A loud thump caused Lisa to flinch as Nell slapped her palm on the table. “I don’t forget things, Rollie. I never forget!”

“It’s all right, Nell,” Dillard said. “It’s not important.”

A tense moment passed before Lisa, ever the diplomat, said, “I’m sorry. I think maybe I was mistaken.” She tapped a fingernail to her wineglass and exchanged another glance with Dillard.

In that moment, Jeff caught something passing between Lisa and Dillard. The looks they’d exchanged betrayed an unspoken secret or some other familiarity that he found disturbing. Reaching for his beer, Jeff glanced at Nell, who was watching all of them. She had a haunting presence, the candlelight reflecting in her glasses, creating the impression her eyes were ablaze.

“I think we’ve all had a lot to drink.” Dillard took the last bite of his dessert, apple pie.

“You know, Rollie—” Nell stared at him “—you can get married again when I’m dead and gone.”

“Nell, this is not the time to talk about these things.”

“It’s the best time. I’m still here. There are plenty of wealthy widows in West Palm. You have my blessing.”

“And I think you’ve had a lot of wine.” Dillard picked up his plate and stood. “Jeff, how about that tour?”

Recognizing that Dillard was trying to defuse matters, Jeff and Lisa complimented their hosts on dinner and collected their plates. Jeff went with Dillard, while Lisa helped Nell clean up.

“I’m sorry if I upset you, Nell.” Lisa began scraping and rinsing plates at the kitchen sink.

“You didn’t upset me.” Nell first patted Lisa’s shoulder, then gripped it with such force it almost hurt. “You know what monsters men can be. And Rollie’s no exception. I bet even Jeff has a dark side, right?”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“All marriages have their secrets and complications. Would you like more wine?”

Lisa looked at her, then shrugged it off as an older woman’s ramblings and searched for her glass.

“So, let’s talk about Cleveland, your hometown,” Nell said.

Dillard guided Jeff through the house, the living room, the great room, then the master bedroom where Nell’s pills sat bunched together on her night table. They went to the other bedrooms, then the last which served as the guest room, with its queen-size bed and bamboo night tables.

Jeff did a double take at the door with the steel handle.

“What’s that? Looks fortified, like a vault,” he said.

“The door’s heavy steel, triple locked,” Dillard said. “Nothing can get in. The room has its own footings and reinforced fourteen-gauge steel frame. It’s got its own ventilation, water and A/C, built to withstand hurricanes. We don’t have to face evacuation traffic. We keep it locked and stocked.”

Jeff knocked on the solid steel door and nodded.