Page 115 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

Chapter Twenty-One

Nate pulled up in front of Carter Island Realty and Rentals, taking a deep breath as he sat with his foot on the brake. He put the Tahoe in park and shut off the engine, struggling to rein in his frustrations. Typically, he rolled with the flow, taking each obstacle as it came, but this morning’s search for answers had netted him zero results. He’d been out to the inns scattered across the island and to Sanderson’s only fifty-room hotel, showing the picture of Callie and her biological mother to all of the owners he’d been certain lived on the island in 1995. After that, he’d tried the Main Street Diner and the other restaurants still open for the season. He’d even caught Captain Bob before the ferry set sail for the eight o’clock trek to Hyannis Port, but so far, no one recognized the woman and her child.

He opened his door, figuring Mini was a good next stop. She had a memory that went back decades, and most vacationers rented properties through her. If she couldn’t give him the answers he was looking for, he was going to have to go back to the drawing board. Hurrying inside, he unzipped his jacket when the blast of heat hit him. Mini had been playing with the thermostat again.

She walked out of her office, pretty and dressed in black slacks and a wool cardigan. Grinning, she took off her reading glasses. “Well, Nathan Carter, what are you doing here?”

He smiled. “I thought I’d swing by and cause a little trouble.”

“I don’t doubt it.” She winked. “Come on back and tell me what you need.”

He walked down the hall and took off his jacket when he stepped into her office, where it had to be a solid five to ten degrees warmer than the rest of the building. “It feels like a sauna in here.”

“I know.” She sighed her pleasure as she sat behind her desk. “I swear I’m going to take a page from your parents’ book and move somewhere warmer. Florida probably. Winter and I just don’t get along.”

How many times had he heard her say the very same thing over the years? “But we’re looking at a high of fifty-five this afternoon.”

“It’s certainly not fifty-five right now.”

“More like forty-three.” He smiled when she shuddered. “I probably shouldn’t remind you that we’re not even halfway through fall, huh?”

She narrowed her eyes. “No, you shouldn’t.”

“Or that the island would lose an amazing real estate agent and our favorite physician if you and Matthew left.”

“Oh, phooey,” she said, waving away his comments.

He chuckled and took a seat across from her.

She folded her hands. “What can I do for you, dear boy?”

He pulled the picture out of his jacket pocket. “I’m wondering if you recognize her?”

She took the picture, stared at it, and frowned. “No. I can’t say that I do. Was she on the island this summer?”

“Uh, in 1995.”

Mini’s eyes went huge as she looked at him. “Nineteen ninety-five, Nathan? Honey, I had a hard time keeping track of who was who this summer. You know this island’s a revolving door from May to September. One pretty blond is the same as the next around here.”

He sighed, accepting another rendition of the same answer he’d been given a dozen times over the last couple of hours, knowing it was the absolute truth. The summer months were a blur. People rarely stuck out unless they were doing something wrong. “Yeah.”

Mini handed him the picture. “Why are you wondering about a woman from 1995?”

He shrugged. “I’m looking into something.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

He put the picture back in his jacket pocket. “I appreciate you trying.”

She took a sip of her coffee and set her mug down. “How’s Callie? Feeling better?”

He frowned, not quite following.

“She canceled our appointment yesterday—centerpieces for Grandpa’s retirement party.”

“Oh. Yeah. She’s good—a little run-down. I know she’s ready to meet with you and Leah after her shift today.” Callie had mentioned her meeting while she’d slid her scrambled eggs around on her plate at the breakfast table.

“She needs more vitamin C,” Mini suggested.