“No—,” Gil began.
“Be careful,” Tess said, setting his plate down in front of him.She smiled.“The plate is hot.”
Gil looked at the plate of food, and he rubbed his hands together.“She takes such good care of me.Damn, that burger looks good, Tess.”
She laughed.“Best burger in town.”
Gil tore into the cheeseburger like a starving wolf, and I got up to use the restroom.I was frustrated I hadn’t been able to get him to incriminate himself, but he had insinuated he’d gotten the money in a way he wanted kept secret.That probably meant I was on the right track.
Declan couldn’t talk to me about his case, but I could always feed him information, which he could then follow up on.This might be one of those things.If Gil had murdered Eddie, I wouldn’t want to blow Declan’s case by printing that headline.But I could give him what Gil had told me.
I took my seat again, and Gil had already wolfed down the burger and most of his fries.I laughed.“You were hungry.”
He nodded, wiping his mouth with his napkin.His blue eyes were crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me.“I’ve been so depressed, I haven’t been eating much.”
I was glad he’d opened the door to more discussion about his circumstances.“It must be tough, trying to figure out the boat situation while you’re grieving.”
“It’s a nightmare.”He pushed his empty plate away.“I’m sure some people think I’m cold for even bringing up the boat this soon to Rosa.But what am I supposed to do?Wait six months and hope nobody else buys it from her?I’ve got bills.I’ve got to eat.Eddie would understand that.”
“I’m sure he would.”
Tess drifted back toward our end of the bar.She picked up a rag and started wiping down the counter nearby.
“And yeah, I could use the money for the boat to pay my bills, but then what?I need to make a living.I can’t just blow everything on paying my bills, you know?”His gaze was imploring.
“Sure, I get it.”I glanced around.It was only 9:45 p.m., but the bar crowd was thinning out.Craig hadn’t made an appearance tonight, which seemed odd.Usually, he’d show up and Gil would take off.But he hadn’t shown, and Gil had stayed put.
Gil yawned and laughed.“Shit, I’m beat.”
“You should go home and sleep,” I suggested.
He glanced at Tess, and she smiled at him.“Nah, I think I’ll wait until closing.”
Yeah, they were most definitely fucking.
I hated to leave, but I was exhausted, and I’d had all the beer I needed.Maybe I could talk to Gil another time, or maybe I could dig into his finances somehow.For now, I needed to head home and sleep.At least I’d verified that Gil was indeed trying to buy Eddie’s boat, and the money he was using seemed to come from a questionable source.Or at least somewhere he didn’t want anyone knowing about, if his shushing motion was anything to go by.
Maybe something illegal?
I handed Tess my credit card and closed out my tab.“I’m sure I’ll see you around,” I said to Gil as I stood to leave.
“If you come here, you sure will.”He laughed.
I waved to Tess.“Now I know I’ll seeyouaround.”
She smiled.“Night, Spencer.Get home safe.”
I stepped outside into the cold night air.I pulled my hood up to keep the chill from the back of my neck.At least there was no fog tonight, so I could see the stars.There was a whole sky full of them, and there was the tang of woodsmoke from someone’s chimney mingling with the fishy scent off the harbor.I really was glad I’d moved here.Small-town life seemed to suit me.
I let out a long breath and started the walk up the hill toward Tideline Road.I’d made this walk a hundred times over the last six months.I always took the same route because I could do it with my eyes closed.I’d head past the darkened storefronts on Main Street, right onto Spruce, then up the hill where the road narrowed and the houses thinned out.
As I walked, my thoughts drifted to Declan.I really liked him.And the sex had been off-the-charts good.I shivered just remembering his taste and the way he’d felt inside my body.I’d have loved to see him again tonight, but that was not to be.He was a busy guy, especially right now.Once this case was solved, maybe he’d have more free time in the evenings.Until then, if I wanted to keep seeing him, I’d have to be understanding.
I blew out a breath, full from the beers and the fish and chips I’d eaten.I was past the switchback, on the uphill stretch where the streetlights got sparse and the trees pressed in close to the road, when I heard a car engine.
At first, I didn’t think anything of it.Cars drove up Tideline Road all the time.There were houses up here, people coming home from work or the bar or wherever people in Coral Cove went on a weeknight.I moved to the edge of the road, the way I always did on this stretch.There was no sidewalk, just the gravel shoulder and a shallow drainage ditch before the tree line.
I felt a bit uneasy when the engine of the car behind me seemed to speed up.Most people didn’t accelerate on a residential road, but not everyone was a good driver.Maybe they were just eager to be home.I couldn’t blame them; I felt the same way.
