Some kind of infection Or maybe she threw a... 838
Some kind of infection
Or maybe she threw a clotwho's to know at this
late date? That was here, on Duma Key
"Did the father remarry?" I still couldn't
remember his name
Wireman helped me out
"You're not going to tell me he raised six girls
out hereThat's just too gothic
"He tried, with the help of a nannyBut his
eldest ran off with a boyMiss Eastlake had an
accident that almost killed her"They were two years older than
ElizabethIn 1927 they disappearedThe
presumption is they tried to go swimming, got
swept away by an undertow, and drowned out there
in the caldo grande
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We looked at the water for a chanel classic handbag little while - those
deceptively mild waves running up the beach like
puppies - and said nothingThen I asked if
Elizabeth had told him all of thisAnd she's mixed up about what she
does rememberI found a passing mention of an
incident that had to be the right one on a Web
site dedicated to Gulf coast historyHad a little
e-mail correspondence with a guy who's a librarian
in Tampa Wireman raised his hands and waggled
his fingers in a typing mime"Tessie and Laura
EastlakeThe librarian sent me a copy of the
Tampa paper from April 19th, 1927The headline on
the front page is very stark, very bleak, gucci taske very
chillingElizabeth would have been four,
old enough to understand what had happenedMaybe
old enough to read a newspaper headline as simple
as THEY ARE GONEThe twins dead and Adriana, the
oldest, eloped off to Atlanta with one of his
plant managersno wonder John had had enough of
Duma for awhileHe and the remaining three moved
to MiamiMany years later, he moved back here to
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die, and Miss Eastlake cared for him"Pretty much as I'm caring for her
do you see why an old lady with onset-Alzheimer's
might consider Duma a bad place for daughters?"
"I guess so, but how does an old lady with onset-
Alzheimer's find the see by chloe bags phone number of her new
tenant?"
Wireman gave me a sly look"New tenant, old
number, autodial function on all the phones back
there He jerked his thumb over his shoulder
"Any other questions?"
I gaped at him"She has me on autodial?"
"Don't blame me; I came in late on this movie-show
My guess is that the Realtor who handles things
for her programmed the rental properties into the
phonesOr maybe Miss Eastlake's business manager
He pops down from StPetersburg every six weeks
or so to make sure she's not dead and I'm not
stealing the SpodeI'll ask him the next time he
shows up
"So she can call any house on the chanel quilted handbag north end of the
Key at the touch of a buttonI mean, they are all hers"But you know what, muchacho? I
250
think your button is going to have a little
nervous breakdown this evening
"No," I said, not even thinking about it
"Ah," Wireman said, exactly as if he understood
And who knows, maybe he did"Anyway, that
explains your mystery caller - although I have to
tell you, explanations have a way of thinning out
on Duma KeyAs your story demonstrates
"What do you mean? Have you hadexperiences?"
He looked at me squarely, his large tanned face
inscrutableThe chilly late January wind gusted,
blowing sand around our chanel j 12 ank
