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Authors: Gordon A. Kessler
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points only, of course.”
Rankle was about to blow an artery. “Where’s Knight!”
Oz answered, “Maybe out at his boat. Maybe out for a drive. Maybe out for a walk. I don’t know.”
“How about out of the state?” Rankle asked. “How about out in Colorado? How about out of the law, and soon to be back with in the law and in prison?”
He turned to Smokey. “Which is his boat?”
Oz piped in, “Atlantis Pier, Slip 12.”
Tamara said, “Slip 21.” She looked back sorrowfully at Oz. “It’s no use. He’ll figure out which boat is his sooner or later.”
Oz glared at Rankle. “Yeah, but we don’t have to help the prick. I’ll have him running in big circles around his own asshole until midnight before I tell him anything useful.” He bowed his head. “Excuse me, ladies.”
Rankle smirked, “You already told me he wasn’t here.”
“The bar, dick gnat ,” See-Saw chimed in, “He’s not here at the bar !”
Oz said, “And I think you’d better leave.”
Smokey moved between the two, figuring the three-foot-wide bar wasn’t enough of a barricade. She passed Jazzy Brass to Oz, hoping that holding the puppy would disarm him a bit.
“I’ll take care of you, later,” Rankle said and turned toward the door.
Oz shouted at him, “Sorry, this ain’t that type of place. You’d better not come in here again — I’m putting up fly strips!”
Smokey followed them out the door and toward the Atlantis Pier, Tamara leading.
Tamara and Harper were doing their best to talk Rankle into a calmer state. Smokey decided her involvement would do more harm than good.
Rankle told them, “I got the call an hour ago, just before I had Margaret call you two. Said Knight was in Colorado, going to see his children — the ones with the restraining order against him.” He glared at Tamara, “And I’m betting he doesn’t have your written permission to leave the state, let alone to leave Orange County.”
Tamara didn’t answer.
“Well, does he?” Rankle asked. “And tell the truth the first time. I will ask for your copy of the permission form.”
Tamara answered, “He’s not due for his monthly check in for two weeks.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Again, Tamara didn’t answer, which seemed to be enough for Rankle. “I didn’t think so.”
Smokey couldn’t help herself. “Why is it you’re so bent on getting E Z, Mr. Rankle?”
“None of your business, I told you — except that I don’t like lawbreakers, especially murderers.”
That set Smokey afire. “He was acquitted!”
Lt . Harper Legend dropped back and took Smokey by the arm to slow her down.
In a low voice she told Smokey, “Rankle was one of the ADAs in Kansas who put E Z away for Jolene Knight’s murder. E Z always insisted he hadn’t killed his wife and claimed Rankle was on the take. The public was appalled by the heinous murders of Jolene Knight and her parents. After his conviction, they wanted E Z to get the death penalty — and that’s exactly the sentence he got.”
Smokey listened, shaking her head. “But he was acquitted.”
“Yes, but there’s more to it. While E Z was on death row three years later, Rankle was running for DA. That was when E Z broke out and killed two crooked FBI agents in order to prove his innocence. When he pointed the finger at Rankle again for being on the take, public sentiment seemed to shift in E Z’s favor. Rankle lost the election in what was expected to be a shoe-in. But E Z couldn’t prove his allegations and Rankle moved out here last month and got a job in our DA’s office. It seems he’s following E Z to get even, but we can’t prove that either. Speculation is that someone is behind Rankle and pulling his strings.”
Tamara and Rankle stopped at Slip 12, and Smokey and Harper caught up.
The new slip renter of number 12, Mrs. Esmeralda McCourkle, had just sailed in and was tying off her 36-foot Hunter sailboat, the Nauti-Gal . She was quite a virago for
Rankle was about to blow an artery. “Where’s Knight!”
Oz answered, “Maybe out at his boat. Maybe out for a drive. Maybe out for a walk. I don’t know.”
“How about out of the state?” Rankle asked. “How about out in Colorado? How about out of the law, and soon to be back with in the law and in prison?”
He turned to Smokey. “Which is his boat?”
Oz piped in, “Atlantis Pier, Slip 12.”
Tamara said, “Slip 21.” She looked back sorrowfully at Oz. “It’s no use. He’ll figure out which boat is his sooner or later.”
Oz glared at Rankle. “Yeah, but we don’t have to help the prick. I’ll have him running in big circles around his own asshole until midnight before I tell him anything useful.” He bowed his head. “Excuse me, ladies.”
Rankle smirked, “You already told me he wasn’t here.”
“The bar, dick gnat ,” See-Saw chimed in, “He’s not here at the bar !”
Oz said, “And I think you’d better leave.”
Smokey moved between the two, figuring the three-foot-wide bar wasn’t enough of a barricade. She passed Jazzy Brass to Oz, hoping that holding the puppy would disarm him a bit.
“I’ll take care of you, later,” Rankle said and turned toward the door.
Oz shouted at him, “Sorry, this ain’t that type of place. You’d better not come in here again — I’m putting up fly strips!”
Smokey followed them out the door and toward the Atlantis Pier, Tamara leading.
Tamara and Harper were doing their best to talk Rankle into a calmer state. Smokey decided her involvement would do more harm than good.
Rankle told them, “I got the call an hour ago, just before I had Margaret call you two. Said Knight was in Colorado, going to see his children — the ones with the restraining order against him.” He glared at Tamara, “And I’m betting he doesn’t have your written permission to leave the state, let alone to leave Orange County.”
Tamara didn’t answer.
“Well, does he?” Rankle asked. “And tell the truth the first time. I will ask for your copy of the permission form.”
Tamara answered, “He’s not due for his monthly check in for two weeks.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Again, Tamara didn’t answer, which seemed to be enough for Rankle. “I didn’t think so.”
Smokey couldn’t help herself. “Why is it you’re so bent on getting E Z, Mr. Rankle?”
“None of your business, I told you — except that I don’t like lawbreakers, especially murderers.”
That set Smokey afire. “He was acquitted!”
Lt . Harper Legend dropped back and took Smokey by the arm to slow her down.
In a low voice she told Smokey, “Rankle was one of the ADAs in Kansas who put E Z away for Jolene Knight’s murder. E Z always insisted he hadn’t killed his wife and claimed Rankle was on the take. The public was appalled by the heinous murders of Jolene Knight and her parents. After his conviction, they wanted E Z to get the death penalty — and that’s exactly the sentence he got.”
Smokey listened, shaking her head. “But he was acquitted.”
“Yes, but there’s more to it. While E Z was on death row three years later, Rankle was running for DA. That was when E Z broke out and killed two crooked FBI agents in order to prove his innocence. When he pointed the finger at Rankle again for being on the take, public sentiment seemed to shift in E Z’s favor. Rankle lost the election in what was expected to be a shoe-in. But E Z couldn’t prove his allegations and Rankle moved out here last month and got a job in our DA’s office. It seems he’s following E Z to get even, but we can’t prove that either. Speculation is that someone is behind Rankle and pulling his strings.”
Tamara and Rankle stopped at Slip 12, and Smokey and Harper caught up.
The new slip renter of number 12, Mrs. Esmeralda McCourkle, had just sailed in and was tying off her 36-foot Hunter sailboat, the Nauti-Gal . She was quite a virago for
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