scenarios around my head.
“I don’t like that look, Tal,” Kranak said.
Carmen grinned. “I do. So what’s up?”
I took a swig of Diet Coke. “I’m not sure.”
“Ayuh,” she said. “You are. Better tell us.”
“No, really,” I said. “Something Izod man said reminded me of . . . well, that’s the problem. I don’t know. He triggered a memory, except now it’s gone. I hate when that happens.”
Kranak began to pack up his kit. “We’re done here.”
I stood. “How can you say that, Rob? Delphine’s missing. So is Zoe. Izod man broke in and would have killed us.”
“I got what I needed.” He snapped his kit closed. “Izod man? Speaking of the bastard who cut you, so far we got nothing on him. He’s a mystery man.”
“Swell,” I said. “I was hoping he’d come up in one of your databases.”
“He didn’t.”
I filled a glass of water at the sink and sipped it slowly. When I was finished, I said, “They’re connected.”
“Who?” Carmen asked.
“Didi and Izod man.” I rinsed the empty glass and put it in the drainer.
Kranak shook his head. “How? And, yeah, even more important, how come?”
“The pot, the skull, the break-in, Didi’s murder.” Outside, clouds rumbled in, threatening rain. “They have to be. You know I’m not much for random.”
Carmen nodded. “I agree.”
Kranak poked a finger at her. “You, missy, are not a professional.”
She bellowed a laugh. “You’d be surprised.”
“I’m going,” he said.
“I’m coming with,” I said. “I need to hammer you some more.”
Saturday morning, we said our farewells to the Vineyard. Good-byes were hard with Carmen, they always were, but she was staying on the island for a few more days. I hated saying farewell to Belle and Dan, too, but I’d see them again soon. Kranak and I took the Steamship Authority ferry from Vineyard Haven. This, the height of leaf-peeper season farther north in New England, and still the Vineyard was crowded with travelers embarking and disembarking from America, as the Vineyardites liked to call the mainland.
“Maybe I should get a boat,” I said to Kranak. No matter how gloomy I felt, I stepped on a boat and instantly relaxed.
We climbed the metal steps to the top deck, even though Kranak was lugging his heavy CSS kit and I my rollie pack. Penny’s nails
clack-clack
ed on the steps, their uneven cadence somehow a comfort. We walked to the rail. Blue canopied our heads where only hours earlier, the sky had threatened rain. The ever-hungry gulls wheeled and careened, and passengers tossed tidbits of whatever was handy to see them perform their stunts.
A touch of melancholy drifted across the deck, most likely from folks regretting their leave-takings and the thought of going back to the real world once they left the ferry.
Now that I was off-island, I was eager to get home. Itwas all about Hank, of course. No matter how he frustrated me, I couldn’t wait to feel his arms around me, to smell his scent and see his grin beneath the retro-mustache he refused to shave. We had issues, sure, but he’d be driving down from Maine right now. I felt excited as a teenager.
“Tell me again about Didi,” I said. “You’re keeping something from me, and I wish you’d tell me what it is.”
“We’ve got nada. That place had a revolving door, especially after that stupid TV report. A helluva lot of people visited her office to see that damned head. A million prints worth of people. They saw that Zuni governor leaving. I think he’s prime for it.”
“I don’t see it, Rob,” I said. “Him killing her.”
“He wanted that damned skull and pot really bad. Really bad.”
“Yes, of course. He believed they belonged to his people. That the skull was one of his ancestors. But I don’t—”
“You don’t buy that spiritual native voodoo crap, do you?” Kranak’s bushy eyebrows beetled.
“Maybe . . . in a way, I do. The governor is a hard man, but a good one. I
“I don’t like that look, Tal,” Kranak said.
Carmen grinned. “I do. So what’s up?”
I took a swig of Diet Coke. “I’m not sure.”
“Ayuh,” she said. “You are. Better tell us.”
“No, really,” I said. “Something Izod man said reminded me of . . . well, that’s the problem. I don’t know. He triggered a memory, except now it’s gone. I hate when that happens.”
Kranak began to pack up his kit. “We’re done here.”
I stood. “How can you say that, Rob? Delphine’s missing. So is Zoe. Izod man broke in and would have killed us.”
“I got what I needed.” He snapped his kit closed. “Izod man? Speaking of the bastard who cut you, so far we got nothing on him. He’s a mystery man.”
“Swell,” I said. “I was hoping he’d come up in one of your databases.”
“He didn’t.”
I filled a glass of water at the sink and sipped it slowly. When I was finished, I said, “They’re connected.”
“Who?” Carmen asked.
“Didi and Izod man.” I rinsed the empty glass and put it in the drainer.
Kranak shook his head. “How? And, yeah, even more important, how come?”
“The pot, the skull, the break-in, Didi’s murder.” Outside, clouds rumbled in, threatening rain. “They have to be. You know I’m not much for random.”
Carmen nodded. “I agree.”
Kranak poked a finger at her. “You, missy, are not a professional.”
She bellowed a laugh. “You’d be surprised.”
“I’m going,” he said.
“I’m coming with,” I said. “I need to hammer you some more.”
Saturday morning, we said our farewells to the Vineyard. Good-byes were hard with Carmen, they always were, but she was staying on the island for a few more days. I hated saying farewell to Belle and Dan, too, but I’d see them again soon. Kranak and I took the Steamship Authority ferry from Vineyard Haven. This, the height of leaf-peeper season farther north in New England, and still the Vineyard was crowded with travelers embarking and disembarking from America, as the Vineyardites liked to call the mainland.
“Maybe I should get a boat,” I said to Kranak. No matter how gloomy I felt, I stepped on a boat and instantly relaxed.
We climbed the metal steps to the top deck, even though Kranak was lugging his heavy CSS kit and I my rollie pack. Penny’s nails
clack-clack
ed on the steps, their uneven cadence somehow a comfort. We walked to the rail. Blue canopied our heads where only hours earlier, the sky had threatened rain. The ever-hungry gulls wheeled and careened, and passengers tossed tidbits of whatever was handy to see them perform their stunts.
A touch of melancholy drifted across the deck, most likely from folks regretting their leave-takings and the thought of going back to the real world once they left the ferry.
Now that I was off-island, I was eager to get home. Itwas all about Hank, of course. No matter how he frustrated me, I couldn’t wait to feel his arms around me, to smell his scent and see his grin beneath the retro-mustache he refused to shave. We had issues, sure, but he’d be driving down from Maine right now. I felt excited as a teenager.
“Tell me again about Didi,” I said. “You’re keeping something from me, and I wish you’d tell me what it is.”
“We’ve got nada. That place had a revolving door, especially after that stupid TV report. A helluva lot of people visited her office to see that damned head. A million prints worth of people. They saw that Zuni governor leaving. I think he’s prime for it.”
“I don’t see it, Rob,” I said. “Him killing her.”
“He wanted that damned skull and pot really bad. Really bad.”
“Yes, of course. He believed they belonged to his people. That the skull was one of his ancestors. But I don’t—”
“You don’t buy that spiritual native voodoo crap, do you?” Kranak’s bushy eyebrows beetled.
“Maybe . . . in a way, I do. The governor is a hard man, but a good one. I
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