Page 31 of Echoes at Driftwood Cottage

The tech smiled. “Mr. Sutter paid dearly for that speedy result.”

“Okay. I’ll bite. How much extra do you charge for expedited service?”

The technician tossed out a figure. “That’s for putting a rush on the results and letting a genealogist get a crack at your family history.”

“When you consider we’re getting answers faster than most, five hundred extra a piece isn’t that bad. And I’m paying for my half,” Rowan insisted. “I’ll even pay for yours if it will hurry things along.”

“But I don’t need genealogy,” Daniel pointed out. “You do. I just want to know who my dad is.”

“If the results tell me there’s no blood relation to Lynette,” Rowan stressed before noticing the technician’s impatience. She angled toward the guy and looked him straight in the eye. “I know you think this is boring, but it isn’t for us. People usually don’t come in here unless there’s an urgency or a family mystery to solve. In my case, it’s a matter of finding out why my name also belongs to a dead four-year-old girl with my birthdate.” She showed him the picture of the grave marker. “That’s not something I see every day, my name on a headstone.”

“No problem,” the tech muttered. “I can make notations for the lab on your kit that you need the genealogy done. On the male sample, we’ll use the M-Vac process to gather the cells from the cap and just compare DNA. How does that sound?”

“That’ll work. Is a credit card okay for payment?” Rowan asked, reaching into her bag for her wallet.

“We take any form of plastic from Mastercard to American Express.”

When they got back in the car, Daniel protested. “You didn’t have to pay my half.”

Rowan settled into the passenger side of the Crosstrek and snapped her seatbelt into place. “Look at it this way, it made things a lot simpler for the technician. One swipe and we were out of there. Consider it payback for the groceries you delivered to my door Friday night. Or all the meals you’ve cooked me since last December. And I probably wouldn’t be using this lab if not for you. Or getting the results back as quickly. I mean, come on, waiting eight weeks for a DNA test to come back would be pure agony.”

“If, you’re sure.”

“I am. Now step on it so we can get this bank thing out of the way. I need to get my home office up and running today. I have a Zoom call with a client tomorrow morning. The thing is my internet is slow.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“That’s because the house isn’t wired for Wi-Fi, just basic speed that takes forever to load. Six years ago, I had to beg Gran to get that installed even when I offered to pay for it. After much haggling, she finally relented, but only because I told her I needed the internet for work when I came back for visits. The coffee shop has faster internet than I have. I’m not sure that will work on a Zoom call. What if it drops? Now that I’m out on my own, I can’t afford to make my business look small-time. Things like slow internet could be a real turn-off.”

“The town has fiber optic capability now, even as far north as the B&B. Ryder McLachlan is a whiz at installation. Leave it to me. I’ll give him a call. And if, for some reason, Ryder can’t get you wired today, you can use my office at the house for the Zoom call.”

“See? Is there anyone in town you don’t know?”

“My Christmas card list doesn’t consist of all three thousand residents yet. But as the major supplier of ice cream, I’d say I know most who come into my shop on a first-name basis.”

“That’s handy, especially when you need WiFi.”

“Or a plumber,” Daniel retorted, pulling up to the bank just as the doors opened.

“I can wait here in the car if you want,” Daniel offered.

“If you need to get to work, I can walk back home.”

“I just need to go check and make sure Kiki took care of things last night and didn’t get distracted when her boyfriend showed up.”

“Who’s the boyfriend?”

“Jared Washburn. He picks up extra hours from Tradewinds whenever they need him for a weekend job. He’s a nice enough guy, I suppose, but he hangs around Kiki a lot when he isn’t working. I depend on her to relieve me at the store in the evenings and on weekends. But if you ask me, Jared has too much free time on his hands. He hangs around the shop while Kiki’s working. That usually means he distracts her, and she forgets the checklist about closing up. I’ll be twenty minutes at most.”

“No problem. I’ll probably be inside longer than that. You go take care of business. I’ll see you at the house.”

Rowan got out of the car and followed a few customers into the bank, who headed toward the teller window. She, on the other hand, veered toward the assistant manager, Naomi Townsend, sitting at her desk. She crossed the lobby and sat down in one of the empty chairs. “Hi, Ms. Townsend. Remember me, Rowan Eaton? My grandmother was Lynette Dewhurst. You helped me last May with my grandmother’s bank accounts after she passed away.”

“Of course, I remember. You were living in San Diego at the time. But now you’ve decided to move into your Gran’s house as of last Friday.” Naomi grinned, leaned across her desk, and whispered, “You’ll love small-town living.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“What can I help you with?” the bank manager asked.

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