The Big Kitty by Claire Donally Page A

yacht. I guess you’ll have tocook for yourself, but you can use the amenities. Although it’s kind of late in the season, they do have an enclosed pool. Would that be all right?”
    Raj nodded. “That would fill the bill nicely.” He reached into his coat and drew out a wallet that should have been as slim and elegant as the rest of him. The effect was somewhat spoiled by the batch of hundred-dollar bills packed into it. “What would the rate be?”
    “We usually do payments by credit card,” Sunny began, then shook her head. Their business was done online, and that was where their payments were processed. The office didn’t have a credit card terminal. “But I suppose a cash deposit would be all right.”
    She got out the lockbox for petty cash, which also held the Rowlandsons’ keys. Raj handed over a fat fee for five days, and Sunny tucked away the bills in the box.
That should warm Ollie’s cold little heart,
she thought.
    Returning to her keyboard, she printed out the directions to the estate and then maneuvered a few new windows onto her screen. “Richer. That’s a French name, isn’t it?”
    Raj nodded.
    “Is that the branch of the family you’re tracing? We have a pretty active historical society here in town.” A quick click on the mouse, and she added, “Most records are up in the county seat in Levett. They have some genealogical resources up there, too.”
    A little more computer digging, and she said, “If there’s a Canadian connection, there are several French-Canadian heritage groups you could contact. Most of them are farther upstate, though.”
    “I am sure the local groups you have mentioned will do for a start,” Raj said, his hands making little pushing-down gestures.
    “Would you prefer I download all of this to your computer or phone?” Sunny asked.
    That got another smile from Raj. “I have not embraced technology so enthusiastically, I’m afraid. The machines I use tend to be very simple.”
    The cell phone he took out of his pocket was a lot less high-end than the rest of his outfit.
    “I could just print it out for you, if you prefer,” Sunny offered.
    “That would be excellent.”
    As the printer hummed, she asked, “Is there anything else you need? Tours? Local attractions?”
    Raj shook his head.
    “How about local transportation? Do you have your own car?” Sunny asked.
    “I rented one in Portsmouth.” He nodded out the window to a racing green Jaguar parked behind Sunny’s Mustang.
    “Very impressive,” Sunny told him. “You’re lucky it’s still fall, though. I don’t know how practical it might be for a Maine winter. My own car got in a little trouble when things were icy.”
    “I thought I saw some damage on that car.” Raj pointed to her Mustang.
    “That’s the best I could do to fix it up.” Sunny collected the papers from the printer and stood. “Luckily, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that—unless you decide on a prolonged stay.”
    He smiled again, that curious, tight-lipped smile, and took the sheaf of papers. “Thank you, Sunny.”
    “You’re welcome,” she told him. “If you change your mind about the local attractions, or if you need anything else during your stay—well, we’re here to help.”
    He thanked her again and gave another little bow, then left. Still, it was the highlight of her working day, and it charged up her batteries to tackle the promotion copy.
    Then she got an e-mail from the company’s Web server reporting a problem and spent hours trying to reconcile two applications that had suddenly decided not to play nicely with one another anymore.
    On the bright side, Ollie didn’t come back for a repeat browbeating session. Sunny took a chance and printed out hard copies of the stuff Ken Howell had sent her, stuffing them in an envelope.
    After responding to several tourism information requests and processing a couple of visits, her eyes felt fatigued and her neck stiff.
    That’s what happens from