good, Gerald. Thatâs a very good idea. Except that you arenât waiting. Youâre going to return that ring today. And youâre taking me with you when you do it.â
Maybe Gerald was thinking about arguing or making up some reason why he couldnâtâ¦John wouldnât know, because they were interrupted before he got the chance.
Dan came around the corner at a dead run and stopped short, clearly surprised to find them together.
âAlright then, Gerald. Iâll meet you back here at the house at 3:00,â John said matter-of-factly. Gerald simply stammered through an agreement, then headed off with his bucket and scrub brush.
If Dan was at all curious, he did an amazing job of hiding it. For an instant, John actually found himself running through a list of perfectly legitimate reasons why he would be meeting Gerald later. He caught himself before he opened his mouth. The memory of Georgeâs pinkie ring came unbidden, and he was reminded, yet again, how dangerous the urge to explain yourself could be.
âDeputy Merrill, I thought you were on bloodhound duty?â he simply said.
âThatâs actually Deputy Flandonâs area. Hell, itâs his dog. The sheriff jesâ tends to yell orders at me, on account Iâm used to it a bit more than Fred is. He gets a bit jumpy.â
John waited, as though in genuine anticipation. The truth was that he would have loved to blow off the local hick police and get on with the matter at hand, but he knew that wasnât an option. In situations like this one, you had to sit tight, play nice, and hope that the idiots surrounding you didnât get too much in the way.
âSo, how can I help you, deputy?â John finally asked.
âIâve got a motorboat ready to take us out to Grandpappy Island,â Dan replied, as though this answered every question.
âYou got a picnic planned?â Sarcasm could be an excellent camouflage. It masked emotion and deflected suspicion with equal skill, and usually required very little effort. John considered himself something of an expert.
âItâs where Reverend Riversâ body was found,â Dan said, unblinking.
âYeah, I know, but I assume that you and the sheriff already went over it when the body was discovered, right?
âYeah,â Dan said between clenched teeth. John knew what he was suggesting, but was just sadistic enough to make the man say it.
âSo why go back out?â
âBecause, Detective, Iâm willinâ to consider the possibility that we mightâa missed somethinâ. You seemed to know yâer way around a crime scene back there and I figgâered it was worth a look.â
It was downright painful to admit that. John knew it, and yet he couldnât bring himself to let up on a guy who just admitted that John might actually be better at this kind of thing than he was. Instead, he breathed out a tired sigh as if he were mentally listing out ten things that would be a better use of his time.
âI guess, it would make senseâ¦if you had brought this up when I first got here. But instead you decided to play like you had everything under control and I was just some northerner getting in the way. Now, itâs a bit late. Itâs been six days. Do you really think weâre going to find anything helpful?â
âI donât know. But wouldnât we both just look downright silly if there was somethinâ there, and we just never bothered to look?â Dan replied hotly.
The two men stared at each other for just the briefest of moments, each one trying hard to say something and not say it, all at once. An unspoken battle of word and wit unfolded as each man thought up argument and insult, then refused to give voice to it.
The funny thing was, whether they wanted to admit or not, they both understood each other far more than they let on. John knew full well how much Dan had to lose should some damn
Maybe Gerald was thinking about arguing or making up some reason why he couldnâtâ¦John wouldnât know, because they were interrupted before he got the chance.
Dan came around the corner at a dead run and stopped short, clearly surprised to find them together.
âAlright then, Gerald. Iâll meet you back here at the house at 3:00,â John said matter-of-factly. Gerald simply stammered through an agreement, then headed off with his bucket and scrub brush.
If Dan was at all curious, he did an amazing job of hiding it. For an instant, John actually found himself running through a list of perfectly legitimate reasons why he would be meeting Gerald later. He caught himself before he opened his mouth. The memory of Georgeâs pinkie ring came unbidden, and he was reminded, yet again, how dangerous the urge to explain yourself could be.
âDeputy Merrill, I thought you were on bloodhound duty?â he simply said.
âThatâs actually Deputy Flandonâs area. Hell, itâs his dog. The sheriff jesâ tends to yell orders at me, on account Iâm used to it a bit more than Fred is. He gets a bit jumpy.â
John waited, as though in genuine anticipation. The truth was that he would have loved to blow off the local hick police and get on with the matter at hand, but he knew that wasnât an option. In situations like this one, you had to sit tight, play nice, and hope that the idiots surrounding you didnât get too much in the way.
âSo, how can I help you, deputy?â John finally asked.
âIâve got a motorboat ready to take us out to Grandpappy Island,â Dan replied, as though this answered every question.
âYou got a picnic planned?â Sarcasm could be an excellent camouflage. It masked emotion and deflected suspicion with equal skill, and usually required very little effort. John considered himself something of an expert.
âItâs where Reverend Riversâ body was found,â Dan said, unblinking.
âYeah, I know, but I assume that you and the sheriff already went over it when the body was discovered, right?
âYeah,â Dan said between clenched teeth. John knew what he was suggesting, but was just sadistic enough to make the man say it.
âSo why go back out?â
âBecause, Detective, Iâm willinâ to consider the possibility that we mightâa missed somethinâ. You seemed to know yâer way around a crime scene back there and I figgâered it was worth a look.â
It was downright painful to admit that. John knew it, and yet he couldnât bring himself to let up on a guy who just admitted that John might actually be better at this kind of thing than he was. Instead, he breathed out a tired sigh as if he were mentally listing out ten things that would be a better use of his time.
âI guess, it would make senseâ¦if you had brought this up when I first got here. But instead you decided to play like you had everything under control and I was just some northerner getting in the way. Now, itâs a bit late. Itâs been six days. Do you really think weâre going to find anything helpful?â
âI donât know. But wouldnât we both just look downright silly if there was somethinâ there, and we just never bothered to look?â Dan replied hotly.
The two men stared at each other for just the briefest of moments, each one trying hard to say something and not say it, all at once. An unspoken battle of word and wit unfolded as each man thought up argument and insult, then refused to give voice to it.
The funny thing was, whether they wanted to admit or not, they both understood each other far more than they let on. John knew full well how much Dan had to lose should some damn
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