Page 11 of Bait and Switch
“Uh, no. But thanks for offering.”
“I’ll wait out here.”
Elton had insisted on coming with him. His reasoning had been along the lines of: “If nothing else, they won’t try anything fancy if I’m there.”
Gabe appreciated the support even if it made him feel like a naïve kid. And he was all for nothing fancy happening. Regardless that his bed was currently on an almost derelict sailboat, it was his bed, and he liked sleeping in it.
“Are they known for trying underhanded stuff?” he’d asked. “And, more importantly, are you sure? You had that dental work done today, don’t you want to take it easy?” Gabe had had to admit that the old man looked reenergized, and his jaw didn’t seem to be any puffier than it had been earlier.
“It wasn’t brain surgery,” Elton had said dismissively, his bushy eyebrows drawn together. “I’m perfectly fine.”
And he was stubborn, but there was no reason to point out what everyone already knew. Ranger Man had declined to join them, saying something about taking Bowie for a walk. Gabe was envious, he didn’t want to go to the station either. After Elton promised he’d call and fill him in, Lundin had driven off, presumably heading someplace that Bowie approved of.
“Fine, stay, have it your way.”
With an impatient wave of his hand, Elton settled into an uncomfortable plastic chair across from the currently empty front desk and pulled a paperback-size book of sudoku puzzles out of his pocket. Gabe noted that a placard with the name Althea Mortine engraved on it sat near a blotter and keyboard on the desk.
The interview room was what Gabe had expected, cramped and dingy. Four chairs and a small square table sat smack in the middle of the space. The room smelled of disinfectant and despair, if despair was the vague scent of dirty socks. Gabe did his best not to breathe too deeply.
“Please take a seat,” Deputy Eagan said. “Chief Deputy Spurring will be joining us in a few minutes.”
“What? Not the sheriff?”
Gabe hadn’t been part of a murder investigation until he’d arrived on Heartstone, but he damn well knew Sheriff Rizzi had homed in on him since his arrival. He was the one who’d interviewed him at the marina, after all. Why wouldn’t he have more questions? Gabe was the one who knew Peter personally. Didn’t crime statistics prove that most people were murdered by someone they knew, a boyfriend, husband, or other family? Reluctantly, he pulled one of the chairs out and sat down on it, trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever questions they had.
Without replying, Deputy Eagan took the seat next to Gabe, scooting the chair out a bit and sitting so she faced him. Gabe had been expecting her to sit across the table from him like he’d seen on TV shows. This felt much more personal and that was likely the point.
“This interview will be recorded,” she informed him.
Gabe nodded that he understood, and Eagan leaned forward to press a button set into the table.
“First, please state your name and acknowledge verbally that you understand this conversation is being recorded.”
“My name is Gabriel Karne, and I understand this is being recorded.” Maybe he should have brought a lawyer. Except he didn’t know any, and he had nothing to do with Peter’s death. Murder, he corrected himself.
“Thank you. Please start at the beginning of your day today and take me through it.”
Nodding, Gabe went over the day again, starting with Casey Lundin stopping by to tell him he was taking Elton to the dentist and asking if Gabe would watch Bowie.
“Almost right after he left, I got a call from the marine supply place about an order, so I drove into Westfort to pick it up. I’m sure you’ve checked to see when I arrived. The old guy at the counter and I chatted for a bit, he’ll remember me.”
“You didn’t see anyone suspicious hanging around the marina before you left? No one you didn’t recognize?”
“I mean, I’m new to the island, I don’t know many folks, but I didn’t see anyone before I left or when I returned.”
Eagan was taking notes in a small notebook with a spiral binding at the top. She flipped to a new page and started to speak, but before she could ask her next question, the door was flung open and Chief Deputy Spurring filled the doorway. Gabe wondered if he’d been listening in and timed his entrance. Grimacing, Spurring glanced at Eagan and then Gabe.
What was Gabe thinking? Of course he had been listening in.
On the way to the station, Elton had filled Gabe in on Spurring. At least what he could in the time they’d had.
“I’ve known Emmett since he was a boy, and he wasn’t much more likable back then. He’s a Heartstone lifer like me, but, unlike me, he threw his lot in with Eli Rizzi. Now that Deter Nolan is gone, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more pro-Rizzi deputy.”
“That’s just wonderful, not,” Gabe had muttered.
“Be careful around him. He’s second-in-command and holds a lot of power in the county.”
“Even better.”
