in?”
No answer.
“ Is Chester his nephew? He had the
boat before Nicole.”
Still no answer. After a few minutes, Wes
finally spoke. “Almost done. You turn the engine on when I tell
you. And stop it on the dime when I holler. Got it?”
More questions would do no good. “Yes,
sir.”
I turned the engine on at his prompt. Two
minutes later, he yelled, “Off.”
The moment the noise died, I heard a voice
from outside the boat, saying, “Hey in there. Permission to come
aboard.”
Another police visit. Officer Doug Yarnell.
Again. I’d rather say, “Go away,” but I didn’t. “Sure. My house is
your house. Step right in.”
“ Officer Yarnell,” he said, like he
hadn’t been on the boat two days before. Or, that he hadn’t gone
through that whole memory lane bit about my past. “What’s going on
here?”
“ Engine repairs.”
“ Who authorized it? Or, maybe I should
just raise my eyebrows and ask, ‘On someone else’s boat?’ Forget I
asked. I’m here to get other answers.”
“ All done,” Wes said as he reared his
head out of the miniature engine room below the cabin sole. “What
we got? The police?”
“ More questions about the night of the
murder. I have questions for you, too.”
“ I wasn’t there,” Wes said. “I’m not
here now. I’ve got work to do.”
“ You doing something that the deceased
contracted for?”
“ He’s doing it for me,” I said as Wes
gathered his tools.
“ Really?”
“ Yes. You have questions. Ask
away.”
“ We’ll get back to that,” he said.
“Tell me again about the night of the murder. You were aboard this
boat. Why were you living on, Snapdragon , that’s the name, right?”
“ Nicole hired me to clean and do minor
repairs. Staying aboard was part of the deal.”
Wes disappeared down the dock, but Doug was
still there with his questions. “What deal would that be?”
“ Like I said—I’d stay here while I
worked on the boat. Cheaper for her. And me. I’d expected to be
paid for supplies, but I’d already spent nearly sixty dollars, and
it was either get paid or quit eating.”
“ However, you are still working and
living on the boat. Why haven’t you made other living
arrangements?”
“ That’s the rest of the deal. The
boat’s mine now.”
“ I’m afraid not. Mr. Joline, Nicole’s
father, wants her boat, and since there seems to be no will, he is
next of kin and owns everything.”
“ She put my name on the
title.”
“ She what? ”
“ She added my name to the title. My
sister took it home for safekeeping, but I’ll get copies
today.”
Doug grunted, turned away, then turned back.
“Maybe you lead a charmed life. All I can say is protect that title
and keep copies on hand.”
“ You were going to kick me off Snapdragon ? Is that the reason you’re
here?”
“ This does put a new light on the
investigation.” He hesitated, then added, “You do realize you’re a
person of interest in Miss Joline’s death.”
“ And Teddy wasn’t supposed to warn me,
right?” I turned away, but I couldn’t resist adding, “You’re hard
up for suspects, is that it?”
“ Why don’t you come on down to the
station and answer a few questions? A statement, for our
records.”
I turned around at the cabin door. “I’ve
given the police plenty of statements already. You know that.”
“ You have been cooperative.” He put a
hand on the rail to hoist himself out of the boat.
“ But you were going to kick me out,
weren’t you?”
“ You had three days. Maybe you still
do.” Doug stepped on the dock, then turned. “Word of advice, Cyd.
As one old neighbor to another, you might say. Could be a good idea
to have a lawyer before Edward Joline hears about this.”
Chapter 6
The sign on the door read: Smith, Smith,
Smith, and Owens - Attorneys at Law. The nameplate on the desk
read: J. Smith Owens, Esquire. The very young man who jumped up to
shake Kaye’s hand wore a golf shirt with a
No answer.
“ Is Chester his nephew? He had the
boat before Nicole.”
Still no answer. After a few minutes, Wes
finally spoke. “Almost done. You turn the engine on when I tell
you. And stop it on the dime when I holler. Got it?”
More questions would do no good. “Yes,
sir.”
I turned the engine on at his prompt. Two
minutes later, he yelled, “Off.”
The moment the noise died, I heard a voice
from outside the boat, saying, “Hey in there. Permission to come
aboard.”
Another police visit. Officer Doug Yarnell.
Again. I’d rather say, “Go away,” but I didn’t. “Sure. My house is
your house. Step right in.”
“ Officer Yarnell,” he said, like he
hadn’t been on the boat two days before. Or, that he hadn’t gone
through that whole memory lane bit about my past. “What’s going on
here?”
“ Engine repairs.”
“ Who authorized it? Or, maybe I should
just raise my eyebrows and ask, ‘On someone else’s boat?’ Forget I
asked. I’m here to get other answers.”
“ All done,” Wes said as he reared his
head out of the miniature engine room below the cabin sole. “What
we got? The police?”
“ More questions about the night of the
murder. I have questions for you, too.”
“ I wasn’t there,” Wes said. “I’m not
here now. I’ve got work to do.”
“ You doing something that the deceased
contracted for?”
“ He’s doing it for me,” I said as Wes
gathered his tools.
“ Really?”
“ Yes. You have questions. Ask
away.”
“ We’ll get back to that,” he said.
“Tell me again about the night of the murder. You were aboard this
boat. Why were you living on, Snapdragon , that’s the name, right?”
“ Nicole hired me to clean and do minor
repairs. Staying aboard was part of the deal.”
Wes disappeared down the dock, but Doug was
still there with his questions. “What deal would that be?”
“ Like I said—I’d stay here while I
worked on the boat. Cheaper for her. And me. I’d expected to be
paid for supplies, but I’d already spent nearly sixty dollars, and
it was either get paid or quit eating.”
“ However, you are still working and
living on the boat. Why haven’t you made other living
arrangements?”
“ That’s the rest of the deal. The
boat’s mine now.”
“ I’m afraid not. Mr. Joline, Nicole’s
father, wants her boat, and since there seems to be no will, he is
next of kin and owns everything.”
“ She put my name on the
title.”
“ She what? ”
“ She added my name to the title. My
sister took it home for safekeeping, but I’ll get copies
today.”
Doug grunted, turned away, then turned back.
“Maybe you lead a charmed life. All I can say is protect that title
and keep copies on hand.”
“ You were going to kick me off Snapdragon ? Is that the reason you’re
here?”
“ This does put a new light on the
investigation.” He hesitated, then added, “You do realize you’re a
person of interest in Miss Joline’s death.”
“ And Teddy wasn’t supposed to warn me,
right?” I turned away, but I couldn’t resist adding, “You’re hard
up for suspects, is that it?”
“ Why don’t you come on down to the
station and answer a few questions? A statement, for our
records.”
I turned around at the cabin door. “I’ve
given the police plenty of statements already. You know that.”
“ You have been cooperative.” He put a
hand on the rail to hoist himself out of the boat.
“ But you were going to kick me out,
weren’t you?”
“ You had three days. Maybe you still
do.” Doug stepped on the dock, then turned. “Word of advice, Cyd.
As one old neighbor to another, you might say. Could be a good idea
to have a lawyer before Edward Joline hears about this.”
Chapter 6
The sign on the door read: Smith, Smith,
Smith, and Owens - Attorneys at Law. The nameplate on the desk
read: J. Smith Owens, Esquire. The very young man who jumped up to
shake Kaye’s hand wore a golf shirt with a
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