the door, picking up his anorak on his way. 'See you later,' he said to Will. 'I'm going to go look at the water.'

'Sorry about that,' Adrianna said when he'd gone. 'It was my fault. I'll make peace when he gets back.'

'Whatever.'

Adrianna went to the stove and poured herself a cup of coffee. 'So what did Guthrie have to say?'

'Not a lot.'

'Why did you even go see him?'

Will shrugged. 'Just ... some stuff from my childhood...' he said.

'Big secret?'

Will offered her a slow smile. 'Huge.'

'So you're not going to tell me?'

'It's nothing to do with us being here. Well, it is and it isn't. I knew Guthrie lived on the Bay, so I kind of killed two birds...' the words grew soft '... with one stone.'

'Are you going to photograph him?' she said, crossing to the window. The Tegelstrom children, who lived across the street, were out playing in the snow, their laughter loud. She peered out at them.

'No,' Will said. 'I already invaded his privacy.'

'Like I'm invading yours?'

'I didn't mean that.'

'That's right though, isn't it?' she said gently. 'I never get to hear what life was like for little Willy Rabjohns. That's because you don't want to tell me.' She was warming to her thesis now. 'You know ... this is how you used to be with Patrick.'

'Unfair.'

'You used to drive him crazy. He'd call me up sometimes and vent these streams of abuse-'

'He is a melodramatic queen,' Will said, fondly.

'He said you were cryptic. You are. He said you were secretive. You're that too.'

'Isn't that the same thing?'

'Don't get intellectual. It pisses me off.'

'Have you spoken to him recently?'

'Now you're changing the subject.'

'I am not. You were talking about Patrick and now I'm talking about Patrick.'

'I was talking about you.'