Page 35 of The Rule of 3

“Heaven only knows,” Caro sighed as Tanner stared uncomfortably at his wife.

Chapter 29

Saturday was going to be a gorgeous sunny day. Both men silently donned tees and cargo shorts and grabbed their favorite fishing hats. They left Zoë sleeping in the middle of the big bed, each kissing a patch of her bare skin as they took off. Their driver took them to the parking lot in town where the helicopter sat waiting for them.

When they touched down about an hour later in the marina parking lot that had been magically cordoned off for their arrival, they both hopped off the helicopter looking fresh and ready to greet the day.

A short, grizzled old man in baggy pants and a floppy hat stood on the dock glowering at them as they wandered toward him laughing and chatting quietly. Eli looked beyond the man and took in the sight of—as he’d expected—an attractive yet minimal fourteen-foot fishing boat equipped with only two passenger seats and was piloted by the guide sitting by the rear motor. The old man wore a watch that cost as much as some houses, so this had to be Colonel.

“Good morning, Mr. Smelzer,” Eli happily crowed as he stepped in front of Tanner. “I’m Elison Whittaker, and this is Mayor Lassiter. It looks like a fine day for fishing, don’t you agree?” He stuck out his hand cordially.

Glaring, Smelzer shook with an iron grip that Eli returned twofold, noticing the tiniest grimace from the greasy old coot. Then Tanner apparently did the same thing as he explained, “Mr. Whittaker is my campaign manager, so I thought it would be appropriate for him to sit in on this meeting. He’s also a very talented fisherman.” He stole a glance at Eli who gave the tiniest wink. Really—it could have just been something in his eye.

“There’s only room for two and you can call me Colonel.” Smelzer huffed unwelcomingly.

With a big smile, Eli chimed in cheerfully, “No problem at all, Mr. Smelzer. Here’s our boat now. We’ll have our man load anything you need onto it right away, and I think the chef ought to have breakfast ready for us any moment now. I know I’m starved. How about you, Mayor Lassiter?” They all three watched as a gorgeous cabin cruiser pulled into the slip next to the small fishing boat—completely dwarfing it. It had a large cabin with a canopied area behind it that had a table and chairs set up for a meal. There were four comfortable looking, sparkling white fishing chairs on the rear deck, and it gleamed from stem to stern with modern, sleek appointments. There was a crewman who was neither cooking nor piloting the boat—a burly guy who doubled as a bodyguard from Eli’s employ. As soon as the guide maneuvered the boat into position, this temporary deckhand hopped off to secure it in place with sturdy dock lines.

Smelzer turned and narrowed his eyes menacingly at Eli. Then he stalked off to speak to his own fishing guide. After a few words, the old man’s guide unloaded a cooler, tackle box, and a fishing pole onto the dock. Then Smelzer marched back and announced, “You won’t try to get on my bad side if you know what’s good for you, boy.”

Eli smiled benignly at Smelzer and gave a small nod to the crewman who went to retrieve the old man’s paraphernalia. They all climbed aboard and were immediately and politely asked to produce their fishing licenses to the guide.

“Let’s get comfortable here and eat before we take off,” Eli commanded as he escorted Tanner and Smelzer to the breakfast table. Fresh coffee and juice were already at each place, and immediately a uniformed chef served plates of omelets and fresh fruit in front of them. “Thank you, Oscar,” Eli said to the chef. “Are these your famous herb and truffle omelets?”

“Yes sir, Mr. Whittaker. Just as you ordered. The ham is imported Black Forest, and the fruit and herbs are all locally produced. The truffles are, of course, from France. Enjoy, gentlemen, and let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be right back with some fresh bakery items as well.”

Tucking in to their delicious breakfast, Eli and Tanner stayed quiet as they’d agreed to previously. They didn’t want to seem aggressive, inquisitive, or even the least bit interested in what the old coot wanted to say. He could say it or not.

After an uncomfortable silence, however, Tanner’s sense of southern manners kicked in and he tried to make things at least cordial. “So, Mr. Smelzer…”

“Colonel!” he interrupted.

“Yes, of course,” Tanner said smoothly. “What kind of fishing do you like to do here? Rainbow? Catfish? Some of the bigger species? I’ve heard the rainbow trout here are terrific, and my wife is anxious for me to bag a few to bring home today.”

“Hmmph,” was his only reply. “Pass the pepper.” He reached toward Tanner with a bony hand that looked ominously like it wanted to grab something and hang onto it long enough to squeeze the life out.

Eli, who’d finished most of his breakfast already, stood and said, “If you’ll excuse me a moment, I’ll just have a word with the guide. I’m sure he’d like to get underway. I’ll let him know you’re hoping for rainbow trout, Mayor Lassiter, and he’ll know where to take us.”

As soon as Eli was out of earshot, Smelzer sneered, “Nice little show you boys have going on here. You might want to consider, however, that you’re going to needlocalsupport for your campaign,MayorLassiter.” He said “mayor” like an epithet.

Smiling kindly, Tanner said in a soothing voice, “I’m fully aware of the need for Kentucky support, Mr. Smelzer. I’m sure you realize why we felt the desire to roll out the red carpet for you. Nothing is too good for my loyal supporters.”

Smelzer squinted his eyes in doubt. Clearly, he’d believed they were trying to one-up him to show howlittlethey needed his support. “I’m not one of your supportersyet,sonny boy. Politics is an interesting business…”

“I’m well aware,” chuckled Tanner.

“…that relies on a healthy give and take of—let’s call them favors,” Smelzer continued in an oily voice. “I give you support and my public endorsement, and you agree to do something for me.” He levelled a glare at Tanner. “I can make you or break you in this election, Lassiter. Mark my words.”

Just then, Eli returned. He sat down and swallowed the last of his fresh orange juice. Smiling, he announced, “We’re in great luck. The guide assures me the best place for rainbow trout is just about a mile that direction.” He waved a hand upriver. “We’ll be fishing in just moments.” Then he grabbed what was left of his blueberry muffin and popped that into his mouth with a grin.

Sighing contentedly as the chef approached them to clear the table, Tanner said, “The breakfast was delicious, Oscar. Thank you for making it such a special treat. I grew up fishing with my daddy, and we never had anything but squashed peanut butter sandwiches and warm Cokes, so this was spectacular.”

Oscar smiled broadly and answered, “Happy to oblige, sir. I’ll also provide a variety of cold beverages and snacks throughout the day for you.”

“Did you fix everything here onboard?” Tanner asked.

Oscar answered politely, “No sir. Just the omelets. The rest was prepared and brought on board. The galley is minimal, but nice. I’ll have no trouble fixing your fish for lunch when you’d like it, but just in case the fishing isn’t what you’d hoped, we have backup sandwiches as well.”

Nodding and smiling, Tanner then turned to Eli and continued, “Mr. Smelzer here was just explaining to me how politics works. Apparently, he’s a proponent of the ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ approach. He has yet to say where it itches, however.”

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