And on the Surface Die. Lou Allin

of skanks in my sights.” She raised her arms in a shooting gesture, attracting some attention from a white-haired lady carrying a Pomeranian. “Pow, pow.”

      “Uh, Val, I think—”

      Valerie gave a thumbs-up. “Slim as ever, you. And I’ve gained the last ten pounds since I stopped smoking. Hey, do you still rescue banana slugs? Damn, that was funny.”

      Despite the stares surrounding them, Holly couldn’t help smiling. “To serve and protect has always been my motto.”

      “So it has, and you figured it out. We’ve got to get together.”

      Valerie padded wicked coral nails on her shiny lips. “Say, do you need a house? Meet Sooke’s top seller.”

      “You’re out of luck. I’m living with my father on Otter Point Place.”

      “Woo, woo. High rent district.” Valeria plucked a card from her elephantine purse. “If you ever want a place for yourself, short term, easy-sell, consider a mobile, uh, manufactured home. It’s an investment. I have one for only $79,000 in Wells o’ Weary. Right on the ocean. Lapping waves will sing you to sleep.”

      “And when the big wave comes?” Tsunami warning signs along the coastal road had made realtors furious and alarmed local businesses so much that they were removed within a few months. Now tourists could travel the road at their own blissful risk.

      Valerie elbowed her way into the lineup. “You’ll be the first one to know, so call my cell!”

      Back in the car, they passed the Log, a grassy meeting place, which anchored the town. A fifty-foot Douglas fir post displayed two carved loggers, one balanced with an axe on a springboard perch aiming at a cut above the thick butt and the other climbing to the top using a strap and cleats.

      The forty-five minutes into Victoria went quickly. Delayed only for a moment behind one of the signature red double-decker buses, they took Sooke Road, Route 14, through Milne’s Landing, skirting Metchosin and entering Langford, then merging with the Island Highway in View Royal.