Seventeen
The beach house was located in a small coastal town on the western side of the peninsula. A couple of streets back from the foreshore, the house was protected from the ravages of the salt spray blown in off the ocean. The front yard was an expanse of buffalo grass, kept in check by a local contractor. Out the back, a veranda, which also served as a carport, stretched over a paved area edged with garden beds holding an assortment of bushy shrubs. On one side of the paved area, someone had built an impressive gas-fired, brick barbecue.
The house itself was nothing to look at. It looked like it had seen better days, but at least it was constructed from materials that required minimal, if any, maintenance. Inside, it consisted of a large central room furnished with a dining table a
