During the next several days, life at Collinwood goes back to normal, more or less, although there is some concern over the loss of employees to Burke's competing enterprise. When he's not on the phone, making business deals all over the globe, Burke can usually be found at the inn's diner, grabbing a cup of coffee and maybe a doughnut, or at the Blue Whale with a whiskey and maybe some of Collinsport's famous lobster and clam chowder. Given the small size of the town, inevitably he runs into just about everyone he knows, whether its trying to get more information out of Sam Evans over more than a few drinks, or even chatting to David, when he's allowed to accompany his cousin Carolyn on shopping trips. (She's more than glad to have Burke watch the boy for a while, and David thinks watching Carolyn shop for "girl stuff" is boring.)
He often asks Maggie out, and has dated Carolyn a few times, apparently seeing nothing wrong with stringing along more than one woman at a time. He even has the nerve to ask Victoria for a date, maybe to catch a romantic movie like the musical
Camelot at the only theater in town. (His own taste seems to run to things like the new James Bond film,
You Only Live Twice.)
One morning, while Victoria is at the diner, chatting with Maggie, a woman walks in, dressed as if she has been traveling. It's obvious that she bears a strong resemblance to the figure in Sam Evans' painting.
