craned his head around to see who it was and waved me in.
“—very good then. I see we’re all on the same page. Just one more thing before I let you go—”
I walked over to the wall to look at a framed photograph crowded with men dressed in hunting garb and armed with rifles, standing over a couple of bucks. In the corner, someone had written in ink 1972 STONE HARBOR HUNTING PARTY . Some of the faces looked familiar, although the only one I could definitely identify was Aden himself. Same grin, more hair, more flesh on his bones.
Aden hung up and with a little difficulty swung his legsdown to the floor, before he swiveled around to face me. He grimaced with the effort.
“Isn’t that the first thing they teach you in school, Emma? Not to tilt your chair back, not to put your feet up?”
“I’m pretty sure it is.”
Aden rubbed at his back. “I know I shouldn’t do it, but I do it anyway. It’s terrible for me, the ruin of my back, and yet I do it anyway. Why is that, do you think?”
What I thought was that Aden didn’t seem to be much concerned with what had taken place just outside his office and only the day before. No one was expressing the sadness, confusion, or anger that one might have expected; hell, that I was experiencing myself. “Maybe you aren’t much for doing what people tell you to do,” I offered.
Aden tapped the desk with his middle finger. “Well, I’m not at that. I see you’re interested in ancient history there.” He indicated the photograph.
“Yes, it looks like a classic.”
“We used to go every year. That was the last time we were all together.” He got up and pushed his nose close to the photo. “There I am, of course. Couldn’t miss that puss, could you? And there is Burke Chandler—that’s Bray’s father, he’s gone now—and that one is Keith Prowse, Fee’s older brother. That one there is Raymond Taylor, poor bastard.”
“Is he related to Perry?”
“Oh, God yes. Don’t you know, we’re all related to each other, we old families?” He cackled. “But Raymond was Perry’s father. A great man for hunting, was Ray, but then the cancer got him, and took its time too.” Aden sighed hugely, then he looked at me slyly. “But there’s someone else you know in that party.”
I had another look at the picture and then shrugged. Time had changed too much for me to recognize who I might know.“I’m actually asking you a trick question. Teddy Cressey is taking the picture.”
“He went hunting with you?”
“Well, he kept pestering me to go with us, so I let him come along. You know, to look after us, help with the dirty work. No one really liked him, but it was useful to have an extra pair of hands along. It was a good time.” He sighed again. “But you’re not here to discuss that long-forgotten trip. I’ll tell you, I really wish that I could be anywhere but in this miserable office today.” He went over and sat back down at his desk, swiveling toward the window again.
“I can believe it. It’s going to be a tough one.”
“I’m going to imagine that I’m out there on the water. Nothing can follow you out there, Emma, or at least, you’re given the illusion of that, which is almost as good. Do you know what I mean?”
I nodded. “It’s been a while, but I grew up sailing.”
“There you are. No noise, you have only the immediacies of what you’re doing, and if those are taken care of, you’re free to watch the scenery, ignore the rest of the world.” He cast another longing glance through the window behind him, smiled sadly, and then resigned himself to being where he was. “What can I do for you this morning, Emma?”
“Not much. I guess I wanted to know whether you’d heard anything from the police. About Justin, about what their plans are for the site.”
“I don’t know much. They’d only say that he was shot, but of course, they wouldn’t say anything more than that. We didn’t find anything about the locks or
“—very good then. I see we’re all on the same page. Just one more thing before I let you go—”
I walked over to the wall to look at a framed photograph crowded with men dressed in hunting garb and armed with rifles, standing over a couple of bucks. In the corner, someone had written in ink 1972 STONE HARBOR HUNTING PARTY . Some of the faces looked familiar, although the only one I could definitely identify was Aden himself. Same grin, more hair, more flesh on his bones.
Aden hung up and with a little difficulty swung his legsdown to the floor, before he swiveled around to face me. He grimaced with the effort.
“Isn’t that the first thing they teach you in school, Emma? Not to tilt your chair back, not to put your feet up?”
“I’m pretty sure it is.”
Aden rubbed at his back. “I know I shouldn’t do it, but I do it anyway. It’s terrible for me, the ruin of my back, and yet I do it anyway. Why is that, do you think?”
What I thought was that Aden didn’t seem to be much concerned with what had taken place just outside his office and only the day before. No one was expressing the sadness, confusion, or anger that one might have expected; hell, that I was experiencing myself. “Maybe you aren’t much for doing what people tell you to do,” I offered.
Aden tapped the desk with his middle finger. “Well, I’m not at that. I see you’re interested in ancient history there.” He indicated the photograph.
“Yes, it looks like a classic.”
“We used to go every year. That was the last time we were all together.” He got up and pushed his nose close to the photo. “There I am, of course. Couldn’t miss that puss, could you? And there is Burke Chandler—that’s Bray’s father, he’s gone now—and that one is Keith Prowse, Fee’s older brother. That one there is Raymond Taylor, poor bastard.”
“Is he related to Perry?”
“Oh, God yes. Don’t you know, we’re all related to each other, we old families?” He cackled. “But Raymond was Perry’s father. A great man for hunting, was Ray, but then the cancer got him, and took its time too.” Aden sighed hugely, then he looked at me slyly. “But there’s someone else you know in that party.”
I had another look at the picture and then shrugged. Time had changed too much for me to recognize who I might know.“I’m actually asking you a trick question. Teddy Cressey is taking the picture.”
“He went hunting with you?”
“Well, he kept pestering me to go with us, so I let him come along. You know, to look after us, help with the dirty work. No one really liked him, but it was useful to have an extra pair of hands along. It was a good time.” He sighed again. “But you’re not here to discuss that long-forgotten trip. I’ll tell you, I really wish that I could be anywhere but in this miserable office today.” He went over and sat back down at his desk, swiveling toward the window again.
“I can believe it. It’s going to be a tough one.”
“I’m going to imagine that I’m out there on the water. Nothing can follow you out there, Emma, or at least, you’re given the illusion of that, which is almost as good. Do you know what I mean?”
I nodded. “It’s been a while, but I grew up sailing.”
“There you are. No noise, you have only the immediacies of what you’re doing, and if those are taken care of, you’re free to watch the scenery, ignore the rest of the world.” He cast another longing glance through the window behind him, smiled sadly, and then resigned himself to being where he was. “What can I do for you this morning, Emma?”
“Not much. I guess I wanted to know whether you’d heard anything from the police. About Justin, about what their plans are for the site.”
“I don’t know much. They’d only say that he was shot, but of course, they wouldn’t say anything more than that. We didn’t find anything about the locks or
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