The woman came out to ask if they wanted more coffee.

“Jerry is from Florida, too,” Carlo said.

“Where in Florida?” the woman asked.

He hesitated, not wanting this to go further, then tried, “East coast.”

“Me, too,” she said. “Did Irma get you?”

Taken off guard, “Who?”

“Hurricane Irma.”

“Oh, Hurricane Irma. No.”

“Would you like more coffee?”

Beaufort took another sip. “It’s delicious, but I’m fine, thanks.”

The woman retreated back into the house, and Carlo continued with the job talk. “I’m retired from the university.”

Beaufort thought he couldn’t stand much more small talk. But then he couldn’t just bring up Santangelo right off the bat. So he asked a few more questions about Carlo’s job. Acted impressed. Said he had been a jockey before he retired. He might have given Gloria a different story but what could it matter? He needed something classier for these people.

Despite the cool weather Beaufort had started to sweat. He rubbed his palm on his jeans.

“Are you doing all right there?” Carlo asked him.

Beaufort looked up, startled, fearing Carlo could see his tension. But then Carlo said, “Are you sure you don’t want a refill?”

“Maybe coffee’s not such a good thing,” he said. “I think I’m still used to the northern temperatures.”

“I thought you said you were from Florida,” Carlo said. “By way of the Deep South, perhaps? I think I can detect a bit of an accent.”

“It’s true, I did some time in Mississippi,” Beaufort said.

Carlo tipped his head as if acknowledging a joke. “I’ve heard other people speak of it that way, too.”

Sixteen

The new neighbor didn’t stay that long. I picked up the mug he left on the patio table and carried it into the kitchen, where I put it in the sink for washing later. Carlo came in and poured himself another cup from the pot I had made.

“It’s probably bitter,” I said. “I could drink it. Give it here.”

“It’s okay, I’m getting to appreciate rancid coffee,” he said.

“So that guy,” I started, turning and leaning against the counter while Carlo got some creamer out of the fridge to make his coffee more drinkable. “Who is he?”

“I’m not sure what you mean, O’Hari,” Carlo said. He could take apart any sentence and examine it five different ways.

“I mean, who actually says ‘co-inky-dink’ instead of ‘coincidence’ anymore? Didn’t that have its heyday for about five minutes in the eighties?”

“You were eavesdropping?”

“I heard him when I came out to offer coffee. It was kind of weird when he didn’t know what a rescue dog was. That’s why I mentioned Irma. It wiped out the Keys last year.”

“I remember.”