One of the settings I mention in my mystery novel, Fatal Whispers, is Tommy’s Park. This patch of greenery and paved walkways is located at the corner of Middle Street and Exchange Street in the old district of Portland, Maine. The park has lots of benches where you can take a break from work or from shopping. And there’s a Starbucks Coffee shop just across the street.
My sleuths, ghostwriter Megan Scott and reporter Michael Elliott, meet for lunch one brisk autumn day in Tommy’s Park to exchange information gathered in an ongoing murder investigation. Megan only has half an hour before she returns to work at Bianca’s Gardens, a fictitious flower shop on Exchange Street.
A cool wind blows, but the coffee Michael purchased from Starbucks keeps their conversation going. Here’s an excerpt from Megan’s perspective:
The maple trees that had formed a protective barrier against the sun on warmer days were bare. Gusts of winds scattered foliage across a pedestrian path and into the street. I raised the collar of my wool jacket and wished I’d worn a heavier sweater underneath…
I sat down on the bench next to Michael, gave him a quick kiss, then handed him the printouts of the employee profiles from Bianca’s Gardens. “I feel like a thief.”
“You shouldn’t,” he said. “You’re doing it for an honorable cause.”
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