Page 3 of Bait and Switch
“Ah, yeah... Uh, no one. Not really. Just you know, this guy.” Gabe moved back from Peter’s body, the boat rocking unevenly as he climbed off theShangri-La. As tall as he was, Ranger Man was sure to be able to see the dead man from where he stood.Gabe had only wanted to make sure there was nothing he could do for Peter.
“The fuck is that?” Lundin demanded, stomping over to the side of the dock and peering at the deck of theShangri-La.
“Ah,that, that?” Gabe glanced at Lundin.
“Yes, that. Wait.” Lundin’s eyes narrowed as he edged closer to the sailboat, risking a dunking.“That’s the guy who was here last week. Is he?—”
“Shh!” Gabe said automatically, as if saying the four-letter word too loudly would alert the local flying monkeys. “Yes, he seems to be. And no, I didn’t do it. I found him that way.”
“Isn’t that what they all say?” Lundin took a big step backward, away from Gabe and the derelict boat, as though death were contagious. He supposed that often it was.
“I didn’t kill Peter,” Gabe said to the world in general. “Bowie and I went into Westfort to pick up the new stove after you left, and we got back not too long ago. I only… er,noticed… him because Bowie’s tennis ball landed funny and bounced onto the deck. And there he was. Is. Justthere. I know it’s difficult for you, but don’t be such an asshole. You know I didn’t kill him.”
“Do I, though?” Lundin shot him another, narrower, more suspicious glance.
“Seriously?” Gabe threw his head back to stare up at the clouds mirrored by the relatively calm waters of the bay. As he watched, they slowly parted to reveal a tantalizing hint of blue.
I will not scream. I will not scream. I will not scream.
“Casey, you left your wallet in the truck.”
In tandem, they both turned to look down the dock. Elton Cox was walking toward them. Gabe felt slightly vindicated that neither Lundin nor Bowie had noticed the old man opening and shutting the gate. Hah, they must’ve driven to the dentist in Elton’s truck. It wasn’t just Gabe’s Honda the old man didn’t trust. The Ford was built like a tank, maybe he just felt safer in it.
“You two look serious,” Elton said, drawing closer. “Something going on?” He looked from Gabe to Lundin.
“No,” they chorused.
“You’re supposed to be at home waiting for the rest of the funny gas to wear off,” Lundin added.
“Well, it wore off on the drive back, didn’t it?” Elton sounded a tad grumpy. “I don’t feel like being stuck at home, and like I said, you left your wallet in my truck.”
Approaching them, Elton held Lundin’s wallet out to him. Gabriel noted that it was made of canvas and Velcro and was well broken in. It suited Lundin.
“Did you pick that up at a vintage place? Or have the nineties come calling and I wasn’t around to meet them?” Gabe asked.
“What?” Lundin frowned. “No. What are you even talking about?”
He accepted the billfold from Elton and tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans. The jeans, Gabe absently noted for the second time that day, fit him very well.
What was wrong with him? There was a body only a few feet away.
Elton stopped next to Lundin. “What’s going on?” he repeated, looking once more at Gabe and then Lundin.
Gabe had no choice. He moved aside and pointed toward theShangri-Laand the body of Peter Vale.
“That’s a dead man.”
Elton seemed remarkably calm. Maybe it was residual funny gas from the procedure; his jaw did seem a bit puffy.
“Yep. No doubt about that,” Gabe said glumly.
Gabe was not happy about Peter’s demise, but Lundin seemed even less so. Honestly, though, the central core of Lundin’s unhappiness was hard for Gabe to gauge. Was it the body? The inconvenience of it all? Gabe? All of the above?
“How did he get there?” Elton asked.
Ranger Man also looked expectantly at Gabe, as if he might have a reasonable answer.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Gabe did his best to telegraph his irritation with Casey. “After you left, I drove into Westfort and didn’t get back until about an hour ago.” The stove had been fairly easy to install, just like Elton had promised, and then he’d decided to reward Bowie for his patience by tossing his ball for a few minutes. “I doubt he was here when Bowie and I took off. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. I suppose he could’ve been here and I didn’t notice, but I don’t think so.”
