Still Water (27 page)

“I guess you think she’s innocent? Sorry, this is none of my business is it?”

“It’s okay. And yes, I think Ella’s innocent.” Partly out of a need to talk, to try and get matters straight in his own mind, partly because Ben was a good listener, he related the facts that were common knowledge, about the election, what Johnson claimed to have seen, and Gant’s testimony.

“And you don’t know where this guy Gant has gone?” Ben said when Matt had finished.

“No, but I need to find him and figure out exactly what he actually saw that night. Or else I need to find who really killed Bryan.” He looked across at Ben who appeared to be deep in thought. “What is it?”

“I was just thinking, if somebody said they saw Ella dump something over the side of her boat that night, and I’m assuming the suspicion is that was a body, why don’t you send a diver down to take a look? That’d help clear things up wouldn’t it?”

“It’s been considered, but there’s a channel runs off the island there. It’s too deep for a diver. But thanks for the suggestion.”

“Wish I could be of more help,”

“If you think of anything else, let me know.”

“I will.” Ben climbed out. “Well, thanks for the ride.” He saw Matt looking at the sign out front which declared the inn was full. “They offered me my money back, plus fifty dollars a day if I moved out. I talked to one guy sharing a room with two of his buddies. They’re paying three hundred a night.” He shook his head, and raised a hand. “Goodnight.”

The yard that Jordan Osborne owned consisted of two large sheds and a large paved space out front surrounded by a chain link fence. It was situated on the shore on the southern side of the harbour. The yard had a slipway to the water for launching boats, and directly across the harbour was the processing plant owned by Howard Larson. Smoke from the plant was drifting in an almost straight line south.

Matt spoke to a man who was working outside on the frame of a boat, who went to fetch Osborne. Beyond the harbour there were boats of all sizes dotted on the ocean towards the horizon, some of them clustered together like roving packs of predators. The air was tainted with the smell of fish from the processing plant. The smell hung over the whole town, but here it seemed stronger.

“It’s the breeze. When it’s blowing dead south like today, it smells like we’re right next door to the place.”

Matt turned and Jordan Osborne held out his hand.

“Even we notice it some days. You’d think we’d be used to it.”

The man who Matt had spoken to earlier had gone back to his work. He was standing a little way off, stirring a glue pot ready to put in some struts.

Matt introduced himself. “Is there someplace private where we can talk?”

Osborne nodded towards one of the sheds. “We can use my office.”

As Matt followed he glanced through the open doors of a shed where, inside, a fishing boat was taking shape. The deck-housing was at the stern, and overall the vessel was around forty feet long. One man was using an electric sander, wearing a face mask, and there was a powerful smell of solvent in the air. The second shed was largely empty. At the back was a partitioned area with a roof. It resembled a large packing crate to which a window and door had been added. Inside was a small desk, a couple of chairs and some filing cabinets. Osborne leaned back in his chair, balancing on two legs so that it tipped dangerously.

“We use this shed for second stage construction when we need the space. Which right now we don’t,” Osborne added ruefully. “That boat you saw next door? That’s an order from a guy on the mainland. He’s bought from us before and he knows our work, but even so I’m covering costs and that’s about it. I’m down to two guys. Lyle, the guy in the yard, that’s a spec boat he’s working on. We don’t have an order for it, which means when it’s finished I have to sit on it until somebody buys it. Ties up a lot of working money.”

“Could be things are picking up,” Matt said. “There isn’t a boat in the harbour today.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“You don’t think so?”

“I’d like to, believe me.” He gestured around at the empty shed as evidence of his sincerity. “But those bluefin everyone is out there trying to catch are just a freak. Truth is there are too many boats already. And not enough fish anymore.” He shrugged philosophically. “But you didn’t come here to listen to my problems. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to ask you about Kate Little.”

Jordan Osborne wouldn’t have made a good poker player. His smile wavered. “What about her?”

“I’m representing Ella Young. I’m looking into the disappearance of Bryan Roderick, and Kate Little’s name came up.”

“What makes you think I can help?”

“I heard that you and she used to spend a little time together. Whatever you say goes no further than this room,” Matt added. Before he’d come down here he’d taken the time to find out about Osborne. One of the things he’d discovered was that he had a wife.

Osborne got up and shoved his hands in his pockets. He walked across the room, and at the wall he turned. You know I’m married?” he asked, and Matt nodded. “I’ve always been afraid Mary would find out about this.”

“She’s not going to hear about it from me,” Matt assured him.

Osborne considered this, as if he was trying to decide whether or not he could trust Matt. “What is it you want to know?” he said at length, sitting down again.

“You were seeing Kate?”

“Last year. It went on for about two months. We used to meet once, sometimes twice a week if I could make it without my wife getting suspicious.”

“How did you first meet each other?”

“I’d seen Kate around, but that was all. Then one night she was in The Lobster Pot and we got talking. We had a few drinks.”

“And you started seeing each other after that?”

“Yeah. I don’t know, I was having problems with the business, it was putting a little strain on things at home. I’m not making excuses, but I guess Kate was having a hard time with her husband. Things sort of happened.”

“So where did you go, the two of you?”

“Here sometimes. Different places.” Osborne shook his head. “I know what you’re thinking. With her husband being in a wheelchair and all. If it had been anyone else I wouldn’t have felt right about it, but that guy she’s married to is a real asshole.”

“She talked about him?”

“Not really. But I picked up enough to get the picture. He put her down, made her feel like she wasn’t worth a damn. I guess that’s why she drinks more than she should.” He paused for a moment. “You know, I think she just wanted some company. I don’t think she was even interested in the sex part, she always seemed glad when it was over if you want to know the truth.”

“Why did you stop seeing her?”

“She ended it. It was a couple of weeks before the end of summer, before she went back to New York. I was expecting it. I mean, it wasn’t like either of us had ever kidded ourselves it could go on forever.”

“Because you were married?”

“I guess. I never thought I was the first guy Kate had done this with. You hear talk abut her, you know. But like I said, I think Kate just wanted company, somebody to be nice to her. She’s lonely. She wasn’t interested in busting up anybody’s marriage. She used to ask me about my wife, and then she’d go quiet for a while and I could tell she felt guilty about what we were doing. I never understood why she stayed with her husband. At first I thought it was his money.”

“But you don’t now?”

“No.” He thought for a little while. “I think it’s because she cares about him.” He shrugged.

“So, after she ended your relationship, nothing happened after that? Not even when she came back this year?”

Osborne hesitated. To be honest, I thought about it, but Kate let me know she wasn’t interested. She didn’t say anything directly, she didn’t have to. I just knew. When we met she was polite, you know. Friendly, but that was it. I didn’t push it. In a way I was relieved. Because of my family. I know how that sounds.”

“Was Kate seeing somebody else?”

“How would I know that?”

“She might have told you. Perhaps you saw her with someone.”

Osborne picked up a pencil and twirled it between his fingers. “You mean Bryan Roderick?”

“Why do you mention him?”

“Why else would you be here asking about Kate?”

“Was she seeing Bryan?”

“Not that I know of.”

Matt didn’t believe him. Osborne avoided his eye and stood up.

“Look I can’t tell you anything else. If that’s all, I have work to do.”

Matt walked with him to the shed door. “One more thing. Where were you a week last Monday night?”

It occurred to him that if Osborne was lying, if Kate had been sleeping with Bryan and he knew about it, then maybe Osborne might have had his own axe to grind with Bryan.

“I was home all night. With my wife.”

“Would she back you up on that?” The threat wasn’t very subtle. If he questioned her, Osborne’s wife might also find out about her husband’s affair with Kate. Osborne got the message and his expression hardened.

“What was that you said earlier? About my wife not hearing about any of this from you?”

“There are other people’s lives at stake here,” Matt told him.

“You think I had anything to with whatever happened to Bryan, you’re wrong. If you want to ask my wife where I was that night, go ahead. She’ll tell you the same thing I did.”

Now Matt believed that Osborne was telling the truth, about that much anyway. “But you do know something about Kate and Bryan don’t you? Was she seeing him?”

But he’d lost his chance. His threat had turned Osborne against him, and made him stubborn. Whatever reasons he had for lying, he wasn’t going to change his story now.

“There’s nothing else I can tell you,” he said flatly.

When he got back to town Matt drove to the police department and asked to speak to the chief. He waited while Officer Williams went to fetch him. When Baxter appeared his expression was guarded.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to talk if you’ve got a couple of minutes.” Matt was aware that Williams was trying not to make it obvious that he was listening to every word. They went through to Baxter’s office, and Baxter sat down behind his desk. He took a stick of gum from its wrapper and popped it in his mouth.

“What’s on your mind?”

Baxter was a little pissed off, Matt figured. He hadn’t missed the implication Matt had made that maybe Baxter had his own reasons for wanting Ella to remain under arrest. That way he didn’t have to investigate the possibility of somebody else being involved in Bryan’s disappearance, like Kate Little for instance. Other scenarios had occurred to Matt. He thought about Howard and Baxter talking in the corridor outside Judge Walker’s rooms. Howard hadn’t been sub de about offering inducements for Matt’s support, perhaps he’d done the same to Baxter. He hoped that he was letting his imagination run away with him. Baxter hadn’t struck him as some small town cop who would be easily corrupted, but then you never could tell. But Matt had decided he had to give Baxter the benefit of the doubt because, if he was going to help Ella, he needed Baxter’s help.

“I’m here to make peace. I figure you and I ought to put what’s happened behind us and start again. Seems to me we’re going to get more accomplished if we’re working together. We both want the same thing here, Chief.”

“Last time I looked, you and I were on opposite sides of the fence,” Baxter said.

“Come on, if I thought Ella had really killed Bryan Roderick I wouldn’t be sitting here now. And I don’t think you really believe she did either. I think we both want to get at the truth don’t we?”

Baxter sat back in his chair, contemplating what Matt had said. When he spoke again, he sounded less defensive. “Okay, I’ll admit I don’t see Ella as some kind of cold-blooded killer. But I have to keep an open mind here.”

“That’s all anybody can ask.”

“I always had my doubts about Jerrod Gant, same as you. But like I told you before, I couldn’t shake him on his story, and I still figure that getting Ella safely out of the way might be a good thing until this is all cleared up.”

“You think she’s in danger?”

“I think Jake is pretty wound up about all of this, and right now I can’t do much about keeping an eye on him. We’re pretty stretched. Somebody threw a brick right through the window of the Striper Grill last night. Then whoever did it went inside and took a goddamned axe to the tables. Turned half a dozen of ‘em into kindling.” Baxter shook his head in bewilderment at such destruction.

“Who’d do a thing like that?”

Baxter’s expression became pained. “Well, Kurt claims it was Dave Lamont. He owns the Surfside. You know it?”

Matt had been past. It was a small bar and restaurant near the docks.

“According to Lamont, Kurt told some guys off a charter boat not to go near the Surfside. Lamont claims Kurt said if they did they’d be likely to get food poisoning.” Baxter shook his head. “We’ve got our hands full with that kind of thing. Did you see how many boats there were in the harbour this morning? The whole state knows about that fish Ella caught. We’ve got people coming from all over. You know how many fights we had to break up last night? I’m talking about islanders fighting each other, everybody scrambling to make a buck one way or another from all these people coming here. What’s funny about Kurt and Lamont is if every restaurant filled their tables three times over people would still go hungry.” Baxter appeared weary. “Anyway, like I said, I can’t keep an eye on Jake Roderick night and day.”

Matt hadn’t taken Baxter’s concerns about Ella’s safety all that seriously before, thinking it was just a smokescreen, but now he wondered if Jake really might be a threat. Perhaps Baxter was right. Who was to say what Jake was capable of. Which made it all the more important to prove her innocent.

“You have any luck tracking down Gant yet?” Matt asked. Baxter frowned, and related that so far they’d drawn a blank. He’d tried all the avenues Matt had, plus a few others, but without luck.

Jerrod’s been picking up some work lately around the other islands. We’re still checking with the people he worked for to see if any of them have seen him.”