“Write it down,” Trudi instructed. “I know for a fact that the Weidenauers have been angling to move. But we’ve been coming down here way longer than they have, so by rights, we should get first shot at it.”

“Okay,” Letty said, dutifully scribbling a note to that effect. “I’ll let Ava know.”

Trudi looked past Letty at Maya, who was peeling the paper off a purple crayon.

“Pretty little girl,” she said. “Whose is she?”

“Mine,” Letty said, not bothering to explain. “Was there anything else I can help you with?”

“I never forget a face,” Trudi Maples said. “And I know I’ve seen you someplace before.”

“People tell me that all the time,” Letty said. “I’m always hearing that I look like somebody’s high school classmate or second cousin.”

“No. It’s nothing like that,” Mrs. Maples insisted.

Merwin rolled his eyes. “It’s her superpower. Sooner or later, she’ll figure out how she knows you. And it’ll probably come to her at four in the morning, so she’ll wake me up to tell me all about it.” He touched his wife’s shoulder. “Come on, Trude. I want to start packing our stuff so we can move into the Sheehans’ unit as soon as Ava gives us the go-ahead.”

Letty recognized the next visitor as one of the women she thought of as “the bird ladies”—the three skinny women she saw gathered together most nights at the Murmuring Surf’s smokers’ lounge, laughing easily and sharing a bottle of wine.

Today’s visitor was easily the most youthful-looking of the women—with hair dyed blue-black and a still-shapely figure she accented with snug-fitting capris and T-shirts. She pushed through the door and looked right past Letty.

“Where’s Ava,” she asked breathlessly.

“She’s out. Is there something I can help with?”

“God, I hope so. My bathtub is stopped up and I’ve got a small river flowing straight into my bedroom. Is Joe around? He usually fixes stuff.”

“I haven’t seen him this morning,” Letty said. “Is there a plumber I could call?”

“How do I know? Call Ava. Get her back here now.”

Letty picked up her phone to call the motel owner, but her call went immediately to voice mail.

“Ava’s probably still in the dentist’s chair,” Letty said. “Hang on.” She walked into the supply room and returned with the plunger and a plumber’s snake she’d spotted earlier while looking for a roll of Scotch tape.

“Good Lord,” the woman said, pointing to the long hand-cranked drain-cleaning tool. “Do you know how to use that thing?”

“Hope so,” Letty said. She held out her hand to Maya. “Come on, doodle, let’s go.”

“What’s your name, by the way?” the woman asked, as they walked toward one of the larger units on the south side of the property.

“I’m Letty.”