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Benny and headed toward the door. Mabel shadowed me. She was small, standing only at my shoulder, and since I was five foot six that made her about four foot nothing. But she wore her purple velour jogging suit with flare and her white cross-trainer-clad feet helped her keep up with my longer stride.
    “They agreed to that color and pattern?” Mabel sounded skeptical. She had fisted weights in each of her tiny hands as she powered along beside me. Her gray hair was cut close to her head in a pixie and made her big brown eyes tilt up. Like a fairy, she enjoyed being ornery.
    “Who?”
    “The historical committee.” Her voice held a tinge of disgust.
    “Yes, I showed them pictures of the interior from 1906.”
    “Huh.” She snorted indelicately as we hurried down the street. “Those would be black-and-white photos. However could they tell color?”
    “Papa Liam had a family scrapbook where they painted color samples. It was a little faded but I sent it out to the university and they analyzed the composition. Papa brought the report to the committee last fall. It was approved and I have the paperwork to prove it.”
    Mabel’s mouth became a straight line. Her smooth, pale skin pulled tight. “I can’t believe Liam wanted to paint the place in candy stripes.”
    “Oh, no, that was my idea,” I told her and kept my eye on the prize. The Island Electric business offices were a half a mile down and one block off Main in the Island Administration building on Market Street. “I found the scrapbook in the attic two years ago and Papa agreed that it would be fun to return the interior to the décor of yesteryear.” I waved my hand through the air as if spelling out yesteryear on a straight line.
    “They didn’t have wall-to-wall carpeting in yesteryear,” Mabel pointed out.
    “What?” I glanced at her. I shouldn’t have. The glint in her eyes said she knew she got me.
    “Grace Gregson told me that Emily Proctor told her that you ordered new wall-to-wall carpeting from her husband Mike for your first-floor lobby. That isn’t historically accurate, you know.”
    I stopped in my tracks. She had a point. All I’d been thinking when I ordered it was that the old carpet was too dirty and worn to clean in time for the season. Crap. “You’re right.”
    Mabel nodded wisely. “Of course I am.”
    I pulled out my cell phone and dialed.
    “All Things Décor, this is Emily, how can I help you?”
    I kept up my pace toward the power company. “Hi Emily, this is Allie McMurphy. I need to cancel my carpeting order.”
    “What? Why?”
    I glanced at Mabel, who had a smug look on her face. “I’ve been told it isn’t historically accurate.”
    “Well, who would say a dumb thing like that?” I could hear the impatience in Emily’s voice. Emily and Mike were ten years older than me and had spent their entire lives on island. They counted on knowing everyone and everything to keep their business going. Which wasn’t hard when there were so few permanent residents.
    “I ran into Mabel Showorthy.” I turned the corner and waved Mabel good-bye as she continued power walking down the main drag. Not that you could call the street a drag since there weren’t any cars. “Well, it’s better to say she wandered into the McMurphy to ask about Joe and pointed out a few things about the renovation.”
    “What were you doing letting her in before you opened?” Emily griped.
    I laughed at the absurdity of it all. It seemed everyone knew that Mabel was a troublemaker but loved her anyway. As for me, I still waited to figure out why they loved her so. So far she was merely a busybody. “The door was open. I have painters working.”
    Emily harrumphed. “You know that I can only refund eighty percent of your deposit. The order was already placed. Besides, you can’t seriously be thinking of keeping the carpet that’s in there. It’s worn through in spots.”
    “Right. Can Mike stop by this week? I’m thinking there has to