Reed sat on an overturned bucket near the stern, a six-pack of beer sitting next to him, and a bait bag in his hands. He was tying the bag closed with practiced fingers, not even looking at what he was doing. When he heard us coming down the dock, he glanced up but didn’t stand.
“Permission to come aboard?” Zane asked.
“Don’t see how I can stop you.” He tossed the finished bait bag into a crate near his feet. “I knowwho you are. And I know why you’re here.” He took a long pull from his beer. “I heard about Mari.”
“I hear you guys were pretty close in high school,” I said.
Reed reached for another bait bag. “That was fifteen years ago. A lot has changed since then.”
“I saw you at the marina earlier,” I said. “But you don’t park your boat at Halter Marina?”
“No need to. I have my own dock. I just go there to load up on supplies or unload my fish for the mongers.”
Zane shoved his hands in his pockets. “When was the last time you saw or spoke to Mari Quinn?”
Reed finished his beer and set the empty bottle down by his feet. “I couldn’t even tell you. Like I said, we don’t socialize anymore.” He snorted. “I don’t socialize with any of them anymore. We just went our separate ways.”
“We hear that’s true for the most part,” I said. “But rumor has it you still kept in touch with Mari.”
Reed shrugged. “I guess I did. Maybe once or twice a year we’d catch up. Of all those in that group, she was the only one truly genuine. She was nice. I liked her back then, and I liked her just fine today.”
I cocked my head and studied the blond selkie shifter. “But you used to date Rayna Halter, right?”
“Fifteen years ago.”
“Where were you yesterday from three until five?” Zane asked.
Reed started on another bait bag. “Finished my morning haul around noon. Docked my boat, went inside the marina to get a few things, walked into town to grab some chowder, and then I had to go to City Hall to pay more money.” He shook his head. “Damn town just wants to take and take. They’ve increased boat registrationandcommercial fishing permits.”
I remembered seeing him arguing at the permits counter at City Hall, so I knew that to be true.
“After you did that, where did you go?” I asked.
“I went home. Like I said, my haul was in, and I’d taken care of my errand, so I walked back to the marina, grabbed my boat, and left. Takes about five minutes to get to my house by boat.” He tied off the bait bag and tossed it into the crate. “Washed down my boat.” He pursed his lips. “Let’s see, I then went inside, took a shower, watched a little TV, and had a bite to eat around five o’clock. I then went into town for a beer at The Sea Wharf—a local bar where fishermen hang out—around five-thirty. I had a couple beers, and then I left around seven.” He crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. “That’s my entire day and night. Satisfied?”
“Did you have dinner alone?” I asked.
Reed scowled. “Of course. I prefer the solitary life. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.”
So basically what he was telling me was that he didn’t have an airtight alibi during the time frame we’d asked about.
“Have you received a valentine in the mail recently?” I asked.
Reed picked up another bait bag. “Maybe.”
“Can we see it?” Zane asked.
“I tossed it.”
I studied the man across from me. I couldn’t tell if his nonchalance was true or put on. “We already know about what you and your little group of friends did to Eliza Nordic in high school.”
Reed didn’t even blink. He just stared us down. “Is that so?”
“That’s so,” I said. “We also know Rayna went farther than you all had originally planned.”
I tried to make it sound like he was more victim than anything, just to see if he’d turn on Rayna.
“Why are you really here?” he asked. “Is it to find out if I killed Mari? I didn’t. She was the only person in that group that I still spoke to after all these years.”
