Lie Catchers (24 page)

“You okay?” Chet asked.

“I want Parker to find the person who shot me.”

Josh brought his coffee to the table, leaving Susanna behind the counter. “I’d be paranoid, too, Liv.”

“I can only guess the emotion,” chimed in Candy Peterson, the harbormaster. A petite woman with long salt and pepper hair and a kind face, she sat at an adjacent table, hands around her coffee mug. “The thing is, every time you move your shoulder, you’re reminded of the nightmare moment. And because you’ve got those dates cemented in your head, you’ll never forget the time, place, and what you wore.” She squinted at Liv. “Sounds like a curse.”

“Yeah,” Josh said, his short dreadlocks shaking as he nodded. “At first when I heard about your date thing, I thought it was cool because I have such a lousy memory for detail. But your brain must ache from the effort to store minutiae.”

Liv lifted her cup to drink, amazed at the turn of events in her life.

She’d been shot at and exposed as a date savant, and sure enough, people regarded her as a freak, the town rainwoman. Before, they were cordial to her; now they looked at her like she was a ticking bomb, armed with deadly dates. “Actually, it’s soothing to my brain to take control of events, to sort everything in its proper place.”

“I’m lucky to remember customer’s coffee drinks,” Josh said.

“I’m lost without the calendar on my phone,” Chet offered.

Candy said, “Day to day humdrum stuff sifts right through my brain. What I recall are the odd things.” She pointed to Chet. “You took a boat out fishing this morning before slack tide.”

Chet ducked his head. “Only time I could get out…I figured a few fish might be hungry for my bait even if the current was running.”

“SA Nilson fished in the channel November 17
th
, a Monday morning, when it was still pitch dark. And you, dear Liv, returned in Matt’s boat at dusk, way after slack on November 19.”

Liv was about to protest that the marina office was dark that night when Candy said, “I came back to the office for some papers. Didn’t even turn on the light.” Candy shook her head. “I knew Matt was nutty-wild to catch a sockeye, but I didn’t know you were, too. Lord, I’ll never understand the obsession to fish.”

A chuckle from Chet. “You’re a harbormaster and don’t like to fish?”

“Crab and shrimp, yes. Finned creatures you can have.” Candy turned to Liv. “But I want to go back to your date recall. Does it help you with writing, like with the research you did for the Sing Lee articles?”

“I wish. When it comes to what happened to other people, I’m like anyone who studies history; I have to take notes and consciously memorize the facts. But when something happens to me, like this date, right now, sitting at this table in the Coffee Hüs, I have total recall. I will remember what we said, what we wore, the time frame, date and weather. It’s as if my brain takes a photo of the occasion in brilliant color, complete with a snapshot of the weather outside at the time.”

Josh looked disappointed. “So you’d be lousy at Jeopardy and other trivia games.”

“Sorry. Not my thing. Still, unlike a lot of people, I’m at ease with memorizing dates if the situation calls for it. To me they are friends, not foes.”

“Too bad you can’t make money off it,” Chet said.

“My mother suggested I should be an attorney.” Liv made a face. “Lately, I’ve been thinking I’d be good as an interrogator; a lie catcher is what I call myself.” She sighed. “Anyway, I have an easy time of choosing an outfit to wear each day.”

“Well, I enjoy your writing, Liv.” Candy downed the rest of her coffee. “The series on Sing Lee is great. I like how it’s a story instead of a report. Makes it real.”

Josh shook his head as he held up his mug. “Five cents for a cup of coffee? Poor Gus has zero technology for crime solving. No wonder the marshal couldn’t find a killer.”

“Even with modern technology, the Feds can’t unearth what happened to Ev or who shot Liv.” Candy gazed at Liv. “You’re helping us understand why so many crimes are unsolved.” She paused. “And why we live in fear that a criminal might live next door.”

****

“You. Played. Me.” Tuck stood in the doorway of The Smiling Coho, drilling Liv with a look of disgust while he flipped the sign over to ‘Closed.’

When Chet came around from the workroom, eyebrows up, Liv said, “I’m okay, Chet. Keep at what you’re doing back there while Tuck and I talk.” She spoke slowly to keep her voice from shaking. Liv had witnessed Tuck’s mean streak, so she stayed behind the counter when he approached, her hand resting on the drawer containing her gun.

“One day a dance partner slash cock tease, the next, a spy with her own bodyguard in the back room.” He jerked his thumb in that direction. “I hear there’s a chart going around town, written by you, that has my name on it.” Tuck leaned toward her. “Can you spell defamation?”

Liv opened her palm.

“What, you couldn’t help yourself? Come on Liv, you and I are the smart ones. Shrewd at business ventures, anxious to bring more prosperity to ourselves and to Petersburg. You write crappy features and dream of pressing salmon oil. And you do the little dance with me to raise my libido and squeeze money out of me.” He passed his hand over his crotch and gave a dry laugh. “Your plan was working until you threw me over for a cop and became his spy.”

Liv’s heart sank as she watched her tactic to borrow money from Tuck implode. She crossed her arms over her stomach, feeling the chill of Tuck’s anger along with her failure to get the salmon oil business going. “I’m not a spy.”

“Show me the chart.”

“I wrote it for the authorities when they asked me for important events around Tilly’s death. Naturally, you’re in there.”

“I want to see it and so does my lawyer.” Tuck gazed up at her apartment. “You watch me from your desk window like some kind of pervert.” He sneered at her necklace. “Connecting the date dots with your accessories. That’s loony. No judge would ever believe you, and that’s why it’s going to be easy to sue your ass.”

Liv drew in a breath. The only money she had was set aside for her mother’s knee operation. She couldn’t use it for attorney fees.

Drumming his fingers on the counter, Tuck said, “I know where you’re going with the Sing Lee series, by the way. You and Parker have tapped me as a Sing Lee type, imposing my principles on Petersburg. In your story, I’m the old Chinese guy and you’re Greta. Sweet, innocent Greta versus the town’s power broker. You think I can’t read between the lines? Your next article is meant to put the whole bloody town against me.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

His expression smug, Tuck placed his elbows on the counter and rested his chin in his hands. “More grist for my lawyer. I’ll get the chart from Halley if you won’t give it to me. He and Susanna are blabbing all over town about your idiotic skill.” He wagged his head. “And here I thought we were dance pals with some fucking potential.” Standing up slowly, he gave her a hard look. “If you and your cop buddy try to pin Ev’s and Tilly’s deaths on me, I’ll sue you.” He picked up her pearl necklace and twisted so it tightened on her

neck. Abruptly he dropped it, turned and walked toward the door. “Our salmon oil partnership is over, and if you don’t get that damn chart out of circulation and watch what you say in the Sing Lee series, I’ll see you in court.”

He strolled out the door, slamming it shut.

Lifting her necklace and straightening it, Liv let out a breath and waited for Chet to come out of the workroom.

Parker emerged from the back, soaking wet and out of breath. “Are you okay, Liv?”

“Wha…Oh, Chet called you.” She grasped the edge of the counter to keep from flying into his arms. “I keep getting blindsided, Parker. Since the day you walked into Petersburg to announce Ev died, everything’s fallen apart.”

Parker took her elbow and she sat down on the stool behind the counter. Chet brought a towel from the back room and handed it to his son.

“You shouldn’t be here, should you?” she asked.

He toweled off his face and hair. “Dad said Barber was enraged. I had to come.”

Parker put his hand on Liv’s shoulder, the warmth of his touch settling her enough to say, “Tuck wants to sue me for the data sheet flying around town. He twisted my necklace like he wanted to choke me. I’ve never seen him so upset. He—”

Parker squeezed her shoulder. “Youʼre a witness, Liv. What we’re seeing is Barber reacting like a guilty man, and we have you to thank for flushing him out.”

“You do? I did?” Liv turned to Chet. “You agree?”

“Absolutely. I heard the whole conversation so I can testify he threatened you. Tuck Barber’s reaction to a spreadsheet he’s never seen was way over the top. He’s afraid you know something, otherwise he wouldn’t blow up like that.”

She straightened her back. “So that’s a good thing. What can I do next?”

Parker shook his head. “Leave town. Please.”

“Are you kidding? Sure, Tuck frightened me, but since I’ve lost him as a donor, I’ve got to stay in town to find capital.” She rubbed her hands together. “Bob Halley screwed up by showing my data sheet to everyone. I’ll shame him into processing my fish oil.”

Parker glanced at his father. Chet shrugged. Parker said, “Tension in this town is high, with Barber as a prime example. You have to be careful, Liv.”

“You, too.”

“Dad goes with you to see Halley. He’s definitely on our suspect list…be wary of him.” Parker scrubbed a fist over his wet head. “I’ll go out the back door. Best you flip the sign to ‘Open’ and go back to business as usual so Tuck sees you’re not intimidated. We need to keep him off center, nervous enough to make a mistake.”

Liv walked to the door, opened it wide and reversed the sign. “Done. What’s next?”

Parker’s eyes narrowed. “I drill Halley. After that, Cameron. I’m going to let Barber twist in the wind for a while. He’ll expect a visit from me immediately to prove I’m defending you. I won’t confront him. Instead, we’ll keep him guessing as to our next move while we wait for the tox report.”

“Tilly. Poor Tilly.”

“Got to get out of here,” Parker said. “I hear customers coming. Dad, you’ve got the conn.”

“I do.”

“Liv?”

“I’ll stay safe,” Liv said, even while she felt more vulnerable than she ever had in her life.

Parker stood on the back steps of Liv’s store, a curtain of rain on three sides of the little porch hemming him in.
Appropriate
:
I am cornered.
He unclenched fists primed for clocking Barber and breathed deeply while his adrenaline thinned. The fucker had threatened Liv.

Parker had raced to the store not even thinking to put on a jacket. Only at the last minute had logic prompted him to duck into the alley behind The Smiling Coho. He couldn’t be seen with Liv, and his strategy called for keeping Barber out of the loop and nervous. Let the guy wonder and worry about the Feds’ next move.

I want to beat Barber senseless, but I have to let him walk away
.
For now.

He jogged through the rain to the police station and stood, dripping, in Ivor’s doorway.

“What the hell?” Ivor said, eyes wide.

Parker said, “Forgot my coat. Barber just threatened Liv for putting information about him on her chart. And get this, he thinks she’s also defaming him in her Sing Lee article. He’s coming apart, as planned. I’m going to change at the B&B and go hammer some more on Halley. Want to come? Nilson’s working on some other angles.”

“I can get away for a bit. Meet you at Halley’s?”

“Give me half an hour.”

“How’s my sister?”

“Shaken, but also pissed.” Parker shook his head. “She had her gun on hand in case Barber rushed her; my dad was in the back room but Barber threatened her anyway.”

“Man, the guy’s got a dual personality. I never saw his nasty side before.”

“Shrewd and mean. Above all an opportunist. So, we re-grill Halley about Barber’s employment at the cannery. Barber’s relationship to Tilly and Ev. Ev and Susanna. The cannery ledger, too.”

“You think Halley might have killed Ev and Tilly? Not Barber?”

“I don’t know. Halley’s hiding something. But Nilson’s pick is still Barber. He put his hands on Liv…actually gave a twist to her necklace. The guy is acting guilty and paranoid.”

“So we try to trip up Barber?”

“I have a feeling, deep in my bones, that we’re missing something. In most of our scenarios, money is the motivator. What if we should be looking at another reason, like Liv’s culture clash thing in her article on Sing Lee? Or maybe revenge. I think we have to bust out of the normal ways of viewing this case.”

Ivor nodded. “No tox report, no access to the money in the Caribbean, and no analysis so far, of either Barber’s accounts or the cannery’s.”

“The case gets colder.” Parker shivered in his sopped clothing. “I better go change. Give me half an hour. I’m going to take a hot shower first.”

“Wear your slicker this time, dumbo.”

On his way to the B&B, Parker thought of his headlong rush to get to Liv’s side, forgetting his coat, acting on pure emotion. He couldn’t remember ever acting irrationally that way. “I’ve got it bad,” he mumbled. Then he thought of Liv’s reaction to Parker’s sudden appearance. She was scared, for sure; he could see it in her face and in the fierce way she held onto the counter top. But she had kept her emotions in check and she’d refused to retreat. Just like Bern. Both women faced danger rationally and bravely. Why couldn’t he accept their behavior?

At the thought of Tuck threatening Liv, of twisting her necklace, he made a fist. When he looked at his clenched fingers, he said, again, “I’ve got it bad.”

****

“Have you disowned me?” Pepper asked.

Parker chuckled into the phone, his sister’s call adding warmth to his little B&B bedroom. “Good timing. Just finished dressing.”

“At three in the afternoon?”

“Short version: It rains steadily around here. I ran from one building to the next without my rain gear. Dumb. Dumbo.”

“I’d say. Well, Dad called me last Sunday, as is his habit. I’ve been worried ever since. Couldn’t wait three more days for his report. I read online you’ve had another death in town.”