“Or maybe, instead, you could do a follow-up story about the new ice house roof.”His lips twitched.
I laughed.“Asshole.”
Hale grinned.“I can be, yeah.”Dom set two beers on the bar, and Hale picked them up.“Anyway, I’ll see you around, I’m sure.”
“Whether you want to or not,” I murmured.
He chuckled and walked back to the booth.The blonde was back, smiling at him as he sat down.He handed her a beer and murmured something that made her giggle.
I turned back to the bar and finished my drink.I’d enjoyed talking to that version of Declan.He’d been warm and funny.Neither of those things had been evident the day of Eddie’s death.I wasn’t sure why he’d been nicer to me tonight.He really had seemed almost flirtatious.But that couldn’t be right, could it?He was on a date with a woman.
Maybe he’s bisexual?
Or was I simply misreading our interaction tonight?My money was on that.It seemed more believable than the possibility that Declan had been flirting with me.
When my food came, I dug in, and halfway through my meal, Declan and the woman left the restaurant.I glanced around at the thin crowd of diners, feeling oddly let down.I’d have loved to have a warm body in my bed tonight too.Judging by the slim pickings in the Rusty Anchor this evening, that wasn’t gonna happen.
Once I’d eaten, I closed my tab and left the bar, stepping out into the cool night.I inhaled the salty breeze, listening to a foghorn somewhere out past the harbor.I rented a one-bedroom cottage on Tideline Road, just up the hill from downtown.It was small and drafty, but it had an amazing view of the ocean from the kitchen window.It wasn’t very far, but tonight, with a full belly and a few beers in me, the walk felt longer than usual.
Starting tomorrow, I wanted to talk to more people in town who’d known Eddie.I didn’t see the harm in it so long as I was discreet.Margot never even needed to know I was poking around, not unless I dug up something interesting.The fact that Declan was still being cagey about Eddie’s death had to mean something.
The first thing I wanted to figure out was why Gil and Eddie had been fighting.What could have come between the longtime friends and business partners?I’d start there and see what I could find out.
CHAPTER FOUR
Declan
The autopsy report came in Thursday afternoon.I read it at my desk with my third cup of coffee.Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the right temporal region.The medical examiner noted that the wound was consistent with impact against the port side gunwale of the Pacific Lady, where blood evidence had been collected.The shape and dimensions of the injury were compatible with the edge of the gunwale.No foreign material or trace evidence suggested another object was involved.
However, the ME noted several things she couldn’t explain.The single point of impact was unusually clean for a fall on a moving vessel.There were no secondary bruises, no scrapes on the hands or forearms, and no indication the victim had tried to brace or catch himself.In a typical fall on a rocking deck, she would expect to see multiple contact points and defensive injuries.She found none.Blood alcohol was zero.Eddie Salcedo had been cold-stone sober when he died.
I read it twice.The ME was being careful, stopping short of saying how the injury had happened.That was her job.But the lack of defensive wounds nagged at me.Sober, experienced fishermen didn’t usually go down without trying to catch themselves.It could have happened that way.People fell in freak ways sometimes.But it sat wrong with me, and I’d learned a long time ago not to ignore that gut feeling.
I called Bree into my office.
“I want Dale Pruitt and his wife, Nicki, brought in today.They can come in at the same time, but we’ll interview them separately.”
“Of course.”Bree nodded.“I’ll see what time they can come in today.”
“Nicki seemed nervous when she gave him his alibi,” I muttered.“I’m hoping she’ll be more honest if he’s not in the room staring at her the whole time.”
“Good call separating them.She’ll definitely clam up if he’s there.With him gone, you might actually get the truth out of her.”
“Exactly.”I smiled at her.“Make it happen, Bree.”
“I’m on it.”
* * *
Nicki and Dale Pruitt arrived at 2:00 p.m.Nicki was a thin woman with sun-damaged skin and the guarded posture of someone who’d spent a long time being careful about what she said and to whom.She worked at the bait-and-tackle shop on the harbor, which meant she knew the fishing community inside out.It also meant she’d been hearing the whispers about her husband all week.
Dale was standing beside her, unshaven, looking uptight and resentful.“We already gave you our statements.Why are we here?”
Nicki put her hand on her husband’s arm.“Honey, don’t get all worked up.”
“It’s a fair question,” Dale grumbled.
I smiled pleasantly.“You guys aren’t in trouble or anything like that.I just needed to firm up the timeline.”
