Nobody Knows Your Secret

33

"Hobie Stricker! It's good to meet you, man," the stranger said.

Maury and Hadley were just joining the crowd at The Band-Aid. The weather was beautiful. It was a perfect day. 

The radio broadcast from last week was a success. The crowd gathered on Main by The Band-Aid's front porch was double the usual one.

"Hadley! Isn't that the man we mistook for Teddy Croft standing beside Ruth Elliot?"

"Yes, it is," Hadley said. "I swear he could be Teddy's brother. Don't you think?"

"I wonder who he is?" Maury asked.

"We'll never know if we don't ask," Hadley said, walking toward the couple.

"Wait! You can't just . . . Hadley! Wait for me!"

Maury stumbled and bumped into Varn Rory.

"Sorry, Varn," Maury said. "Two left feet."

Maury ran to catch up.

"Hadley," Ruth was saying when Maury breathlessly reached her sister, "this is Dr. Declan Wilson, a friend of mine. 

Declan's a fan of Hobie's, and he owns a veterinary clinic in the Hamptons. He's flown down on vacation, rented a cabin, and a car just to hear the band.

His plane is down at Stanley and Anna's airstrip. I met him in town, and he volunteered to give me a hand at the shelter."

"Good thing," Hadley said. "Ruth needs all hands on deck, but especially those who know what they are actually doing."

"I'm not a wildlife specialist," Declan said, "but I couldn't resist seeing the place. It's quite a setting."

"You said it," Hadley said. "An abandoned amusement park with at least one clown bigger than me."

Everyone laughed.

"Are you playing today?" Ruth asked.

"Just lessons," said Hadley. "Hobie's going to teach us some more chords and how to start picking."

"I purchased one of those guitars he had for sale," Declan said. "It plays like a dream."

"Hobie's the best," said Hadley. "Well, nice meeting you, Doctor Wilson. I've got to get my chair and guitar out of the trunk."

"No more baby chairs, Hadley?" Ruth asked.

"No. I gave those little squats up for Lent!" Hadley replied.

"I'll give you a hand," said Maury. "Nice meeting you."

Maury and Hadley walked back to Hadley's car.

"Hadley!" Maury said. "I think Ruth's sweet on that rich vet 'froom theee Haaamp-tons!'"

"Yeah," Hadley said. "I think you're right. Did you notice how close together they were standing? Couldn't get a sheet of paper between them."

"I hope he's a good man."

"Yeah. Ruth deserves it. After Bobbie Joe! Huh! What a winner he turned out to be! I never like Bobbie Joe, you know. I always thought there was something sneaky about his eyes. Beady or something. I never could quite put my finger on it. But it was something. Then, he proved me right.

Married all of six months and falls for a bimbo he meets in a bar. He was a scumbag to cheat on Ruth like that. She should get a handsome rich vet froom theee Haaamp-tooons after Bobbie Joe. Ain't we wicked."

"As sin," Maury said.