1 Lowcountry Boil by Susan M. Boyer Read Free Book Online Page A

giving the truth a coat of varnish for me just like she had for Mamma. I knew in that moment Merry was manipulating both Mamma and me, but I didn’t know yet to what purpose.
    I tried to speak calmly. “She told me she’s building a youth center all right. But not a fellowship hall for Stella Maris kids. No indeedy. She said she was going to build a halfway house for gang members on parole. Felons , Mamma. Murderers … rapists … From different gangs. ”
    “ Surely you misunderstood.”
    “She thinks if she isolates them on an island—our island—she can convince them to all play nice. There are going to be gang wars on the beach, for heaven’s sake. Right smack-dab in the middle of Devlin’s Point.”
    “Liz, you’re talking crazy. Your sister doesn’t own Devlin’s Point, and the town council—”
    “—is being hornswoggled just like you are.”
    “What do you—?”
    “What I mean is, Merry has apparently conned enough members of the council into allowing some social engineers to use Devlin’s Point as a Petri dish.”
    “Oh, dear heavens,” Mamma murmured.
    “I’m going to find Blake. You’d better tell Daddy.”
    “Oh, dear heavens,” Mamma repeated. “I’ve got to run—my cookies are burning.”

SEVEN

    I found Blake that Tuesday morning right where he is every morning at eight: walking through the front door of The Cracked Pot, the island’s diner. I slipped behind him and followed him inside.
    Moon Unit Glendawn owns the place. She greeted him as the door closed behind us. “Well, good morning, Blake. How are you this bright sunny day?”
    If she had been any more bright and sunny herself, she would have spontaneously combusted on the spot, leaving us to pour our own coffee.
    “Doing great, Moony. Could use some coffee.” Blake hung his cap on the coat tree.
    Moon Unit caught sight of me behind him. “Well, Liz Talbot, as I live and breathe. Welcome home.” She rushed out from behind the counter to hug my neck. Moon and I graduated from Stella Maris High the same year.
    Blake turned and stared at me as if he’d been hoping my presence in town was just a bad dream and was now dismayed by the contrary.
    Moon swooped back to the other side of the counter and went about the business of getting us fed. “Coffee. Coming right up. Hash browns or grits?”
    “Grits,” Blake said. “With red-eye gravy.”
    My mouth watered. “Me, too, please. And could I have my eggs scrambled with cheese?”
    “Sure thing.” Moon tore off the ticket and spun it back to the kitchen.
    This was the first time I’d been inside since Moon Unit bought the former Stella Maris Diner and transformed it into something that was part small-town diner and part tropical café. She’d kept the white and pink ceramic-tiled floor but added skylights and live plants. The most striking feature was the far wall. It was paneled in white beaded-board and covered in photographs.
    Blake slid onto a stool and I took the one to his right.
    I leaned in to him and spoke in an almost whisper. “When’s the last time you spoke to Merry?” I reached into my purse for my hand sanitizer and squeezed a generous dollop onto my hand. I offered it to Blake, but he waved it off.
    “I don’t know,” he said. “Day before yesterday? Why?”
    Before I could launch into how our sister lost her mind, Moon walked over and poured our coffee. “I hear you got trouble brew ing .” She replaced the pot on the warmer and slid onto the stool behind the counter. Her inquisitive hazel eyes jumped from me to Blake and back as she slid the cream and sugar within reach.
    “What?” Blake measured precise amounts of cream and sugar into his coffee.
    She leaned closer and lowered her voice, “A little bird told me Merry’s gonna build an orphanage over on Devlin’s Point.”
    Blake stirred his coffee. I gulped mine.
    “If you ask me,” she said, “there are way better places for an orphanage. First hurricane  blows through here, all