Chapter 17

I’m positive I’m not the only one who wonders what a person looks like just from hearing their voice on the phone. When you talk to a stranger on the phone, don’t you form some kind of mental image of what you think they might look like? The sound of their voice? Their choice of words? Don’t you have an image of some sort? I remember reading once that one of the best-paid 1-900 phone sex women was actually a man. He could make his voice very sultry and sensual, and he made a lot of money fulfilling many a guy’s fantasies. Even though I’d only heard Jennifer’s voice, I was fairly sure Slim’s daughter was not a man. However, she did have one sexy voice. My mental image of her was a cross of Miss June, Miss July, and Miss August, and well, you get the idea. I know, I’m obsessed at times with women.

The soft, gently accented voice came on the phone after the second ring, “Hello, this is Jennifer Rockingham.”

I told her who I was, and she paused for a moment before answering, “Thank you for returning my call. I ah...” she laughed nervously, “have a small favor to ask. Actually, it’s a rather large favor. Would it be possible to meet with you? I’ve something I need to discuss with you, and, uh...”

“And you’d rather not discuss it over the phone?” I interrupted, trying to help her along.

“Well, it would be a lot easier if I met you. I believe you’ll understand.” I agreed to meet her at a well-known watering hole that overlooks the Sound where you can watch the ferries coming and going. As I hung up, I looked at my watch and saw I had over an hour and a half before I was to meet Ms. Rockingham.

My next call was to Scott, and I asked him what he wanted. He informed me he had an old buddy who’s a friend of a friend who is someone important down at the zoning commission. His plan was to have lunch with his friend and his friend’s friend to see if he could find out why there was this sudden push to close Wheel’s marina.

Scott had contacted some of the other marinas that catered to houseboats and discovered only Wheel’s place was being investigated. It seemed a bit strange. I told him about my upcoming meeting with the Rockingham woman and we agreed to meet later to discuss what each of us had uncovered.

After we hung up, I decided it might be a good idea to look a bit more presentable for Miss Rockingham, so I headed off to the bathroom to clean up and pondered the wisdom of wearing a suit. I thought it might help to make a good impression, so I went to my closet and pulled out one of my custom-made jobs. I also found a nice clean freshly starched French cuff shirt. After I was spruced up, I stopped in front of the mirror on the way out. When I looked at myself, I thought I didn’t look so bad for a man of my advanced years. Still need to lose a few pounds, but hey, don’t most of us?

I took the Eldo convertible, and it seemed like BJ was asking what’s up with the suit and fancy car. I told her to act cool, since normally when I wear a suit, she usually doesn’t get to go with me. She promptly lay down in the passenger seat and nodded off to sleep.

I arrived at the restaurant a bit early, left my name at the reception desk, and headed back to the bar to grab a good table looking out over the water. Just two minutes past our agreed upon time, I glanced up at the entrance, and saw a tall, slim, dark-haired, extremely attractive woman enter the place. I was pleased to note that this time the voice and the person seemed to go together. The receptionist was standing next to her, and when I waved my hand, she pointed me out to the tall woman.

Her stride was long and graceful. She was wearing an unbuttoned dark grey suit with a sheer black blouse underneath. The thin blouse revealed a well filled out black bra. The skirt to the suit had a slit on one side, and when she walked, one leg would show a little. The suit was tailored to fit her perfectly. As she walked, her long dark hair swung back and forth. A few of the other males in the room turned to glance at her as she passed. There was no denying this was one very classy, gorgeous dame. God was I glad I decided to do the suit. I was standing by the time she got to the table, and I extended my hand, “Miss Rockingham?” I asked.

She reached out, took my hand, and in her soft accent said, “Yes, and I do appreciate you agreed to see me.” I motioned for her to take a seat, and I sat down across from her. She had a beautiful wide face with deep soft brown eyes. Her lashes were long, and when she blinked, they brushed creamy cheeks. She also had a wide and generous mouth, with straight white teeth and a great smile when she wanted to share it. I tried to see any of Slim in her, but I didn’t. She was at least five feet nine inches or a bit taller, contrasted with Slim who’d been a very short man. I assumed her mother, Mrs. Rockingham, had been tall. Somewhere this lovely lady had gotten great genes, and it didn’t appear she’d picked up too many from her father.

We both ordered something to drink, and she turned to admire the view. There was a ferry just pulling away from the dock leaving a white wake in the blue-green water. In the distance, you could see some of the Olympic Mountains. The setting was perfect, and she commented on the view. When our drinks arrived, I took a sip of mine, and then leaned back in my seat, waiting for her to tell me why she wanted to see me.

“Ah, Mr. Preston. I ... uh...” Chuckling, I held up one hand, “Excuse me,” I interrupted. “Grandpa was ninety-five when he died, and they called him Mr. Preston. If I make ninety-five, then everyone can call me Mr. Preston. For now, how about Matt?”

Jennifer nodded, “Okay!” That great smile came and went. I waited patiently through a long pause. She continued, “Matt,” followed by a little more of her great smile. Hesitantly, she started, “I asked you to meet with me to talk about, well about someone I never knew existed until very recently.”

I interrupted, “Are you referring to the Bottomsley woman?”

Her hand slipped up to her throat as her eyes widened. I hadn’t seen the gesture since 1940s films. For some reason, on her it really fit. She really resembled a movie star from a long time ago.

“How did you know about her?” she asked.

“I’m fairly good friends with the detectives who are working on your father’s case. They informed me a lawyer by the name of Green had called them, and he represented the stepsister. I called Mr. Green to talk to him and also to inform him I owned the houseboat, and I didn’t want any problems.” I waited a few seconds while she considered what I’d just told her. Hearing nothing, I continued, “I’d like to ask you a question, if you don’t mind. I hope you won’t think this is a rude thing to ask, but,” as I paused to collect my thoughts, and she nodded her head for me to continue, “How come you didn’t know your father had a stepsister?”

She paused for a second, searching for the best way to explain everything to me. “I really don’t know very much about my father. Perhaps it sounds a bit strange, but the subject was totally taboo with mother. As I told you the other day, father and I were just finally putting away what had transpired between them so long ago. We were only discussing matters which related to the two of us.