Page 83 of Summer of '69
“Whereisshe?” Luke asks. He twists Kirby’s wrist and it hurts so bad, she’s sure it will snap.
“I have no idea,” Kirby says, but her words aren’t convincing even to her own ears.
“Tell me!” he roars.
The pain in Kirby’s wrist is building; the more she struggles to free herself, the sharper the pain becomes.
She went to a party,Kirby nearly says,on Chappy—but before she can get the words out, she hears a deep voice.
“Hey!”
They both turn and Luke releases Kirby’s wrist. It’s Mr. Ames, sweet, kind, understanding Mr. Ames, who looks anything but that at this moment. He grabs Luke by the front of the T-shirt and nearly lifts him off the ground. “You bothering the lady?”
“No,” Luke says.
“This is Luke Winslow, my housemate’s boyfriend,” Kirby says. “He came here looking for Patty, but I don’t know where she is.”
Mr. Ames lets Luke go. “You have no business showing up at this hotel to harass people. I saw you hurting Miss Foley here. How ’bout I call the Edgartown Police?” He pulls his walkie-talkie off his hip.
Luke hangs his head and starts to blubber.
Kirby rolls her eyes. “He must be drunk,” she says. “How did you get here, Luke? Did you drive?”
He raises his head. “Where is she?” he asks plaintively. “I just want to know the truth. Is she out with someone else?”
“For crying out loud,” Mr. Ames says. “I’m calling the police.”
“Wait,” Kirby says. She comes out from behind the desk and speaks into Mr. Ames’s ear. “The senator will probably be back any minute. I don’t think we should call the police.”
Mr. Ames checks his watch. “You’re right.”
“Could I maybe…borrow your car and drive him home?” Kirby asks.
“Where does he live?” Mr. Ames asks.
“Chilmark,” Kirby says. “Off the State Road.”
“That’s too far,” Mr. Ames says. “You’ll be gone forty minutes at least. Call the kid a cab.”
“Okay,” Kirby says. She phones for a taxi while Luke collapses onto the sofa in the lobby and Mr. Ames stands guard over him. Kirby thinks back on all the quiet shifts she worked when she longed for action, and now she has action…on the worst of all possible nights. Senator Kennedy could appear at any moment, and instead of walking into a warm, welcoming lobby, he’ll see Luke, who is alternately crying into his hands and angrily muttering that he’s going to make Patty pay for what she’s doing.
Maybe theyshouldcall the police, Kirby thinks. Yes, they should. Luke is dangerous. But then Kirby thinks about Mrs. Bennie’s warnings and reminders. If Mrs. Bennie finds out that the police showed up at the inn on the senator’s first night because of a friend of Kirby’s…
They need to get him out of there.
“We need to get him out of here,” Kirby says, mostly to herself.
Outside, the cab pulls up.
“Let’s go, Luke,” Kirby says with false cheer.
“Go sleep it off, buddy,” Mr. Ames says.
Reluctantly, Luke gets to his feet.
“You got it from here?” Mr. Ames asks. “I’m going back to my post.”
“All set,” Kirby says. She pulls Luke toward the front door. “Come on.”
