It wasn’t what Detective Michael McCaffery heard that woke him, but rather what he didn’t. Something familiar was gone. He had been living on this boat for three weeks now. The groans of the lines, the squeaks of the dock bumpers, and thumps of the hull had given him many sleepless nights. By now he was used to all he should have been hearing and wasn’t.
Lawrence Berger was almost glad that his Aunt Eunice had called and invited him to dinner at the old Victorian house his aunts occupied. His Monday night poker games had lost their charm for the last month or so. Normally he would have dinner at their home every other Thursday; but Eunice said that she and Mavis had something that they would like to discuss with him as soon as possible.
“Ever consider marriage?” The tires were making that hissing sound as they sprayed the mist from the road. “I think every little girl does. It must be part of the nature of the female of the species.” Her eyes locked on the road ahead. “I didn’t mean generally, I meant me. Have you ever thought about marrying me?”
