorce decree merely cited irreconcilable differences. That’s all I know. There’s nothing else official. When I got back from the visit, Roxie and I looked through old records and couldn’t find anything beyond a couple of traffic tickets and some complaints about Bobby’s boat waking people up at odd hours of the morning, but that’s how the family gets around. I know it might sound weird to be on a boat at three in the morning, but shrimp don’t catch themselves.”

Lila leaned in. “How did she react to you showing up?”

“Her mother-in-law certainly wasn’t happy to see us, but that’s not unusual. Lorna comes into town as little as possible. I think she sees herself as the queen of that particular kingdom.”

“If she’s the queen, is Carrie a princess or her servant? They’re the only two women out there? You mentioned a brother.”

“Yeah. Bobby’s got a brother but he’s never been married. Carrie didn’t handle it well when I asked her if everything was okay. I’m afraid I might have made things worse since she immediately realized you were the reason I was out there.”

“There’s nothing else you could do,” Lila said. “I was the reason you were out there. I wish you could have caught her alone, but I understand. She was angry with me?”

“She said she would find another doctor to help her next time.”

“And her mother-in-law was there?”

“No, I had Roxie distract Lorna, but I didn’t have long,” he explained. “Her words didn’t match her initial reactions, in my mind. My gut tells me you’re right and something is going on out there.”