Chapter 65 - THE RIGHT NUMBERS

Dunk and Marianne motored up to Sawyer's Landing in EQUAL'S around mid-day, pulling Dunk's skiff behind them. They tied the boats, and walked up through the meadow hand-in-hand, carrying a bag full of laundry and a sack of cans and trash from camp.

When they got to the road, Jesse came charging out the front door and halooed them royally from the front porch.

"Aunt Mary and Dunk are here," he yelled, "Hooray!"

Sumner slid out from under the Valiant where he'd been bolting on the new rear end, and Liz came out of the garden, brushing dirt off their hands. The two couples stood facing each other silently in the dooryard, for a moment.

Then Liz said, "I'm so glad you're here. You must be famished."

Dunk smiled, "I could eat," he observed, and Liz led their way into the house.

Jesse started wrestling with Dunk almost immediately, as the gangling young man had always been a favorite friend. Liz looked over and saw the redheaded boy who'd been such a gawmy kid really was a striking young man. And she saw Mary's eyes never left him.

"Well," Liz thought. "I sure hope it works."

While she fussed with fresh bread and cold cuts and salad makings, Sumner was full of questions.

"You're OK?" he asked first. The young lovers look at each other and laughed, then said "Yes," together. Liz saw that Sum was starting to get it, too.

"Your boat.." Dunk started.

"What about..?" Sumner said at the same instant. They all laughed.

"OK, what about the boat?" Sumner asked.

"I had ta runnit on the rocks to get away from the gunmen," Dunk explained, not knowing how much, if anything, Sumner knew about yesterday's events.

Sumner nodded, looking a question.

"But she's not hurt bad," Dunk hurriedly said. "She may have some scrapes on the bottom, but she don't leak. There's a chunk outa one blade, so she runs a lil rugged, but not too bad. She's down to the landin."

"We're sorry about you father," Liz said quietly.

Dunk and Marianne's eyes met. Then Dunk looked down at Jesse in his lap.

Liz caught the glance. "Jesse," she said, "could you go get me some more lettuce, honey?"

Jesse jumped down. "Showah," he said with emphasis, and they smiled. He dashed out through the screen door.

"We buried Bustah on Rogue," Dunk said.

"He died saving us," Marianne said, and she went over to put her arm around Dunk. He reciprocated.

"Can we do anything for your mom.. or your sister," Liz asked.

"I'll have to tellum," Dunk said. "But I think it'll be OK. The famly's already watchin out for 'em."

"How about you, Dunk?" Sumner asked.

"He's got me," Mary declared.

"Yes," Sumner said," I'm beginnin to get the pickcha," and he grinned. "Good goin, Dunk," he said. Dunk blushed.

Jesse came charging back in with a handful of greens clenched in his grubby fingers. Liz thanked him, and got him to stand on a chair and wash his hands at the sink.

"What are the police doin?" Dunk asked.

"You know they arrested Chinetti?" Sumner asked. The lovers shook their heads.

"Seems like there was a lot of cocaine in his glovebox," Sumner explained, "Someone called in a tip."

"Muk," Dunk said. "Sonny's mysterious phone call."

"I don't know bout that," Sumner went on. "...And the sailors' boat sank. But seem's like they got let off for lack of evidence, or something..."

Dunk and Marianne looked at each other in surprise.

"Yestiddy they was askin questions all ovah town," Sumner said.

"And getting the usual answers," Liz put in.

"Lots of answers, and all upside wrong." Dunk predicted, grinning. Sumner nodded.

Liz had set the table and put on the spread, and now they sat to eat. They passed and chewed silently, listening to the chickens cluck and the songbirds in the trees out back. They were just moving on to Liz's homemade strawberry pie when a truck pulled into the drive. It was Jumbo and Janet. Everyone trooped out to meet them.

Liz said they should come share the feast, but the couple insisted they'd already eaten. "Come have some pie and coffee, then," Liz insisted.

After they'd all tucked into the pie Sumner asked Jumbo, "they give you a grillin?"

Jumbo smiled. "Don't poke me, I'm not done," he quoted one of Sumner's favorite cowboy songs. Sumner chuckled.

"They tried to pump me last night," Jumbo admitted.

"But we insisted he was too weak to talk," Janet put in.

"Nurse Janet protekted me," Jumbo said admiringly. "But this mahnin," he went on, "they nevah come back."

"We got a call from Sonny," Sumner reported. "He said he thinks John Law is gonna drop the whole thing. Seems like the sailors have some connections high up."

"And you oughta know," Liz said dryly.

Jumbo and Janet and Dunk looked questioningly at Sumner.

"I did go to school with them," Sumner admitted, "and Walker.. the cowboy.. was sposed to be the son of a U.S. Senator."

"Who just happens to be the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee," Liz amended.

The tension around the table evaporated. Everyone laughed. Jesse clapped his hands and danced a jig. He didn't know what had just happened, but he knew it was worth celebrating. Dunk jumped up and began to dance with him, and suddenly they were all up stomping and laughing foolishly.

After they'd settled down, and had some more coffee, Sumner turned to Dunk and Marianne, who were sitting on the loveseat by the stove, arms around each other.

"So whatcha gonna do now?" Sumner asked Dunk.

"Jesus, Sum." Liz scolded. "You sound like your father."

"No.. no." Sumner backpedaled, "I don't mean about THAT.." Liz stamped her foot.

"Phew. Gimme a break, Lizzie," Sumner pleaded. "I mean we're gonna need a new crewman now, and..."

All three women began speaking at once. In the hubbub the exact words weren't clear, but the upshot was that going fishing with Sonny was NOT a great idea.

When the ladies stopped sputtering, Sumner said,"I mean, it's a good berth, and we been catchin the fish, and ... well ... Sonny owes us, don't he?"

"I wouldn't bet on collectin anathin from Sonny," Janet observed dryly.

"He did cover our asses," Jumbo put in to defend their skipper.

"After he got you in that mess," Liz insisted.

"And I think he turned in Chinetti and the sailors because of what they did to Liz and Jesse and Mary," Sumner observed. The women looked at him silently.

Dunk broke the silence. "I'd like to do what Mary would want of me," he said quietly. Marianne hugged him closer. Janet and Liz looked at each other, and winked.

Just then the phone rang. Liz picked it up, and it was one of her colleagues from the school.

"Yes.. no .. I hadn't heard.. no .. hold on, I got some people here.. I'll ask."

Liz set the phone down. "That's Sueann. There's big news all over town. Someone bought a winning lottery ticket to Sherm's, but nobody's called in to claim the money. It's a million dollar prize," Liz said, shrugging a question.

"O lordy," Jumbo said. "You doane spose?" He dug in his back pocket for his wallet, pulled out the ticket he'd bought.

Liz handed him the phone. "What's the numbahs, Sueann?" Jumbo asked. He listened to the answer. His face turned white, and Janet pushed a chair behind him quick. Jumbo sagged into it, his mouth wide open, but not a sound coming out.

Liz grabbed the phone. "No.. No.. that's OK Sueann.. thanks," she said, and hung up the receiver.

"You won it, didn't you?" Janet asked. Jumbo just nodded his head. Everyone was stunned into silence.

After a minute Jumbo looked at Janet and said, "That really was my lucky day, wahnt it?" Janet's eyes were tearing up.

In another minute Jumbo's color began to come back. He stood up carefully and took both Janet's hands.

"How'd you like to run away with an ex-fisherman?" He asked.