Trawling for Trouble (3 page)

Bill narrowed his eyes at Chaz.

“Lot of work keeping a boat clean and in running order,” Chaz said.

Bill switched his gaze to Liv.

She shrugged.

“Come on, princess,” Chaz said. “You caught the stiff. Don't think you're getting out of cleaning up.”

“Swab the deck?” Liv asked.

“Right,” Chaz said. “Swab the deck, batten down the hatches. And carry out my garbage.”

“What? No walking the plank?” Liv said.

“Only if you annoy me.”

“Huh,” Bill said. “But no interfering with the investigation. “

“Wouldn't think of it. Come on, matey, let's get those mops out.” Chaz turned Liv around by the shoulders. “March.”

Liv marched, though she was already having second thoughts. She didn't know a thing about cleaning boats, but she knew Chaz was up to something, and someone had to be the voice of reason.

She waved over her shoulder to Bill and followed Chaz back down the pier.

He walked past the
Seaworthy
and jumped onto the deck of the
Truth or Consequences
. He reached back to give Liv a hand. She took it. Another few times and she'd be jumping down like a pro.

“Thanks,” she said, when he let go. “Now, do you really need to clean your boat, or do you have something up your sleeve?”

“Would I lie?”

“Yes. Don't think the name of your boat fools me.”

“Well, I do want to get a closer look at the
Seaworthy
.”

“Don't you think Bill will search it if he sees the need?”

“When and if he finds Seamus and Gus, and does the paperwork, it might have rained and washed the evidence away.”

“Why wouldn't he find them? You think they killed that guy and are on the lam?”

Chaz smiled.

“What?”

“
On the lam.
Sometimes you're just so darn cute.”

“Am not.”

“No, usually you're a sophisticated professional with a gold-plated vocabulary. I figure the real you is somewhere in between. Now, let's find you a mop.”

They swabbed, then they loaded up the cooler, and Chaz carried the trash up to a receptacle by the office. He hurried back to the pier, but instead of boarding the
Seaworthy
like she expected, he climbed back onto the
Truth or Consequences
and herded Liv into the cabin.

And waited.

“What are we waiting for?” Liv asked.

“For Seamus and Gus to figure out that everyone is gone. I'm hoping they'll come back to finish cleaning up any evidence in their boat.”

“With both of our cars there?”

“Well, they'll probably think we decided to make use of one of the cabins. People do.”

Liv shuddered. “In your dreams.”

“Not mine. A little too rustic for my tastes.”

“So do you have a plan?”

“I'm just going to talk to them.”

“Do you think Bill will let them come back? I thought he was taking them in for questioning.”

“He'll have to find them first. I doubt if they moved far from here. If they left anything in the boat, they'll come back for it before Bill can get a search warrant. Something doesn't smell right about this.”

Liv was too polite to say fishing in general was a stinky business. But she knew what he meant. “You think one of them killed that poor guy? Shot him in the back? That seems unsoldierly.”

“I don't know,” Chaz said. He put his fingers to his lips. “Someone's coming.”

Simultaneously, they moved to the window. Manny Corada was headed quickly and furtively toward the pier.

“What do you think he's up to?” Liv whispered.

“No good,” Chaz said and pushed her head down so she couldn't be seen from the pier.

He crouched down beside her and they both listened, alert, and heard Manny's footsteps on the wood; the thump when he jumped onto the deck of the
Seaworthy
; the boat knocking up against the pier as it rocked against Manny's weight.

Silently, Chaz moved away and onto the deck. Liv followed. She didn't know what he planned to do, but she didn't want to be left out.

She managed to get out of the boat and on her feet without help, which was a good thing, since Chaz seemed to have forgotten her and was creeping toward the
Seaworthy
.

They were waiting for Manny when he emerged from the cabin empty-handed. He yelped and jumped back, nearly losing his footing. “What the hell? You scared the bejeezus out of me.”

“What were you doing in Gus and Seamus's boat?” Chaz asked.

“Gus thought he left his watch and didn't want it to sit out here all night in case somebody with sticky fingers decided to do a look-see.”

“Did you find it?”

“Nah. He probably left it somewhere's else. Or maybe he just forgot he's still wearing it. He does stuff like that.” Manny pointed to his temple. “Not all there sometimes, you know?”

Chaz nodded. Several cars drove into the parking lot. An SUV carrying a big pontoon boat stopped at the office.

“Damn, I wish these folks would use the big marina,” Manny said, getting off the
Seaworthy
. “I don't have space for them to dock. They don't buy licenses or nothing, just load the thing up with beer and go sit out on the lake till they're fall-down drunk, then come back.”

“I imagine that's why they don't use the big marina. Call the shore patrol on them.”

“Man, I'm not going to squeal on anybody. Not even them. But they don't even offer me a tip or nothing.”

He turned and was making his way toward the newcomers, when Chaz called out, “I'm leaving the
Truth
here for another night maybe, that okay?”

Manny waved yes.

“Where do you usually keep it?” Liv asked.

“I have a berth over at Cove Marina. This is convenient, close to the best fishing, easy access to the water, never a wait . . . but not secure.” He was watching Manny talking to the driver of the SUV. Manny finally motioned to him to get out of the car, which he did, then followed Manny into the office.

As soon as they were out of sight, Chaz bent down to look at something on the wooden planks.

“What are you looking at?” Liv peered down to the wood. It just looked old and none too clean to her.

He frowned at her. “Do you remember what Gus and Seamus were carrying when we saw them this morning?”

Liv shook her head. Thought back. “A big fish.”

“Anything else?”

“Not that I recall, though I wasn't really looking at them. The fish kind of had my attention.” Gus had been holding it like a baby, up against his chest, and Liv had been fervently hoping she wouldn't have to touch one at all and certainly not hug it like Gus was doing. She'd never get the smell out of her clothes. She was such a wuss.

“Was Seamus carrying anything?”

“The other guy? His hat. Like Gus, except Gus also had the fish.” She frowned conjuring up the scene. “No rods, no cooler. Is that unusual?”

“They might leave their equipment on the boat. But if they were out fishing all night, they would have brought something to keep the catch in.”

“Maybe they only caught the one fish.”

“Maybe.”

“Keep lookout, will you?” He eased himself down onto the
Seaworthy.

“What are you looking for?” Liv asked, looking around to make sure no one was coming.

“I don't know.”

He moved around the deck, peered into corners, lifted ropes and put them back. Once he stopped and scrutinized the back of one of the molded benches that ran down each side of the boat. He bent over, scratched at something, then brought his fingers to his nose and sniffed.

“Blood,” he said, and disappeared into the cabin.

Liv peered at the place he'd been, but all she could see from the pier was a slight discoloration among the many other discolorations on the old fishing boat.

The SUV driver came out of the office and headed for his car.

“Chaz,” Liv hissed urgently.

Chaz reappeared immediately and leapt back on the pier, looking innocent as he watched the man get in his SUV and back his trailer into the water.

“Find anything?” Liv asked.

“Nope. I thought they might have been out on a run, but if they were, they didn't pick up any cargo for the return. But that was definitely blood on the back of the bench. Blood isn't uncommon when you're cleaning fish on board, but not on the back of the seat. And considering that they came back with only one fish, not gutted, my guess is that the body was on this boat at some point after he was shot. The next question is why.”

Liv frowned while her mind made the connection. “You mean one of them might really have killed him?”

Chaz shrugged. “Let's go. With all this activity going on, I doubt if Gus and Seamus will come back anytime soon.”

They gathered up their belongings and carried them back to their two cars.

“Now what?” Liv asked. “Do we go to the sheriff's office, or do we wait for him to call?”

“If Bill and A.K. went after Seamus and Gus, I doubt they'll be back by now. I say we just wait for a while. Pick me up around three. We'll go over together.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

*   *   *

Liv stood under the shower until her skin was pink, then washed her hair and was wrapping it in a turban when her doorbell rang.

She slipped into a bathrobe and went to see who it was. One of her landladies, certainly: Miss Ida or Miss Edna, or both. Whiskey had beaten her to the door and his tail was thumping furiously.

Liv opened the door to Miss Edna.

Edna Zimmerman was the taller, more down-to-earth, and, perhaps, older of the two retired teachers. Her hair was cut short and frizzed around her face. She had given up her floral shirtwaists and sensible shoes the day she retired from teaching. Today she was dressed in a pair of seersucker slacks and a collared knit shirt.

“I thought you were going to be gone all day,” she said. “Is anything wrong?”

Liv opened the door wider and invited her in.

“Oh no, I won't bother you. I really just wanted to make sure you were all right. Ida and I heard they found a body up at the lake today.”

“You heard already?”

“Oh yes, it was on the morning news. We went right to our radio, but there wasn't any chatter on the police band.” She sighed. “Did you see anything? Do you know what happened?”

Liv huffed out a long sigh of her own. “I sort of fished the guy out of the water.” She hung her head. “I caught him by his pants pocket.”

“Oh dear.” Miss Edna put her hand to her mouth, but Liv was pretty sure it was to hide her laugh.

“I know, only I could do something like that.”

“Not at all, it's just, of all people to find a murdered man . . . Can I fix you a cup of tea?”

“No, I'm fine really. How did you know it was murder?”

“Well, not from the television. Actually Ruth Benedict saw the coroner's van from her window. She lives on that hill across Lakeside Road. She knows everything that goes on there. And it isn't all fishing. She called her friend that works in the coroner's office to get the skinny.”

And then called everybody she knew,
thought Liv. Ruth was the worst busybody in town.

“Oh, but you must be getting a chill. Why don't I take Whiskey and give you some time to relax, then come over. We'll have a little lunch and you can tell us all about it.”

“I'd love to, but I have to go out to the sheriff's office and give them my statement.”

“Why didn't Bill just take it while he was there?”

“Because he was sort of in a hurry to pick up these two fishermen we saw for questioning.”

“Nobody we know, I hope.”

Liv shook her head. “I didn't know them. Two older—” She started to say
gentlemen
, but that didn't really describe Gus and Seamus. “I think they live around here somewhere. Chaz said they were veterans.”

“Oh dear, you don't mean Seamus and Gus?”

“Yes. You know them?” Of course she did. Seamus—or was it Gus?—said they were going to give Miss Ida the fish they caught.

“We've known them for years. Well, Seamus, at least. He grew up around here, came home after Vietnam.” Edna tsked. “Never was the same after that. Kept to himself. Then Gus showed up one day, just passing through, and stayed. They knew each other in the war.”

Liv watched as Edna's eyes misted. Remembered that Miss Edna and her sister Ida had both lost fiancés in “the war.” They never spoke of it and Liv hadn't asked, though she assumed it must've been in the Korean War.

“So many bright young men and women. Seems like we're always fighting somebody.”

Liv nodded, then changed the subject. “They caught a fish for Miss Ida, and it's a beauty, too.”

“What? Oh, so kind, poor man.”

Liv began to worry. It was the first time she had ever seen Miss Edna, the more no-nonsense of the two sisters, being so sentimental.

“I'll ask Bill if Seamus can send the fish over,” Liv said.

“Oh, thank you, dear, that would be nice. Ida was so looking forward to fish. Come, Whiskey.”

Whiskey looked up at Liv, then followed Miss Edna out the door.

Liv picked Chaz up around three. He was ready to go—shaved, dressed in clean jeans, and wearing a T-shirt that still held its shape and was free of any holes that Liv could see.

She raised both eyebrows at him when he climbed into her car. He ignored her, buckled himself in, and looked out the window all the way to the police station.

“Are you upset about something?”

“Huh? No. Just thinking.”

“Working on a theory?”

“Thinking about what to have for dinner.”

After that she gave up. She knew a put-off when she heard it. She wouldn't beg. Though she did wonder what had happened between this morning and now that made him seem pensive.

The sheriff's department was located on a county road about ten miles out of town. It was a one-story utilitarian building set back from the road on a section of rolling hill, with ample visitor parking and a compound for county vehicles around the back. Liv had only been here a couple of times. When Bill wanted to talk, he usually came to the events office.

But the events office was closed for two weeks' vacation while Liv supposedly learned to fish and her assistant Ted went to visit friends. Down the coast. Here and there. Somehow he had made it out of the office and to wherever he was going without telling anyone where exactly he'd be.

The man liked his privacy, and Liv tried not to overstep.

She pulled into a vacant parking spot in front of the station, and she and Chaz went inside. The utilitarian theme was duplicated for the interior, with beige tile floors and official-building-green walls.

They stopped at the check-in desk, where they were given ID badges and then escorted down the hall by a security guard.

Bill was waiting for them in his office, and so was A.K. Pierce.

Liv hadn't been expecting him, and the sight of the tall, muscular marine made her catch her breath. He had presence, and between the muscles, his intense eyes, and his closely shaved head, he could also be slightly intimidating. He ran his security service with a tight hand and hired men and women who, like him, were in control.

He greeted her with a slight dip of his chin.

Bill motioned them to sit and pressed the intercom. A minute later a police stenographer came into the room and sat behind a laptop computer at a table off to one side.

A.K. nodded to Bill. “I'll leave you to it. Are you holding Seamus and Gus?”

“For now. They're not telling the whole truth. Maybe not any of the truth. I'm keeping them until I hear from the authorities in New York and Canada. There's something off about those two. I don't think they were out all night fishing. We didn't find any fish.”

“There was one,” Liv said. “Chaz and I saw it. They were going to give it to the Zimmerman sisters.”

Bill looked to Chaz for confirmation.

He nodded.

A.K. looked from Liv to Chaz to Bill. “Locking them up won't help get anything from them. Just the opposite.”

Liv was surprised at the tone of his voice—persuasive, but not commanding, for a change.

Bill's mouth tightened. “I guess we can move them to one of the larger interrogation rooms. Get them something to eat. But before I release them, I want to know what else they aren't saying. If they lied about the fish, no telling what they may be holding back.”

“Maybe if they see that you brought Liv and Chaz in for questioning, too, they might not be so convinced that you're planning to accuse them of murder. It also might loosen their tongues.”

Bill huffed out a resigned sigh. He pressed the intercom. “Have Mr. O'Reilly and Mr. Jacobs brought to my office.” He turned back to Liv and Chaz.

Chaz glanced at Liv. “I don't suppose you've discovered the identity of the dead man?”

“Not as yet,” Bill said. “However, it's only been a few hours. I'm having his fingerprints checked with IAFIS.”

“That's the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.” Chaz smiled at Liv.

“Thanks, I know.”

He shrugged. “No ID?” he asked Bill.

Bill shook his head. “His pockets were empty. Completely.”

“Hmm,” Chaz said. “Think it was a robbery gone bad?”

“Is that your reporter self or your concerned citizen self asking?”

Chaz smiled lazily. “Just want to make sure the Boy Scout campout will be safe.”

A.K. snorted.

Bill almost smiled. “You know, I'm the one supposed to be doing the questioning.”

The door opened and Seamus and Gus walked in, their hats in their hands and accompanied by a policeman, who was trying not to look like a guard, but was pretty much failing. Liv could feel the animosity in the air.

These two men resented being taken to the station, and from what little Liv knew about post-traumatic stress, maybe were afraid of being penned in.

“Seamus, Gus, I want to thank you for coming in and making your statements.”

They both nodded minutely. Gus cut a look toward Chaz and Liv.

“Chaz and Liv here have also come to make their statements. I just need to talk to you two again before I cut you loose.”

A look passed between the two men. It was almost as if they could communicate without talking.

“I'll get someone to order you some lunch.” Bill leaned back in the chair. “But first I want you to tell me about fishing last night.”

Seamus cut his eyes toward Liv and Chaz. “Nothing worth catching, threw it all back. Except for the one we kept for Miss Ida.”

“You were out all night and only caught one big enough to keep?”

“Nothing big enough to keep.” Gus turned to Liv. “'Cept Miss Ida's.”

Liv couldn't help but smile at their single-mindedness and their obvious affection for Miss Ida. Was she being naive? They weren't children, more like . . . skittish animals. But skittish animals could be dangerous. Is that what had happened to the dead man? They got frightened and . . .

“She's looking forward to cooking it,” Chaz said. “It was a beaut.”

Another quick look between them, then Gus said, “Left it in the freezer at the camp. Told her we'd bring it around.”

“If it's all right with Bill, would you like us to pick it up on our way home?” Chaz asked. Then he gave the room his goofiest smile. “I'm invited to dinner.”

Seamus shot a quick look at Gus. “We can take it.”

Liv was hard put to tell if they were trying to hide something or just not used to talking to other people. And as far as she knew, Chaz hadn't been invited to dinner. But she thought she knew what he was up to. He wasn't interested in the fish; he wanted to get another look at the camp. Now, why was that?

“Whatever you want,” Chaz said. “But we have to drive right past there. Just trying to save you a trip.”

Once again the two men exchanged looks.

“Can't eat it tonight,” Seamus said. “Needs to be thawed.”

“Sunday dinner.”

Another passed look. “No telling when we're gonna get out of here. Might as well let him take it.”

“It's all wrapped up in paper real good. Got Miss Ida's name on it, so nobody don't take it.” Gus pointed a finger. “You tell her to let it thaw slow.”

“Will do.”

“Don't let it start to thaw while you're taking it to her,” Gus added. “Put it right in her freezer when you get there.”

“Don't want her thinking we gave 'em bad fish,” Seamus added.

“I'll put it in a bag of ice in my cooler.”

Liv didn't bother to say they didn't have his car or his cooler.

Seamus kneaded his cap. “When can we go, Sheriff?”

“As soon as I'm satisfied with your answers.” Bill buzzed the patrolman in. “Take these two to room C.”

The two fishermen immediately drew together—on the defensive.

“Seamus, Gus, I'm not going to arrest you if you're not guilty and if you tell the truth. Simple as that. As soon as you tell me everything”—he emphasized the word—“you'll be free to go, just like Liv and Chaz will be free to go once they've given their statements.”

The officer stood back and the two men shuffled out the door

“Send out for pizza or something,” Bill said.

“Yes sir.” The officer left the room.

Bill turned to A.K. “Don't start with me.”

“They served their country and they got nothing but grief for it.”

“I get that. But it doesn't change the fact that they are known smugglers, unpredictable, and possibly violent if provoked. I'm trying to be as respectful as I can.”

A.K. nodded. “Chaz, Liv.” He turned on his heel and walked out. Liv couldn't help make the comparison between him and the two shuffling vets who had preceded him. And she wondered if A.K. lived with his own demons.

“About face, march,” Chaz said, watching the door close behind A.K..

“Do you think Gus and Seamus went to war as marines?” Liv asked, surprised and little in awe of A.K.'s reaction. A kindness and a loyalty and camaraderie that was as meaningful as it was proprietary.

“Seems more like infantry to me.” Bill looked over at the secretary, whom Liv had totally forgotten was in the room. “Which one of you would like to go first?”

*   *   *

It took about half an hour for both Liv and Chaz to give their statements. They did so singly, and since Liv remembered to just answer the questions and not embellish, she figured Chaz was doing the same, not mentioning their little snooping on the
Seaworthy
.

They met in the reception area and headed toward Liv's car.

“Compare notes?” she asked Chaz, who was frowning out the window.

His head swiveled toward her. “I told him you caught a big one but we decided not to have him mounted.”

“Very funny. Are we really picking up the fish?”

“Yeah, but drop by my office first, I want to get the cooler.”

And that was all he volunteered. She stopped at the curb and Chaz ran into the
Clarion
office, returning two minutes later with the same cooler he'd brought out on the lake.

They drove to the camp and pulled into the empty parking area.

“I hope the manager is here so we can get in,” Liv said, but Chaz was already out of the car. Instead of going directly inside to get the fish, he stood with his hands on his hips, looking first out to the pier, then into the woods.

There were no signs of police or even crime tape, which must mean that the area was clear.

“What? Now are you thinking he was killed on-site and thrown into the water? Or driven here and dumped?”

“Nope.”

“Nope to which?”

“I think he was killed somewhere else and dumped overboard.”

“Because of the blood you found on the
Seaworthy
?”

“Partly.” He walked away from her toward the path that led through the woods.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“To look around. Get the fish, I'll be back.”

“Yeah, I've heard those words before.” But she grabbed the cooler and went into the office to get the fish.

The door was unlocked, so she went inside. It was dark and smelled of damp and fish stuff.

“Hello? Manny? It's Liv Montgomery. I'm just here to pick up the fish Seamus froze for Miss Ida.”

Not a sound from the backroom, which also was dark. The hairs on Liv's arms lifted.

She reminded herself that Manny's car wasn't parked outside, so most likely the manager wasn't there.

She flipped on the light switch and was relieved to see just an empty room filled with fishing equipment.

“Manny?” she called, a little louder.

Nothing. She put the cooler down by the freezer and, just to satisfy her curiosity, took a detour to peek in the back room. A desk and a chair patched with gaffer tape. A group of rods and reels balanced in one corner. A wooden hinged box that looked like something that belonged in a barn and would hold feed. Maybe fish food?

She decided to leave it unexplored. After all she wasn't looking for clues, just a frozen lake trout.

She went back into the main room and crossed to the freezer. Attempted to lift the top but it wouldn't budge. Tried again, then saw the keyhole. It was locked.

To keep all those trout thieves at bay—real desperadoes.

The key was hanging by a piece of string from a nail in the wall. She looped it off and unlocked the freezer. Pushed the top open and was hit by a blast of cold air.

She saw right away they were in big trouble.