Chapter 63

BLOCK ISLAND

PEOPLE STOOD IN line every Friday to get a copy of the Block Island Times as it arrived on the ferry from the printer in Springfield, Mass. The Friday after the storm the line was especially long. That issue of the Times contained photographs of the damaged boats in New Harbor, and an article about the cleanup at Ballard’s, and an interview with a well-known meteorologist who explained the weather patterns that allowed a storm of such force to strike with very little warning.

And the following two items:

OBITUARIES

Helen Simmons, 84, died peacefully at home on August 7. She joins her beloved husband, the late Jack Simmons. She is survived by her sons, Jack Simmons II (and wife Joanne), of Stamford, Connecticut, and Joe Simmons (and husband Bart Winslow), of New York City, and her daughter, Lila Simmons Griffin, of Providence. Born on Sept. 8, 1934, in Woonsocket, R.I., Helen graduated from Salve Regina University with a degree in nursing. She served as a nurse in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, after which she moved to Block Island with her husband, a native islander, to raise their family. She has been a proud island resident for most of her adult life. Funeral services are pending.

FAMOUS NOVELIST DIES DURING STORM

Bestselling thriller author Leonard Puckett, author of dozens of popular thrillers that have sold millions of copies worldwide, was in town to give a reading at Island Bound Books when he collapsed and was taken to Block Island Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Leonard Puckett’s son, Anthony Puckett, who had also been a celebrated novelist in his own right until a plagiarism scandal sullied his reputation earlier this year, was with the elder Mr. Puckett at the time of his collapse. Mr. Puckett’s reading had been postponed due to the storm. “He was such a nice man,” said Bridget Fletcher, an employee of the bookstore. “So gracious, and very kind.”

Mr. Puckett’s latest book, The Thrill of the Chase, has held a spot on the New York Times bestseller list since its publication this spring. Mr. Puckett’s publisher issued the following statement: It is with tremendous sadness that we hear of the loss of our beloved author. In his long career Leonard Puckett has proved himself to be an unrivaled talent who never wavered from his prodigious and punishing schedule. The literary world has lost a great man.

Chapter 64

JOY

ALL IN ALL, they’d been lucky, with their cottage spared any damage. At Joy Bombs, one of the front windows had been knocked out by a bicycle pump that had blown down the street: could have been worse. Block Island Power expected to have service restored by early afternoon; for now, the shop was closed, Joy never having invested in a generator the way some of the big restaurants had. Joy was trying not to think of how many lost dollars each hour out of business was costing her. Just before the storm Harlan Nichols had sent a reminder of the increase in rent in writing.