Silent Harbour

Chapter 21: Clearing the Air

November 7, 2025

My bedroom window does little to muffle the sound of the neighbour's car engine sputtering to an unsteady start. I roll over in bed trying to drown out the noise with a pillow, but the rhythmic sputtering only seems to grow louder.

I've told Erin to come by at around eight. It's a quarter-to and Henri's still at school rehearsing for Drama Club. My original intention had been to ask Erin about the nature of her and Peter's relationship–to inquire about any recent encounters she may have had with him before his sudden death, in light of what Henri had told me about seeing Erin at Peter's house just a few weeks before. Henri's words had been troubling, a mix of concern and confusion that left me questioning what exactly would have precipitated the exchange of harsh words between the unlikely pair.

But now, as I wait for Erin, I'm preoccupied with a whole other matter: why Erin would have made a move to tip off the police about Arthur's place in Cedar Creek after having waited this long. I've decided to steer clear of this topic until I've spoken to Erin about Peter so as not to raise any suspicion of my intentions.

There is a knock at the door. I open it to find Erin standing there, a friendly smile plastered on her face.

"Hey," she says softly, stepping inside.

"Hi Erin," I reply, closing the door behind her. "Thanks for coming." We make our way to the living room, and I motion for her to sit on the couch. Erin sets her bag down and folds her hands in her lap, waiting for me to speak. I sit across from her, trying to organize my thoughts. My mouth dries and I can't think of what to say.

Her eyebrows raise expectantly. "What's been on your mind, Emery?"

It comes out, a little blunt, before I can stop myself. "A student of Peter's, a mentee of his, who he spent a lot of time with before his passing, mentioned seeing you at Peter's house a few weeks before he died."

Erin's face pales. I continue, "He said it looked like you two were having an argument." For a moment, something like anger or irritation crosses Erin's features as if I've reminded her of some inconvenience. But it's gone before I can think twice about it and her face is calm, even a little regretful as she looks down at her hands. "You didn't tell me you two had reconnected," I say softly.

She meets my gaze. "As I'm sure you know, the Rochesters do a lot of business with my agency," she starts. "Peter had started coming to the office last winter. He needed legal aid to try to fight the acquisition, or at least try to negotiate with Vista." She pauses, "Honestly Emery, they were really trying to cut him short with their initial offer." She lifts a hand to move a stray strand of hair away from her forehead. "I'll spare you the details, but they'd already done some dirty dealings with the government, under the table sort of stuff—long before they told the Rochesters anything. Peter was in a tough spot and I was trying to help him out: get him set up with some real estate lawyers that we've partnered with in the past when dealing with similar clients."

She hesitates, waiting for my reaction, "All that drama from when we were kids–I mean that was so long ago. Peter was mature about it, gracious even, a professional through and through." I nod, absorbing her words. "We got to know each other a bit better and I wound up coming 'round his place every now and then to help him with his case. I was–well am–interested in going back to school for law; maybe become a lawyer myself some day, so I thought that helping the Doiron with Peter's case might give me some good experience, maybe even a foot in to working with her in the legal division at Harmony."

I squint unintentionally, trying to imagine Peter and Erin working together harmoniously on Rochester v Vista Ventures.

"That day that your friend—er—student must've seen us arguing, I had dropped by because he was making some business choices that I couldn't support." She stops and wrings her hands together, looking regretful. "It got a bit heated, but I never thought it would be the last time we talked," she admits, shaking her head slowly.