Page 14 of Homecoming

“It went down ugly, but it turned out well for Kara—and for me. We met because she left this place to make a life for herself elsewhere. For that, I’ll always be thankful to Kelly and Matt, although I’ll never forgive them for the way they hurt Kara.”

“That’s lame.”

“Totally lame. What can you tell me about Keith?”

“Honestly? He comes off as an asshole, but underneath it all, he’s considered a fairly good guy. He can fix anything, and people rely on him for repairs they can’t afford to have done otherwise.”

“That’s interesting. I didn’t know that about him.”

“He does it all, plumbing, electric, roofing, you name it. However, he’s still an entitled asshole at times who thinks the world revolves around him. If you ask me, the parents are to blame. They let him run wild as a kid, and he was a menace.”

“Was it all of them or just him?”

“Some of the others were jerks, too. Not all of them, but a few. Kyle is another one who stands out as a bit of a dick. They were spoiled as kids. The family is one of the wealthier ones in the area, and it’s not like they don’t give back to the community, because they do. But the kids had too much handed to them. Although, some of them turned out just fine. Strange how that happens, right?”

“It is.”

“Eleven kids raised the same way. Some are awesome people, and others… Well, they’re something else altogether.”

“You think Keith could murder someone?”

“Oh jeez… I’ve been thinking about that nonstop since I heard the news, and honestly, I don’t see it, but with him… Hard tellin’. Kirby, on the other hand, no freaking way. He’s a sweetheart.”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

“I can’t imagine how he’d be mixed up in something like this.”

“Kara said the same thing. They’re close.”

“He’s good people. Always doing something for someone else. Volunteers at the food bank and is a Big Brother to a fatherless kid in town. He doesn’t have a single one of Keith’s rough edges.”

That, right there, was why Dan had hired a local person to drive him. Insight from someone who wasn’t part of the family but was well-connected in town would be priceless. They were on a highway that took them past a variety of homes and properties, some well-kept, others not so much. Like in Bertha’s neighborhood, lobster traps and boats were prevalent. “This place is big for an island.”

“It’s one hundred and eight square miles, fifteen miles wide and eight miles long. It’s the sixth-largest island in the Lower 48 and the third-largest on the Eastern Seaboard.”

“We could put a hundred Gansett Islands on one Mount Desert.”

“Maybe not a hundred, but it’s much bigger than your island. Plus, we have about ten thousand year-round residents.”

“That’s ten times what we have, plus some.”

“The French voyager Samuel de Champlain visited the island in 1604 and gave it its name based on the treeless mountains. He called it Ile de Monts Deserts, which, literally translated, means island of the bare mountains. Another interesting thing to remember is that even though it’s spelled Desert, we say dessert, as in Mount Dessert, which is the French pronunciation.”

“My wife mentioned that and saved me from embarrassing myself with the locals.” Walter was more than paying off in the first half hour. Dan wanted the lay of the land without having to ask Kara to show him around. He wanted her to rest and relaxand spend time with people who filled her up and made her happy.

“I’m sure your wife would’ve set you straight if you got it wrong.”

“She would’ve taken great pleasure in that.”

Walter grunted out a laugh. “Don’t they all?”

“Seems that way. How many towns are on the island?”

“Four: Bar Harbor, Tremont, Southwest Harbor and the town of Mount Desert. The Cranberry Isles are also part of Mount Desert.”

“How do you get to them?”

“A short ferry ride.”

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