I suck away the blood on my hand and settle on one of the stools. “Evidently.”

“I find she’s an excellent judge of character,” Lindquist tells me, as she measures the coffee grains.

“Aren’t you clever.”

“You know, I’d have thought you might trouble yourself to be a little more charming, under the circumstances. I’m not likely to open myself up to some chronic bitch.”

“You’re not likely to open yourself up to anybody, I expect. I’m here on a bribe, that’s all, and I perfectly understand the nature of our arrangement. I’d be wasting my time trying to charm you.”

She raises her eyebrows and fills the percolator with water from the tap.

“Although I suppose you could just bludgeon me,” I continue. “A simple, elegant solution, and there’s no lack of convenient places to dispose of an unwanted body around here.”

“Oh, I could kill you, I guess. But then I wouldn’t learn much, would I? How you found Sam, how you found me. Not that I’m admitting to anything. There we are.” She plugs in the percolator and wipes her hands on a dishtowel. She’s changed out of her bathing costume to a white shirt and a pair of tan slacks, which suit her tall, angular body perfectly. Under the kitchen light, you can better see the scar that bubbles up from her neck to cover her jaw and ear.

“That looks like it hurt,” I say. “Burn?”

“Yes. Anything else? Eggs? Toast? I always make myself a nice breakfast when I’ve been out on the water. And I imagine you must be hungry.”

“Oh? Why?”

“No reason.” She bustles to the icebox. “Except I might have heard you left the bar of the Hanalei Tavern at eleven o’clock last night, in the company of the owner.”

“He was walking me back to the inn, like a gentleman.”

“The inn says you never slept in your bed.”

“I made it up before I left.”

She cracks open an egg and laughs. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Leo’s the catch of the town, and very particular. I’ll bet you had a lovely time.”

I snap my fingers. “Leo! Of course. Now I remember.”

“He’ll be heartbroken. I suppose he told you where to find me?”

“Not quite. He said you liked to surf early in the morning, that’s all. I figured out which beach on my own.” I tap my temple. “No flies on me.”

“Maybe not, but the town’s buzzing, all the same.”

“A town, is it? I’ve seen duck crossings with more metropolitan flavor.”

“And just look what it’s done for you. Buttered or dry?”

“What do you think?”

She takes the butter from the icebox.