empty. Still, I felt uneasy.
Silly. I was just nervous someone would catch me talking to a lobster.
Ten minutes later, I figured Homer had heard enough.
“Hungry, gorgeous?”
I dropped a few mussels into the aquarium. Homer picked them up one by one and used his pincer claw to maneuver mussel meat toward his mouth.
“Homer, what do you think? Is there something rotten in the Republic?”
I dropped in a three-inch mussel.
Before it hit the bottom, Homer snatched the mussel with his big claw and crushed it with one swift snap.
By the time Harvey arrived at our favorite time-out spot on Water Street—the bench beneath a bronze fisherman—I’d calmed down. While I waited for her, I watched kids learn how to sail dinghies around Spruce Harbor and tried to imagine what Peter’s wife and children were going through.
No question about it. My problems were minor in comparison.
Harvey had changed into jogging clothes for a late afternoon run. She sat next to me and stretched out her legs. “You okay? You sounded upset on the phone.”
“I’ll tell you in a minute. First, is Peter’s service at nine or ten tomorrow?”
“Ten.”
“Okay. I’m planning to visit Sarah in an hour.”
“Sarah will be pleased to see you, I’m sure. She’s holding up pretty well, considering. So what’s going on with you?”
I described Seymour’s visit to my office. Harvey twirled a foot and digested what I’d said.
“I’m really sorry, Mara. It’s horrible timing for you. But it sounds like Seymour’s been blind-sided by budget cuts.”
“He was a little nicer than usual. Must feel guilty.”
“He’s probably got a lot on his plate.”
“I guess. But damn it, Harvey, without that grant, I’m absolutely stuck. No money for research cruises, supplies, all of it. And there’s that new grad student I told you about. She’s expecting support.”
Elbows on knees, I leaned over and buried my face in my hands. Harvey let me be until I sat up and stared out across the harbor. She put her hand on my arm.
“Couple of things,” she said. “First, you’re one of the most creative scientists I know. And smart. Plus you work like a dog.”
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