Free Six Strokes Under by Roberta Isleib Page B

her lip suggested the opposite.
    "Hi, sis," said Gary. "I'd just about given up on you. I'm starving. Have you met Walter Moore, Cassie?"
    "Yo." My hand disappeared briefly into the Deikon equipment hunk's fleshy palm.
    "Want to join us for dinner?" said Gary.
    One quick look at the expression on Kaitlin's face made it clear just how unwelcome I would be at the Rupert dinner party. "I'll stay where I am, thanks. I'm sure my order's just about ready to come up," I said. "How'd you make out today, Kaitlin? Hit 'em straight?" That said just for the annoyance value of making her acknowledge my presence.
    "Just fine."
    "It's common courtesy to ask, 'And you?' " Gary said.
    "And you?" she said, her voice telegraphing controlled disdain.
    "I've got a small case of the shanks," I said. "Nothing that should affect your appetite, though. Have a good dinner." If I was lucky, my mention of the forbidden s-word would worm its way into Kaitlin's superstitious golfer's psyche.
    Gary patted my back and followed his sister, Walter the hunk, and perky Cindi into the dining room. I dug into the food the bartender deposited in front of me, eager now to clean my plate and return to the solitude of my room. Sooner I could get to sleep, sooner I'd have the chance to put all this out of my mind.
    Three women I thought I recognized from the golf course walked by me on their way into the restaurant. "Are you here for Q-school?" asked the last one through. "You look familiar."
    "Cassie Burdette." I offered her my hand. "I think we met a couple years ago at the NCAA tournament in Alabama."
    "Mary Morrison," the girl said. "And these are Adele Simpson and Eve Darling. We noticed you having a little chat with our favorite golfer."
    "Best thing you can do there is ignore the bitch," said Eve.
    "Sounds like you all know her pretty well," I said, laughing.
    "Futures Tour," said Mary. "She's a legend in her own mind. Come on, bring your plate and your beer and sit with us."
    After ordering their drinks and dinner, the three women began to describe their experiences with Kaitlin.
    "To put it bluntly," began Adele, "she's insufferable."
    "Don't you guys live in the same town?" asked Eve. "You're not distant relations or anything?"
    "Oh, please," I said. "Spare me that. Unfortunately, we do both come from Myrtle Beach. And I wouldn't mind having her talent off the tee, but any similarity stops there."
    Mary laughed. "She hasn't made a lot of friends out on Futures. If she wins, she's unbearable. When she loses, she's worse."
    "The only things she's really interested in talking about are her golf game and this false memory business," said Adele. "We're people, too. Even if you don't want to be best friends, you could at least make a little conversation. How're you doing? Where're you from? Are you married or happy?" I laughed, thinking of Gary insisting that Kait-lin ask about my day.
    "It's worse than that," said Eve. "She's mean. Things don't go her way, she lashes out at whoever's in her path."
    "And don't forget calling people on obscure rules in the USGA book. She's called girls on teeing up ahead of the markers, using tees as ball-markers, the two-ball rule, you name it. She's never heard of giving the benefit of the doubt," added Adele.
    "The low point was a match play tournament when Kaitlin's opponent chipped in for bird and Kaitlin insisted she replay the shot because she was away," said Eve. "By the letter of the law, she was correct, but the spirit was mean. It really took the heart out of the girl she was playing."
    "She's always correct," said Mary. "But what gets to you is the steady drip, drip, drip of her self-righteousness. Most of us avoid her like the plague."
    "Except for Julie," corrected Eve.
    "Who's Julie?" I asked.
    "It's a long story," said Mary. "Short version, Julie At-water seems to be Kaitlin's new best friend. Long version, we think Kaitlin talked her into accusing her own father of incest a couple of months ago."
    "I'm confused," I