Read Online Fox Island by Stephen Bly - Free Book Online

his head dropped, and Tony noticed a shudder. “Would you
like to come around and sit on the deck?” Tony offered.
    “Yes, thank you. I am a little tired.”
Bennington climbed the stairs slowly and slumped on the redwood
bench.
    “When was the last time you saw Jill
Davenport?”
    “May.” He stared down at the deck.
    “When?”
    “May of ’42.”
    “That was over fifty years ago. You must
have considered the possibility she might have passed on by now.”
Tony knew that was an awkward attempt to console.
    “Oh yes, of course. I realized she might be
gone. But I never considered it could have been so soon after we
broke up.”
    “You were dating Miss Davenport?”
    “Yes.”
    “And the family didn’t notify you of her
death?”
    “Well...” The old gentleman coughed and
faced the Sound. “None of her family knew about us, I suppose.”
    “Not even Jessica?”
    “I’m not sure. Jessica had just married
Reynolds, and he was about to go to the war, so they were busy with
each other.” A tear slid down the man’s face. He pulled out a white
kerchief.
    “You must have really cared for her.”
    “I was hoping that... it’s difficult to
explain.”
    Incredible to think he’d been out of the
picture for over fifty years, and the memories still brought him to
tears. What had this guy been doing? Tony decided he liked the man.
The hesitancy, the mood of melancholy, combined with the Brooks
Brothers demeanor, encouraged his curiosity. “If I might ask, why
come looking for Jill Davenport now?”
    “Mr. eh...”
    “Shadowbrook.”
    “Shadowbrook? Like the guy who writes
westerns?”
    “Yes, that’s me.”
    “No fooling? You’re Louis Shadowbrook?”
    “I’m Tony Shadowbrook. It’s Louis...”
    “You a brother to Louis?”
    “There is no Louis Shadowbrook. There’s
Louis L’Amour and I’m Tony Shadowbrook.”
    “Right. I knew that. Where was I?”
    “You were telling me why you waited so long
to contact Jill Davenport.”
    “Yes. Well, I’m seventy-six years old. Last
April they found some colon cancer in me. They cut me open and
sewed me right back up. Said there was nothing they could do. So,
I’m trying to settle up any unfinished matters before the Almighty
calls me to account.”
    “And you had some unfinished business with
Jill Davenport?”
    “It’s just the way a foolish, dying old man
thinks, I suppose.”
    “Say, would you like to read the newspaper
account of her death? My wife and I are writing a book about the
Island, and we’re researching the families and the Davenport
sisters.”
    The man’s face brightened. “If you don’t
mind. Maybe it would help some.”
    Tony returned with a stack of old newspapers
in vinyl covers and two cups of coffee. Neither man spoke as
Bennington read several articles. Then, he stood and shuffled
toward the stairs. “I’m glad I came. I’ll be going now.”
    “I’d suggest you go visit Jessica, but she’s
not seeing visitors these days. Seems like she never really
recovered from losing her sister.”
    Bennington rested his hand on the railing,
stared a moment at the Sound, then closed his eyes as though to
memorize the view. “No need. No purpose to be served in that. I
bought one of her paintings. Had to give it to a museum a while
back. It was too realistic.”
    “She did all those before the accident, you
know.”
    “I wasn’t aware of that. Oh, I knew the ‘Two
Girls’ motif had ceased. But I assumed she kept on painting.”
    “Not that we can determine.” Tony searched
for something else to tell the man. “Jessica sees the accident as
her fault, so I hear. She’s gotten worse the past few years. I
guess identical twins are pretty close.”
    “Jill talked highly of her sister. Always
said she was the talented one. Identical only in looks, she told
me. Well, it’s just as well Jessica’s unavailable. It would
probably just remind both of us of a painful past. If she
remembered anything, she’d probably just get