Read Online Touch-Me-Not by Cynthia Riggs - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cynthia Riggs
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sheet of plastic stuck in with more duct tape.
He knocked, and a short, plump woman wearing a flowing muumuu printed with magenta flowers came to the door. Her salt-and-pepper hair was pulled away from her face and held with plastic butterfly clips.
“Mrs. Fereira? LeRoy Watts.”
“Come in. Beany just got home.” She turned and called, “Beany! Some man to see you.”
“Who is it, Ma?” The lanky guy who’d come to the shop appeared from the back of the house. He wore a faded Red Sox cap and was drinking a Diet Coke.
“This man called about a computer,” said Mrs. Fereira.
“Yeah, Jerry Sparks’s boss. How’re ya doin’?”
“Not bad,” said LeRoy, who felt awful. “You said Jerry sold you some lemon. Was that his computer?”
“Come on in, Mr. Watts,” said Mrs. Fereira. “Don’t let all the warm air out.”
LeRoy entered the stifling house and shut the door behind him.
“Yeah, I bought his stinkin’ computer. Piece of junk.” Beany took a last swig of his diet Coke and crushed the can. “I put an ad up on the Cronig’s bulletin board and some guy came by and bought it after I talked to you. Sold it for more than I paid.”
“Who’d you sell it to?”
“I never got his name. He paid cash. What’s up?”
LeRoy thought for a moment. “I knew you were upset with Sparks. Wanted to help if I could.”
Beany lifted his cap and scratched his head. “The guy who bought it lives in West Tisbury. Drives an old white Volvo station wagon, if that helps any.”
“It’s not important. Thanks anyway.”
C HAPTER 10
Victoria stood at the foot of the station house steps, waiting for Casey to finish a phone call, when Howland Atherton pulled into the parking lot.
“Good morning, Howland,” she called out to him. “We were just leaving to do our rounds.”
“Morning, Victoria. Before you go off, I need to talk to you and the chief.” Howland was wearing his usual khakis with a dark knit shirt. A lanyard was looped around his neck, with a small metal object dangling from it.
Casey appeared and greeted Howland. “You look worried.”
“I am.”
“Come in, then. Our rounds can wait.”
Back inside, Victoria returned to her armchair, and Howland moved Junior Norton’s seat next to her and straddled it, his arms folded on the back. Casey returned to her desk and placed her hands flat on top of her large desk calendar. “Well?” she asked, turning to Howland.
Howland said, “A couple of days ago, I bought a used computer from Beany, one of the guys who works for the Steamship Authority. He’d acquired the computer from a buddy who needed some cash in a hurry, he told me.”
Casey picked up her beach-stone paperweight and rubbed the smooth surface. “Go on,” she said.
“Beany used the computer for a few days and decided it was a piece of junk.”
“Who’s the buddy he bought it from?” asked Casey, looking up.
“Jerry Sparks.”
“Oh,” said Victoria. She sat forward, hands on top of her lilac-wood stick.
Casey turned to her. “Jerry Sparks again.”
“You know him?” asked Howland.
“His boss—his former boss, LeRoy Watts—is coming to my house sometime today to repair an outlet.” Victoria stroked the smoothly sanded surface of her stick and settled back into her chair.
“Former boss?” Howland unwound himself from the chair and went to the window overlooking the Mill Pond, hands thrust into his pockets.
“LeRoy told me on Thursday he’d fired Jerry Sparks.”
“What about the computer?” asked Casey.
Howland turned from the window. “I went through the hard drive to see what was on it. Delete files I didn’t need, that sort of thing. One file was encrypted. I didn’t want to delete it until I knew its contents. When I finally did decode it . . . Well, that’s what I need to show you.”
Outside, the ducks quacked a few times, then settled down again. Through the window, Victoria could see wind riffling the surface of the Mill
He knocked, and a short, plump woman wearing a flowing muumuu printed with magenta flowers came to the door. Her salt-and-pepper hair was pulled away from her face and held with plastic butterfly clips.
“Mrs. Fereira? LeRoy Watts.”
“Come in. Beany just got home.” She turned and called, “Beany! Some man to see you.”
“Who is it, Ma?” The lanky guy who’d come to the shop appeared from the back of the house. He wore a faded Red Sox cap and was drinking a Diet Coke.
“This man called about a computer,” said Mrs. Fereira.
“Yeah, Jerry Sparks’s boss. How’re ya doin’?”
“Not bad,” said LeRoy, who felt awful. “You said Jerry sold you some lemon. Was that his computer?”
“Come on in, Mr. Watts,” said Mrs. Fereira. “Don’t let all the warm air out.”
LeRoy entered the stifling house and shut the door behind him.
“Yeah, I bought his stinkin’ computer. Piece of junk.” Beany took a last swig of his diet Coke and crushed the can. “I put an ad up on the Cronig’s bulletin board and some guy came by and bought it after I talked to you. Sold it for more than I paid.”
“Who’d you sell it to?”
“I never got his name. He paid cash. What’s up?”
LeRoy thought for a moment. “I knew you were upset with Sparks. Wanted to help if I could.”
Beany lifted his cap and scratched his head. “The guy who bought it lives in West Tisbury. Drives an old white Volvo station wagon, if that helps any.”
“It’s not important. Thanks anyway.”
C HAPTER 10
Victoria stood at the foot of the station house steps, waiting for Casey to finish a phone call, when Howland Atherton pulled into the parking lot.
“Good morning, Howland,” she called out to him. “We were just leaving to do our rounds.”
“Morning, Victoria. Before you go off, I need to talk to you and the chief.” Howland was wearing his usual khakis with a dark knit shirt. A lanyard was looped around his neck, with a small metal object dangling from it.
Casey appeared and greeted Howland. “You look worried.”
“I am.”
“Come in, then. Our rounds can wait.”
Back inside, Victoria returned to her armchair, and Howland moved Junior Norton’s seat next to her and straddled it, his arms folded on the back. Casey returned to her desk and placed her hands flat on top of her large desk calendar. “Well?” she asked, turning to Howland.
Howland said, “A couple of days ago, I bought a used computer from Beany, one of the guys who works for the Steamship Authority. He’d acquired the computer from a buddy who needed some cash in a hurry, he told me.”
Casey picked up her beach-stone paperweight and rubbed the smooth surface. “Go on,” she said.
“Beany used the computer for a few days and decided it was a piece of junk.”
“Who’s the buddy he bought it from?” asked Casey, looking up.
“Jerry Sparks.”
“Oh,” said Victoria. She sat forward, hands on top of her lilac-wood stick.
Casey turned to her. “Jerry Sparks again.”
“You know him?” asked Howland.
“His boss—his former boss, LeRoy Watts—is coming to my house sometime today to repair an outlet.” Victoria stroked the smoothly sanded surface of her stick and settled back into her chair.
“Former boss?” Howland unwound himself from the chair and went to the window overlooking the Mill Pond, hands thrust into his pockets.
“LeRoy told me on Thursday he’d fired Jerry Sparks.”
“What about the computer?” asked Casey.
Howland turned from the window. “I went through the hard drive to see what was on it. Delete files I didn’t need, that sort of thing. One file was encrypted. I didn’t want to delete it until I knew its contents. When I finally did decode it . . . Well, that’s what I need to show you.”
Outside, the ducks quacked a few times, then settled down again. Through the window, Victoria could see wind riffling the surface of the Mill
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