Page 1 of A Dark and Stormy Night

THE LISTENER

by

Christina Dodd

Misfit and computer security expert Cornelia Markum hacks into a text conversation between unidentified Virtue Falls residents … and realizes she’s stumbled into a murder plot.

Welcome to Virtue Falls

Founded 1902

Your Vacation Destination on the Washington Coast

Home of the World Famous Virtue Falls Canyon

Population 2487

At two-thirty pm on a Thursday afternoon, Coast Guard Commander Kateri Kwinault shoved open the door to the Oceanview Café, stalked inside, seated herself on a stool at the lunch counter and slapped her palm flat on the Formica surface. “I’ll take a beer.”

Rainbow finished wiping off a table, balanced the dirty dishes on one arm, and strolled over to the wall behind the counter. She dumped the dishes in one plastic pan, the silverware in another. In a tone of colorless courtesy, she said, “I’m sorry, we here at the Oceanview Café don’t have a beer license.”

Kateri slapped the counter again. “I’ll take a bourbon on the rocks.”

“I’m sorry, we here at the Oceanview Café don’t have a liquor license.”

“I’ll take a puff of weed.”

Rainbow put her fists on her ample hips. “I’m sorry, we here at the Oceanview Café don’t have a marijuana license.”

Kateri sighed. “I’ll take a full-fat, full-sugar, half-caff latte with two pumps of vanilla.”

“That I can do.” Rainbow Breezewing, waitress and all-round Virtue Falls busybody, hustled to the coffee machine and programmed it then, before she punched go, she returned, leaned down, and looked deep into Kateri's eyes. “Real cow’s milk? Because you know what that does to your digestion.”

“I truly need full fat cow’s milk,” Kateri said.

“Do you want to spend the afternoon being gassy?” Rainbow leaned closer.

Kateri backed up. “Fine. Soy milk. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s hanging with someone who saw me grow up.”

“You could go to the Halfway Bar.” Rainbow put the latte in front of Kateri.

“Yes, because that’s a classy place for a single woman to hang out.” And for all her joking around, Kateri didn’t drink. For most native American, liquor created results even more dire than cow’s milk. “Besides, I’m on duty.”

“So you took a break?”

“No use being the station commander if I can’t give myself some time off when I need it. I took the new kid out for a trial run up the coast.” Kateri took a sip and grimaced. “Have I mentioned I hate soy milk?”

“We have almond milk.”

“It’s too sweet.”

Rainbow leaned her elbows against the counter and propped her chin in her hands. “He didn’t work out?”

“He compared the Pacific Ocean with New York Harbor.”

Rainbow cackled like a hen.

“Precisely.” Kateri took another sip and put the cup down.

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