Page 61 of Refuge for Ailsa

“Wait! You’ve got this all wrong. I didn’t come to keep Bentley from going to prison. I came to make sure she had enough information to keep him there.” Tavish and Harley glanced at each other in confusion. “It’s true. I heard that theory about mob money. These little towns… You guys are really good at getting yourselves worked up over nothing.”

“She’s not nothing!” Tavish barked. That got him another stern look from Harley.

“I didn’t mean her. She seemed like a perfectly nice lady. This mob thing. I dunno. Maybe it’s true. But I have nothing to do with that.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here. You can look through it. My name is DonaldGrief. Funny name in my line of business.”

Harley stared. “Which is?”

The man sighed. “I work for United Fidelity Life Insurance. If Mr.Bentley beats the charges, we’re on the hook for a substantial life insurance policy on his wife. But if he’s in prison, well, it’s illegal for a prisoner to receive financial gain from the circumstances surrounding the crime they committed. If a jury finds that Bentley is guilty and charges him with murder, he doesn’t get the insurance money. Pure and simple. I just came to the marina to see if MissMacDougal had enough information to sink him.”

“And?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m pretty damn sure. When I realized she had a window in her office, I knew she’d seen the whole thing. Almost the first thing I asked her was if she saw the murder. She didn’t immediately say no. She said, ‘Sort of.’ So I knew she’d seen it. And she seemed like the type who would tell the truth under oath.”

“So you had absolutely nothing to gain from anything happening to MissMacDougal?” Harley asked.

“Not only that, but something happening to her will be very bad for the company if Bentley isn’t convicted. Worst case scenario.”

The door opened and a police officer stuck his head in. “Harley, could I see you for just a minute?”

“Sure. Be right back.” He gave Tavish another stern look, but the conservation officer was having none of it.

As soon as Harley cleared the door, he started asking questions. “So, when you were at the marina, did you see anyone hanging around?”

“A couple of teenagers, but I got the impression they work there.”

“They do. Nobody else?”

“No. It was really quiet. But it was a weekday, and I’m guessing those are quieter for boaters, huh?”

“Yeah. Tends to be that way. Anything you can remember? At all?”

“Uh, there was a dog somewhere because I could hear it growl. I saw her glance down, so I guess it was behind the counter.”

“But you never saw the dog?”

“No.”

“Did she say anything that seemed odd to you?”

The man snorted. “You’ve got the damn video. You tell me.”

Tavish was getting fed up with his attitude, and he didn’t give a shit that his voice sounded snarky when he said, “It doesn’t have sound, sir. Think. Did she?”

“No,” Grief interrupted. “Just chatted politely with me, but I could tell I was making her nervous. That’s why I quit and left. I didn’t come there to upset her. I just needed to know where she stood. I’d also hoped to look at the boat, but she said it was still with the investigators.”

Tavish nodded. “Yeah, forensics still has it.”

The guy rolled his eyes and sighed again. “Look, can I just go now? I’ve tried to do my civic duty and all by coming in here, but that’s all I know. Really. But if I think of anything else, I’ll give you a call, I promise.”

Tavish dug a business card out of his pocket and held it out to Grief. “Please do. Anytime, day or night.”

“Right then.” Just as he stood to go, Harley opened the door. “Can I go now?”

Something wasn’t right. Tavish could see it on Harley’s face. “Yeah. Go right ahead. But make sure the desk sergeant has your phone number.”

“Will do. Good luck, gentlemen, with whatever it is that you’re trying to do.” With that, DonaldGrief stepped out the door.

But Harley took a seat and sat there for a minute. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”

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