Dark Angels Prey

Part 71

Ronny excused himself and said goodbye to John Corey. He told his mother and Walter he'd meet them in front of the bookstore when they were ready to leave. He simply had to go and check out this book fair thing. The man hanging up the sign over there seemed very friendly because he'd been giving him several welcoming smiles. He hurried up crossing the street when he saw the elderly man stepping down from the wobbly ladder.

Ronny held the ladder steady until the man's feet were on the ground. "Gotta be careful on these things," he said, extending his hand. "Hi there. Ronny Fergel."

"Hello. Edmon Fendi. I thank you for your assistance."

For a second Ronny forgot why he had come over. It passed quickly. "Um, a book fair, I see. What kind of books?"

"What kind do you fancy?"

"Theology. Technology. Languages. I speak several languages," he boasted. He never told people stuff like that. Never boasted. "I have an aptitude for languages. They come easily to me. I learned French from a friend living right here in town."

In French-Canadian, Edmon told him to return tomorrow. There would be books on any subject he desired. Switching to Parisian-French, Edmon assured him that he would find whatever he fancied, then complimented him on his grasp of both dialects.

Edmon asked if anything was wrong.

He shook his head and folded the ladder. He never allowed a dark thought to linger, so why was he thinking so hard about Compo dying in a frozen Marianlake two winters ago? He had been exercising him that afternoon. It was to be the last toss of the twig. Then the ice broke and Compo never made it back.

"Guess I'm a little wasted from the long drive," he said.

"The Bagel Factory," Edmon said, reading the back of his favorite T-shirt. "What is that, a bakery or supermarket where you work?"

Ronny giggled, childlike. "It's where I work but it's no bakery. Bagel is a combination of my employer's surname and mine. You might know him 'cause he used to live here years ago. Walter Bayard?"

Edmon ran his tongue along his lips. "I've certainly heard of him, but we've never really met. He left town shortly after I moved here. Your boss, is he?"

Ronny felt so drawn to this place. He wanted to go inside. And he could swear he heard Edmon repeat his question, although not in so many words, or not in any words at all. He wasn't sure. "Yes. My boss. He's an architectural engineer and I'm his assistant."

Come back tomorrow, Ronny. I'll take you on a tour.

"Can I come back tomorrow?" he asked. "Maybe you can give me a tour."

Edmon smiled. "Of course." Don't mention our conversation to anyone, Ronny.

Ronny stared back at him and waved goodbye. "Okay."

                                                                                          ∞∞∞

Including Joe and Alain, there were fifteen in the beach house that night. And it was a party. A social. It was time to lighten up, to play a little and get reacquainted. For Carol Ann, Maggie and Dina, it was their first introduction to Father Vittorio Gianni. Although he attended Pages opening, Carol Ann's encounter with the tall priest had been somewhat covert. Joe affectionately referred to him as a 'high priest'. It became obvious that they shared a tight bond, having spent all those years together in Rome.

The girls were also happy to finally meet Walter Bayard, Ronny Fergel, and Alain's ten-year-old brother, Simon. Joe could not get over his resemblance to Alain at that age, telling everyone how remarkable it was. 'It's Alain ten years ago,' he kept saying. Yet no one seemed to agree with him and he couldn't understand that. Even Claude and Tracy said that Simon took after Claude, minus the blond hair. Joe was mystified. Until Tracy put the boy to bed, he could barely keep his eyes off Simon. Mid-evening he caught the tail end of a conversation on the patio between Alain and Iris, which baffled him all the more—