Death of a Pumpkin Carver (2 page)

Hayley spent the following morning at Mount Desert Island High School judging a baking contest in the Home Economics class that was recently reintroduced into the curriculum because of an overwhelming demand from both male and female students with big dreams of winning
Top Chef
. After crowning a clear winner, a boy from Southwest Harbor whose Pulled Pork Tamales with Corn Salsa, a recipe he learned while traveling with his family to Mexico City, blew all the other entries away, Hayley sped back on Eagle Lake Road in her car, dreading the pile of work waiting for her in her in-box.

When she arrived at the
Island Times
office, there wasn't anybody around.

No reporters filing stories.

No photographers downloading pictures.

No Bruce Linney hovering around her desk waiting to bother her.

She dropped her bag and sat down to check her e-mail when raucous laughter from the conference room in the back bullpen broke the silence.

She could tell from the wheezing and familiar hysterical giggling that it was her boss, Sal Moretti.

Hayley was surprised because Sal rarely laughed.

He usually was too busy yelling.

But when he did lose it, it came at you fast and furious like a flash flood.

And someone today had him in stitches.

She walked in the back and opened the door to the conference room to find Sal nearly falling off his chair, tears streaming down his cheeks, shaking his head, unable to control himself. Across from him was Danny, feet up on the table, flashing his megawatt smile, with his hands clasped behind his head, totally relaxed. “I swear on my mother's grave that when I took that Buick for a joyride, I had no idea it belonged to Police Chief Hall! I mean it was his fault! He left the keys right in the ignition when he went into the Big Apple for his doughnut and coffee!”

“I remember that as if it was yesterday!” Sal howled. “You always had balls, Danny. I could never do half the things you used to do!”

“Oh come on, Sal, I always looked up to you, man. You were a rock star! The story of you sending that letter to all the underclassmen telling them school had been extended for two months to make up for snow days is legendary! There were kids showing up for classes until mid-July!”

“Good thing I graduated the day before I sent that letter out, otherwise I would have been expelled!” Sal said, laughing.

“You were the master!”

“Come on, Danny. I may have inspired you, but I just came first. You topped everything I did when you hired that mariachi band to follow the principal around all day serenading him!”

“Oh man, I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel!” Danny shouted as both men erupted in a fit of giggles.

They still hadn't noticed Hayley standing in the doorway.

“Seriously though, Sal, I looked up to you. Maybe if I followed in your footsteps I wouldn't have turned out to be such a screwup.”

“Don't beat yourself up, Danny. You did fine. You married a nice girl. You had two awesome kids.”

“And look how that turned out,” Danny said quietly.

Hayley felt awkward just standing there listening while both men were still unaware of her presence.

She thought about clearing her throat to alert them.

But then she didn't.

“I bounced a few checks and did a little jail time. You actually went to college, got a degree in journalism, and now look at you. Started your own paper, made it number one, and just look at all those fancy awards you got hanging on your walls!”

Danny turned and gestured to the wall of framed certificates and that's when his eye caught Hayley. He jumped out of his chair at the sight of her and raced over, grabbing her in a hug. He tried to plant another kiss on her face, but she managed to dodge it again like the last time and expertly wriggled out of his grasp.

“Danny, what are you doing here?”

“We've been catching up,” Sal said. “I haven't seen Danny since he left town all those years ago. I don't think I've laughed this hard since I don't know when . . .”

“I do. Last week when you saw me slip on an ice patch outside and fall on my fat butt,” Hayley said, folding her arms.

“Oh yeah, right,” Sal said, guffawing. “You should have seen her, Danny. One minute she's walking like a runway model up the street, next thing you know she's in the air, arms flapping, and then
thud
, right on her fanny! I spilled coffee all over my tie I was shaking so bad!”

“Aw, were you hurt, babe?”

“Just my pride. Well, I'll leave you two alone so you can reminisce about the good old days. . . .”

“Actually, I was hoping you'd be free for lunch?” Danny asked with a hopeful smile.

Bruce suddenly poked his head in the door. “Excuse me, Sal, I just want you to know I'll be filing my column a little late today. I'm still waiting to hear back from a source so I can do a little last-minute fact-checking.”

Danny stepped forward, his hand out. “Danny Powell.”

Bruce stared at him, a little confused. “I know. It's me, Danny. Bruce.”

There was no sign of recognition on Danny's face.

“Bruce?”

“Linney. Bruce Linney.”

“Nice to meet you, Bruce.”

“We went to high school together. We were in the same class.”

“Oh, well, it was a big class.”

“Not really. There were only a hundred and forty-three students in our class. One of the smallest ever.”

“Sorry, buddy. But I was a waste case back then. Spent most of my senior year outside in the smoking area getting high.”

“We were in the same homeroom. I sat across from you for four years.”

“Huh. I'm still drawing a blank. My bad.”

Hayley wasn't sure if Danny was messing with Bruce or genuinely didn't remember him, but he was definitely succeeding in getting under Bruce's skin.

If she was to guess, this was Danny exerting his manhood and making Bruce feel small.

For what reason was a mystery.

Bruce was no threat to him.

And she found it appalling that he would purposely humiliate him.

Sal couldn't help but snort as he tried not to laugh.

“I have work to do,” Bruce said huffily before storming out.

Danny turned and flashed that blinding smile again. “Seems like a nice guy. Now where were we?”

“You were asking Hayley out to lunch,” Sal offered, not noticing the glare from Hayley.

“Oh yeah, right,” Danny said, turning to face her expectantly.

“I'm sorry, Danny. I've been out of the office all morning and I have a lot of work to do . . .”

“It can wait,” Sal said. “How many times does Danny Powell ride back into town? Go! Have fun!”

Hayley shot him a sharp look trying to warn him to stay out of her personal affairs.

As usual Sal ignored it.

“I can hold down the fort while you're gone,” Sal said. “Hayley's really the one who runs this place, Danny.”

“She's always been good at taking care of everybody. Come on. I got the perfect place in mind,” Danny said, winking.

Hayley sighed. “Let me get my bag.”

Her ex-husband wasn't even on her radar two days ago.

Now he was back in town carving pumpkins for the kids, traveling down memory lane with her boss, and taking her to lunch.

It sounded innocent enough, but with Danny Powell, there was always a trick or two up his sleeve.

And she had to stay guarded until she could figure out what it was.

“How come we never came here when we were married?” Hayley asked after swallowing a pan-seared lemon scallop at the Reading Room Restaurant inside the Bar Harbor Inn.

“Because we were poor back then,” Danny said, laughing.

“We still are,” Hayley reminded him.

Danny shrugged. “I'll give you that. But it's not every day I get to have lunch with you so it's kind of a special occasion.”

Hayley took in the sweeping ocean views and romantic setting.

She assumed when Danny invited her to lunch they would split a pizza and a pitcher of beer at the more downscale Geddy's Pub, but clearly Danny had something a little more fancy in mind.

The waitress appeared with their entrees.

A petite filet mignon with Maine lobster tail for Danny and a roasted rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic for Hayley.

She was certain after gorging on a feast like this, she would nod off at her desk before quitting time.

Heavy meals always made her sleepy.

The waitress, Denise, a statuesque blonde in her late thirties who recognized Danny right away from high school but chose to basically ignore Hayley, whom she ran into all the time, leaned in close as she set the plate down in front of him, situating herself so her ample chest was close enough that he could touch it with his nose.

She had been shamelessly flirting with him ever since they had sat down.

Hayley found it amusing.

“Let me know if the steak isn't cooked to your satisfaction,” she cooed, batting her eyes.

Danny picked up his knife and cut into the piece of meat.

Red juice oozed out onto the plate.

“Blood red. Just the way I like it.”

“I'm happy if you're happy,” she said, not quite ready to leave them alone to enjoy their meal in peace.

“My lamb looks delicious,” Hayley said.

Denise turned as if noticing Hayley for the first time and smiled politely, realizing she should at least acknowledge Danny's dining companion. “That's nice.”

Hayley stifled a laugh.

“Danny, do you remember that time we went out together?” Denise said, turning her back on Hayley again.

“We dated?” Danny asked, genuinely surprised.

“Just once. We went to the movies in Ellsworth and saw
Clueless
,” Denise said, covering her disappointment. “Don't you remember? I recently saw the movie again on Netflix. I had no idea how funny it was since we missed most of it when we first saw it.”

“Let me guess. You made out in the back row and missed the whole thing?” Hayley said, smirking.

“Well, yes. We were definitely in the back row. But we did a lot more than just make out. Remember, Danny?”

Danny nodded, focusing on his steak, not wanting to discuss the sordid details in front of his ex-wife.

Hayley was actually enjoying this.

She loved watching him squirm with embarrassment.

His checkered past as a conquering lothario was finally coming back to haunt him.

Danny must have worked his way through half the female population of Bar Harbor before he turned twenty-one.

“Anyway, let me know if you need anything,” she said flirtatiously, touching his arm. “Anything at all.”

“Thanks, darling,” Danny said, lowering his voice just enough that it sounded smoky and sexy and had Denise swooning.

For a minute Hayley thought Denise was going to pass out and need smelling salts, but the smitten waitress collected herself and bounced back into the kitchen, swinging her curvaceous hips and jiggling her perfectly round butt, giving Danny a better view than the breathtaking ocean outside the giant bay window in front of them.

“You know, Becky might not be too thrilled to know you're here flirting with old girlfriends while you're here in Bar Harbor,” Hayley said, laughing.

“She wasn't a girlfriend. We went out once and I barely remember it. Besides, what Becky thinks doesn't really matter anymore.”

Hayley set her fork down. “Why? What happened?”

“We broke up,” Danny said, shrugging.

“You what?” Hayley screeched, catching herself. “Danny, what did you do?”

Danny, who was about to take a big bite of his steak, dropped it back on his plate. “What do you mean, what did
I
do? Why do you assume I did something to drive her away?”

“Oh, I don't know. Your entire history?”

“That's just mean, Hayley,” Danny said with a hangdog face and sad eyes.

He was really good at playing the wronged victim when he wanted to garner sympathy.

“I'm sorry. But you two were together for a few years, and she seemed really devoted to you, and so I just assumed that you did something . . . you know . . .”

“You mean you assumed I cheated on her?”

“Well, since you said it—”

“I didn't cheat on Becky!”

“Okay.”

“No, I really didn't.”

“I said okay.”

“You said okay, but that look on your face says you don't believe me.”

“Like I said, Danny, you have a history.”

They ate in awkward silence for a minute.

Danny angrily clawed at his lobster tail with a tiny fork.

Hayley chewed on a piece of lamb.

Finally, Danny slammed the hard shell of the lobster tail back down on his plate. “For your information, I was the one who broke it off. Not her! Me!”

Hayley nodded, biting into another piece of lamb, frustrating Danny who was convinced she was just humoring him.

“If you must know . . .”

“I really don't need to know anything,” Hayley said.

“I woke up one morning and realized Becky was just too young for me.”

That was it.

That was just too much to bear.

Hayley howled with laughter.

“What? What's so funny?”

It took her a few seconds to compose herself.

“Since when has a woman's age ever, ever been an issue with you, Danny? You've been chasing girls half your age for years.”

“That's not fair,” Danny said, frowning.

“This has nothing to do with fairness. I'm just stating the facts.”

“Okay, so what? I like younger women. That doesn't mean my tastes can't change.”

Hayley desperately tried to stifle herself. “How, Danny? How have your tastes changed?”

“I've been thinking a lot lately, and maybe it's time I find a more mature woman to grow old with, someone who understands me and has shared similar experiences. Someone like . . .”

His voice trailed off.

She prayed he didn't go there.

She had no desire to rehash their failed marriage.

She just wanted to enjoy her lamb and then get back to work, back to her life, without Danny and his typical shenanigans.

They ate in silence some more until both their plates were empty except for a meat bone on Hayley's and a hollow lobster shell on Danny's.

Danny cleared his throat.

Hayley stared out the window at the harbor.

“Screwing things up with you was the worst mistake of my life,” he said softly, looking at her, trying to make eye contact.

Hayley didn't answer him.

She just kept her eyes fixed on the small islands dotting Frenchman's Bay in the distance.

Danny's words did seem sincere, even sweet, actually, but she definitely wasn't ready to have this conversation.

To be honest, she still just wasn't buying what he had to sell.

She had seen this winsome side of him too many times before.

Hayley flagged down Denise, who was only too happy to rush over to Danny's side again. “Can I show you our dessert menu?”

“No, thank you. I have to get back to work.”

“I'll bring your check,” she said, disappointed.

Danny already had his wallet out and handed Denise a credit card. “Let me take care of it.”

Hayley was floored.

This was definitely a first.

Danny Powell was picking up the check.

They weren't even going dutch.

He was paying the
whole
bill.

It was as if she had just awakened in some kind of alternate reality.

Danny noticed the shocked look on her face.

“Don't look so surprised. I've been saving.”

“You mean you actually have your own bank account now?”

“Yes. Both a checking and a savings. How about that?”

“I'm impressed.”

“I'm trying to be more responsible. I figure I'd like to get married again someday and I don't want to be that guy I once was. I really am trying to change.”

Denise returned with Danny's card and a slip for him to sign.

Danny took the card and glanced at Hayley. “Hey, imagine that. It wasn't declined.”

He got a smile out of Hayley and that made him happy.

Denise pulled a pen out of her breast pocket and handed it to him.

He didn't even look up at her as he added the tip and scribbled his name.

She waited a few seconds for some kind of eye contact before giving up and slouching away, defeated.

Hayley glanced at the credit card receipt and giggled.

Danny sat back and sighed. “What's so funny now?”

“She wrote her number on the top of the receipt.”

Danny picked up the piece of paper. “So she did. How about that?”

“You're still a hit with the ladies.”

Danny crumpled up the receipt in his hand and dropped it on the table.

Another first.

Danny ignoring a woman trying to slip him her phone number.

Maybe he had changed.

Or maybe this was just an act and he was playing this role as “the new, improved, mature Danny Powell” to get something from her.

It was hard to tell.

He opened the door for her like a true gentleman as they left the restaurant, never once eyeballing Denise, who stood by the hostess station, forlorn and crushed by his blatant rejection.

And to his credit, Danny didn't even pretend to forget his wallet and race back to the table to pocket that piece of paper with Denise's number on it.

Maybe he was telling the truth this time.

But she was determined to keep her guard up.

Do not waver.

This was Danny Powell.

And years of hard experience had trained her to be vigilant and alert.