She sighed. “I suppose. But if we want Hal to be there, we’re going to have to wait until Friday, because he’s downstate at a training and won’t be back until then.”

We discussed the pros and cons of talking only to Ash and decided, in the end, that it would be better to have the senior officer in the room. “Ash isn’t a full detective yet,” I said. “And your husband has so much experience. It might make a difference.”

Tabitha laughed. “A good or a bad one? No, never mind, your point is well taken. Friday it is.”

I texted Ash with a request for a Friday morning appointment. He suggested half past seven, I agreed, and I shut off my phone before I saw any questions about the point of the meeting.

Since it was raining, Tabitha dropped me off at the marina and gazed approvingly at the house where I would, I hoped, soon be living. “Lovely,” she said. “The Shingle style is one of my favorites. Looks just right in this location.”

What it looked to me was dark, which meant that, once again, Rafe wasn’t there doing any work. And since he’d told me to stay away, nothing was getting done.

Once inside the houseboat, I muttered to Eddie about it, but he yawned in my face.

“Nice,” I said. “You do realize that the roof of your mouth is one of your least attractive features. Did you ever think about covering your mouth when you yawn?”

He yawned again, not covering, and I averted my eyes. “You’re going to spoil my dinner.”

Dinner was a marginally healthy frozen meal of chicken, broccoli, and pasta, and I was just finishing up when my phone pinged with an incoming text. I picked it up in a Pavlovian reaction before my brain could connect with my hand and tell it to stop because I didn’t feel like answering any of Ash’s questions. But it wasn’t Ash.

Josh: Have you talked to Mia yet?

Minnie (after freaking out a bit because she’d completely forgotten about Josh’s romance issues): Working on it. Will let you know.

I scrolled through my contact list and found Leese Lacombe, Mia’s half sister.

Minnie: Need some help re: Josh and Mia. Can you bring her to breakfast at the Round Table tomorrow morning?

Leese (after a pause): Sure thing. Anything in particular?

Minnie: Josh asked her to move in and she’s backing away.

Leese: You sure you want to get involved?

Minnie: I absolutely do not. But Josh begged.

Leese: Men. (insertion of an eye-roll emoji) See you at eight.