The Killing Edge by Richard; Forrest Page A

information in that area. Toby and I belong to the club, I use the dining room for business lunches, and dad used to dock his boat here; but we don’t really travel in the fast set. Which reminds me, I must tell Toby to make arrangements to have the boat brought North.”
    â€œWhat about Raleigh at the bank?”
    â€œOne of the best loan officers I’ve ever seen. We’re going to miss him terribly. The only, mistake I ever knew him to make was when he bought that shopping center for his own account. You know, he was almost made president after Dad retired. It was a close vote with the board until Dad used his influence and swung it to me.”
    â€œHe must have been very disappointed?”
    â€œWe gave him a hefty raise in salary to keep him. Toby says we made a good team, Raleigh making the money and me watching over it.”
    â€œDo you think he killed his wife?”
    â€œThat’s for Will Barnes to decide. But does it really make much difference anymore? I’ll be right back.”
    He slid from the stool, and with a minute stagger wound his way across the room toward a small door marked, G OBS .
    The bartender leaned toward her in a conspiratorial manner. “The Beast.”
    â€œI wouldn’t talk like that about Mr. Strickland, Steve. He’s a powerful man in town,” she replied with a tight smile.
    â€œI couldn’t help but overhear. Last summer Mrs. Bridger was involved with the Beast.”
    â€œWhat on earth are you talking about?”
    â€œI never did know his real name, but that’s what everyone called him.”
    â€œSomeone from Lantern City?”
    â€œI don’t know where he came from, but I don’t think it was from around here. He was ere wing one of the big boats at the marina. The owner must have been gone a lot, for he had a lot of spare time. There was some sort of hassle between him and Mauve Bridger, she complained to the owner of the boat and the Beast was canned. That was the last we saw of him.”
    â€œWhat was the hassle about?”
    â€œThe whole thing never did come out, but we knew that the harbormaster got involved, and there was talk that the Beast made a big play for Mauve and she yelled. Bennie would know all about it?”
    â€œWhere’s the harbormaster now?”
    â€œBennie works in Florida on the off season, but he’ll be back in March to get the boats ready for the water.”
    Herb Strickland slid his bulk back on the stool. “I think we had better eat, L.C. I’ve had four and Toby usually only lets me have two.”
    â€œHerb, do you remember anything about a man they called the Beast? Crewed for someone last summer.”
    â€œCan’t say I do. How about bay scallops, L.C.?”
    â€œYou musta seen him, Mr. Strickland,” Steve said. “Big guy, over six and a half feet, musta gone over 250. He was always walking around wearing a warm-up jacket.”
    â€œProbably a student working for the summer.”
    â€œNope. Too old. Musta been near thirty.”
    â€œWho was he working for?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Steve said as a waitress brought an order to the service section of the bar. “I never get out on the dock. You can check with the harbormaster when he comes back in the spring.”
    â€œGreat,” L.C. said. “Wait a minute. There must be something more you can remember about the man. The jacket he wore, did it have any lettering on the back? Try and picture it.”
    Steve paused with a cocktail shaker held over his head. “Wait a minute.… Yeah, Middleburg College Athletic Department. That’s what was on the jacket.”
    â€œWould you mind, Herb? I don’t think I’m hungry after all.”
    Middleburg College was near the Massachusetts border fifty miles from Lantern City. It was called little Ivy, like several other smaller New England colleges. L.C. drove slowly through the campus until she found a