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remember,” Renie said, collecting her purse from the car floor. “If there’s even the slightest hint of a big wave or a whitecap, he insists it’s too choppy out there.”
    Judith undid her seat belt and opened the car door. “In all the years they’ve been up here, I think I’ve only been out in that boat once.”
    Renie waited to comment until she’d grabbed her overnight bag and had gotten out of the Subaru. “That sounds about right. I got seasick, which probably heightened Uncle Vince’s fear of going far enough out that he was no longer scraping bottom.”
    â€œAuntie Vance insists the boat’s not seaworthy,” Judith said as they started up the stairs leading to the house’s main floor. She paused to sniff the air. “It does feel different, doesn’t it?”
    Renie nodded. “There’s a saltwater tang to it. Fresh and yet sort of pungent. You got the key?”
    Judith stared at Renie. “No. I thought Auntie Vance gave it to you. She was at your place after she left Hillside Manor.”
    â€œShe never mentioned a key to me.”
    â€œDamn!” Judith scrutinized the twenty-foot-long deck where Renie was already making a search. “Any luck?” she asked.
    Renie shook her head as she peered into various seashells, under the doormat, and between pieces of driftwood. “You’re stuck relying on the lockpicking skills you honed while married to Dan.”
    â€œI’m rusty,” Judith admitted, digging in her purse for an item that would trip the lock. “I haven’t done this in ages, unlike when I had to open Dan’s safe every week to see if there was money for food.”
    â€œI’ve got my trusty nail scissors,” Renie volunteered.
    â€œI can’t seem to find anything that will do the job. Give me the . . .”
    Renie turned the knob. The door opened. “Voilà!” she exclaimed.
    Judith stared. “How’d you know it was open?”
    â€œI didn’t. But it never hurts to try.”
    The cousins entered the big paneled room that served as kitchen, dining room, and living room. The house plan was simple: the master bedroom off the living room section, a half bath, and a hallway with a guest room at one end and the laundry room at the other. The main bath was in the middle. There was also a partial basement that was entered from the garage, but had no access from the main floor. The furnishings were comfortable and solid. Auntie Vance wasn’t one for flash and dash. Uncle Vince could go to sleep anywhere.
    Judith espied a note on the kitchen counter. Hi, Idiots , their aunt had scrawled. We took off this morning at five and figured nobody would bother robbing us because we don’t have anything worth taking, so we left the door unlocked. If we gave you two boobs a key, you’d probably lose it. Have fun and stay out of trouble. XXX OOO, Auntie Vance .
    â€œTypical,” Judith said, laughing. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a break-in around here.”
    â€œIt’s a small community,” Renie noted, setting her overnight case, tote bag, and purse on the floor. “Maybe fifty houses, and some aren’t occupied all year. I never heard of a neighborhood watch, but they probably don’t need one. Obsession Shores is off the beaten track.”
    Judith gazed through the big window that faced Worthless Bay, the Sound, and the mountains over on the Peninsula. “From what I can tell, the tide’s either almost in or starting to go back out.”
    â€œCheck the bulletin board,” Renie said, opening the fridge. “There should be a tide table there some place. Oh, wow! Auntie Vance made us her clam chowder. A green salad to go with it. Let’s eat.”
    Judith found the table in plain sight while Renie put a kettle on the stove to heat the chowder. “Low tide is at ten to two.”
    â€œWe can walk