The wind blew stronger at the lighthouse point than along the parade route, and ropes chimed against the flagpole. Although the building was open to visitors in honor of the holiday, most of the tourists were still in town, and the parking lot held only a few cars. The three of them climbed the winding metal staircase inside the tower to an open, fenced galley just beneath the black dome and giant lens. They’d left their hats in the car to keep them from blowing off, and Temple reached up to anchor her wig. “What a beautiful view.”

Behind the flying clouds, the sky shone a brilliant blue. The metal railing was warm from the early afternoon sun, but the wind whipped angry waves across the jetty, and only the larger pleasure boats dotted the choppy water. Temple left them to circle the galley.

“Makes you feel sorry for people who never get to see the Great Lakes,” Panda said as he slipped his aviators back on.

Lucy felt exactly the same way, but she didn’t want to talk to him, so she merely nodded.

A pair of terns beat their wings over the water, searching for a meal, while a gull circled stubbornly above them, ready to steal their catch. Panda propped his forearms on the rail. “I owe you an apology.”

“So many to choose from.”

He stared straight ahead, his eyes shadowed behind the dark lenses. “What I said to you three weeks ago … That night … I was pissed because you’d locked the door. I was pissed about a lot of things, none of them your problem.”

She’d suspected his ugly words had more to do with him than her, but they’d still hurt. “Sorry. Don’t remember.”

“That night at the motel … You were great that night. I was the one who—”

“Really,” she said icily. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“I’m sorry. Again, I’m sorry.”

“Not necessary.” She refused to soften her expression even though she was glad he’d offered an apology.

Temple passed behind them, her third trip around the galley. “I’m going down. If that’s all right with you, Warden.”

Panda peered over the railing. “I don’t see a ready food supply, so go ahead.”

Temple disappeared. Lucy wasn’t ready to leave, but she didn’t want to talk to him either, so she moved a few yards away. He refused to take the hint. “Lucy, I know—”

“Temple needs to figure out how to police herself,” she said before he could go on. “Sooner or later, you have to ease up on the reins.”

“I know. Maybe next week.”

A gust of wind blew a crumpled newspaper across the parking lot, and her resolve not to engage in a conversation with him wavered. “You like her, don’t you?”