Harbor Nights

by Rick Polad

  Maxine was enthralled. “I wonder how all this started.”

  “The story is that Al had a friend who gave him crazy presents every year. One year it was a goat with red ribbons tied on his horns. He thought it would be a great idea for Al to have goats on the roof. So he carried the goat up a ladder, placed it on the roof, and promptly fell off the roof, breaking a few ribs.”

  Maxine laughed. “I would have loved to have seen that. I hope somebody took movies.”

  We walked back around the front of the building where Paul was waiting on a bench.

  I officially introduced them and the hostess gave us a friendly welcome and showed us to a table.

  “Nice seeing you last night, Paul. We’ll have to do it more often.”

  He shook his head with a look of relief. “I was sure I’d be giving you breakfast in bed this morning on the county. You swim with sharks often?”

  I laughed. “I’ve been known to ruffle feathers at times. Diplomacy isn’t my strong point.”

  “I noticed.”

  “I’ll take some crap when I have to, but there’s a line.”

  “Nice to have that option. If I want a job I have to take his crap. Lots of yes sirs.”

  “The guy seems pretty incompetent. What do you know about him?”

  “Not much. I haven’t had any reason to ask questions. He hired me. That’s all I needed to know.”

  The waitress brought juice and coffee.

  “Do you get along with him?” asked Maxine.

  Taking a sip of coffee, he answered, “Sure. No reason not to. I do my job and go home.”

  “No problems?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “Hey. This ain’t Chicago. This may be the first murder we’ve ever had. Our worst problems are traffic issues.”

  “So, maybe he doesn’t know how to do his job.”

  “Don’t know. He knows enough to please the mayor.”

  “And maybe that’s usually all he needs. But this is certainly different from a speeding ticket. Two missing persons, and a murder and a missing painting.”

  Paul pursed his lips. “Well, technically the painting is Chicago’s problem, and the sheriff is looking for Kathleen and has taken over the murder.”

  “How hard do you think they’re looking for Kathleen?”

  “After last night? Not at all. Before then, maybe a little, but it wasn’t a priority.”

  “And how about Cletis? I suggested that Iverson should be looking for him—twice. And I don’t get an answer. Doesn’t seem too competent.”

  “Ah. Well, just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he isn’t doing something.”

  Maxine laughed with a sparkle in her eye and a told you so in her attitude.

  “That’s enough, lady.”

  I turned back to Paul. “Are you saying he is doing something?”

  “Well, not exactly, but he told me to do something. Gunderson has a boat. We went through his house and found a key peg rack in the kitchen. The one marked boat was empty. I checked the marina and his boat is gone. The kid on duty didn’t remember anything about it. I asked people in the slips on his dock and no one remembers seeing him there recently or seeing the boat leave. A few did say the boat was there over the weekend.”

  Our food arrived. “If the kid did kill Gunderson and take the boat we can narrow it down once we get the coroner’s report.”

  “We?”

  I took a bite of bacon. Maxine was busy eating. I laughed. “Sorry. Habit. You, I mean. And if you’d let me know, I’d appreciate it. In the meantime, I sure wish I knew where that kid is. Could you check other harbors for the boat?”

  “Already done. Chief had me do that, too. I called the Coast Guard in Sturgeon Bay last night. They notified all the harbors and Milwaukee issued a UMIB, an urgent marine information broadcast. Periodic messages are sent out with the boat description and ID number. So there are lots of people looking.”

  I soaked up some egg with a piece of toast. “Chief did all that, did he?”

  “Yeah. Must’ve been while he was taking a break from being incompetent.”

  “I get it. But he could be nicer to the public.”

  “He is nice to the public. It’s big city cops and P.I.s he’s not crazy about. And it’s hard to blame him.”

  “It is?” I asked, taking another bite of bacon.

  “Yeah. It wasn’t him that lost Kathleen.”

  “I’ll give him that.” I scooped up the last bite of pancake. “Another question for you.”

  “Shoot.”

  “I heard through the grapevine that Kathleen doesn’t trust the police. Any idea why?”

  “Trust? No. But she’s not too happy with us. A few months ago someone egged her windows. Probably high school kids. No one was caught and she made it clear that she thought we weren’t doing all we could to find the culprit.”

  “I bet she did. But that wouldn’t cause a trust issue. Do you have any idea when we might get an answer from the coroner?”

  “No. But my guess would be a few days. The body went to the medical examiner in Green Bay. They cover a lot of territory.”

  “Would you let me know?”

  “Sure. I’ll leave a message on your machine.”

  “Thanks, Paul. You done, Maxine?” I really didn’t have to ask. There was nothing left on her plate.

  “Yup. That’ll hold me till dinner.”

  They both thanked me for breakfast. Paul headed south. We took Highway 42 north to the tip of the peninsula.

  “Spencer, mind if I throw in my two cents?”

  “Of course not.”

  She turned toward me in the bucket seat. “Let’s go back to Kathleen not trusting the police. Are you sure it’s not Paul?”

  I took a deep breath and turned left at the junction with Highway 57. “Yeah, I was interested in his reaction as well as his answer. Nothing strange about either one. I can’t imagine this would be about Paul, but you never know.”

  “And do you feel better about the chief?”

  I laughed. “Partly. Still not so thrilled about his bedside manner.”

  “Yeah, pretty gruff. I wonder why.”

  We were both silent as we followed the winding road through the forest. This was one of my favorite parts of the peninsula. I felt like I was the only car on the road as we wound through the majestic cedar trees and pines that lined both sides.

  Chapter 21

  The ferry was loading when we drove out of the forest at the end of the road. I paid as the attendant wrote my car and license plate on the manifest. I pulled in behind a Chevy wagon. We got out and stood at the rail. A warm wind was blowing from the southwest. Put that together with the moisture up here and that meant humidity, and storms.

  “How long is this trip?” asked Maxine.

  “About a half hour.”

  She put her arm through mine and said, “Add this to my list of firsts because of Spencer Manning.”

  I squeezed her arm.

  The channel between the islands was a bit choppy thanks to the wind. I asked Maxine how her stomach was doing.

  “Fine.” She pointed to the northeast. “Is that the island?”

  “No. That’s Plum. Washington is much bigger. You can see part of it off to the left.”

  “Do people live there?”

  “Yup, a permanent population of about six hundred.”

  She let go of my arm. “Permanent? Even in the winter?”

  “Yup.”

  “How do they get things?”

  “Well, the ferry runs into December. After that they use snowmobiles after the ice forms.”

  She just stared at the island. “This is certainly a different life. I never could have imagined all this before you brought me up here. These islands are a totally different experience from Ephraim. And Cana Island is different again.” She looked thoughtful as she gazed out over the waters of Death’s Door. “Someone who lives up here doesn’t have to leave the county to take a vacation. They just
have to drive twenty minutes and they’re in a whole new world.”

  “I agree. This is a wonderful place.” I was impressed by Maxine’s thoughts and feelings and felt very close to her. I wanted to put my arm around her, but didn’t.

  “What’s your plan once we get there?” she asked.

  “To visit Grizzly. Then we can drive around a bit—I’ll give you the nickel tour.”

  We docked and I took County W north to Townline Road. Grizzly lived on the other side of the island in a small log cabin that he had helped build a long time ago. Townline ran straight east. The land on both sides was either forest or farmland. There weren’t many homes. Ten minutes later, I turned left onto a dirt road that went straight north through a forested area. A cloud of dust kicked up behind the Mustang. The cabin was visible when we cleared the trees.

  Grizzly was chopping wood in front of the porch.

  As I rolled to a stop, Maxine said, “Interesting-looking fellow.”

  “Yup. In many ways.”

  Grizzly glanced briefly in our direction and went back to chopping. Long gray hair pulled into a pony tail and a gray beard betrayed his age. But his muscular arms and chest took off twenty years. He stopped and leaned on the axe as we walked up.

  “Hello, Grizzly. You won’t remember me, but…”

  “Runny-nosed kid, asked questions about everything. Good eye with a rifle. How ya doin’ kid?”

  I laughed as Maxine stood with her mouth open.

  “Doin’ great, Grizzly. And you don’t look a day older.”

  He squinted and eyed me closely. “Always figured some of the things that came out of your mouth were lies. You’ve added a pretty girl since I saw you last.” He looked at Maxine with reverence.

  I introduced her.

  He bowed slightly. “Pleased to meet you ma’am. Please pardon my working duds.”

  He turned back to me. “Is your old man still a cop?”

  “No. He was killed a few years ago.”

  “Aw, geez, that’s tough, kid. My sympathies to you and your mom.”

  “Thanks. But she was killed, too.”

  He shook his head. “Hard to find words for all that.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “You a cop, too?”

  “No. I thought about it but went the private investigator route.”

  He buried the axe in a stump and laughed. “That figures. Still asking a lot of questions, eh? So what brings you to Chez Grizzly?” He grinned and swept an arm across the front yard.

  “Trying to find Kathleen.”

  He invited us up to the porch and pointed to log chairs.

  “It’s a long, confusing story, but she’s missing. She escaped from two detectives and disappeared.”

  He nodded and scratched at his cheek. “And you think she’s here?”

  I gazed off at the trees. “I always loved this land, Grizzly. What a beautiful place to live.”

  We were all quiet for a few minutes.

  “I don’t have many facts, but this is a possibility,” I said with some hesitation.

  “Well, she’s not.”

  I nodded. “When was the last time you saw her?”

  He rubbed his beard. “Not since last year. She always comes up at the end of the year to see if I need anything. I never do, but it’s nice to see her.”

  I nodded again. “Don’t you want to know why she was with detectives?”

  “Nope. None of my business. I figure you would have told me if you wanted me to know.”

  He had been looking at Maxine, who was staring out at the property. He turned to me and asked, “So is there something that makes you think she came here?”

  “Yeah. Thought she might want to borrow your boat.”

  “Well, if she did, she didn’t ask. You’re welcome to go down to the boathouse and see if it’s there.”

  “Thanks, I’ll do that.” I looked around some more. “You know, this place doesn’t change. The trees are bigger and your beard might be longer, but I feel like I just walked in fifteen years ago. You’re still living by your rule.”

  He smiled, looking peaceful and content.

  Maxine looked confused. “What rule is that?”

  He looked thoughtful as he gazed out over his yard. “The land has a big effect on me and I have little effect on it. I built this here cabin and dug a hole for the crapper, but that’s about it. Grow some crops. I take care of it and it takes care of me.”

  “That’s wonderful, Grizzly,” said Maxine. “I used to live in a place where all kids had was a sidewalk to play on. They’ll never ever see something like this.”

  He shook his head. “That’s a real shame, ma’am.”

  She looked strangely at me.

  “What’s the matter, Maxine?”

  “Well, I, uh…”

  “Spit it out, young lady,” Grizzly said with a sparkle in his eye.

  “Okay, if you don’t mind, I’d, well, I’ve never seen an outhouse.”

  We all started to laugh. He was one happy old man.

  He stood up, offered his arm, and they headed around to the back of the cabin.

  Maxine looked over her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “No, I’ll pass. I’ve seen the outhouse. Not one of my fondest memories. Grizzly, if you don’t mind, I’ll drive over to the boathouse and leave you with Maxine.”

  “If I don’t mind? I’m old—I’m not dead!”

  They walked off laughing, her arm linked through his.

  I got back forty-five minutes later. They weren’t back yet so I sat in the rocker and fell asleep listening to the birds. More laughter woke me up a half hour later.

  “Did you enjoy the outhouse?”

  “I did,” she said, excitedly. “Along with everything else. He showed me where fawns were born, a spring that I took a drink from, rare flowers that only grow here, and so much more.” She turned and gave Grizzly a hug. “Thanks so much, Grizzly. I love it here.”

  “Well, come back sometime and spend the night. The stars are amazing.”

  “I’ll do that. But how will I know if you’re here?”

  Grizzly and I both laughed.

  “Well, young lady, I’m always here. I have no reason to leave.”

  She looked aghast. “You mean you’ve never been off of this island?”

  “Oh, I have, but I learned my lesson. When I was a bit younger, I used to go over to the mainland for fun. But I soon found out what they considered fun wasn’t all that important.”

  Then his face changed and I thought I saw sadness. After a minute, he continued.

  “And there was a woman once. But she couldn’t get used to living out here without the modern conveniences.”

  Maxine touched his arm. “That’s sad, Grizzly. I’m sorry.”

  “No reason to be sorry, young lady. We all make choices. Hers just didn’t match mine. And I have come to learn that living with the land here is worth more to me than living with the wrong woman.” Then his eyes twinkled and he put his arm around her waist. He leaned in toward her and said quietly, “But if you want to stay for a spell, I won’t be kicking you out.” He winked at me.

  Maxine and I laughed. Grizzly smiled but he wasn’t laughing. I thought there was still a hopeful look in those old eyes.

  He turned to me. “Was the boat there, kid?”

  I stood and walked down the steps to where they were standing and took a deep breath.

  “No, it wasn’t.” I couldn’t read his look.

  “Kinda surprised she’d take it without asking. I wouldn’t have said no.”

  “Well, maybe she didn’t have time to ask, or maybe she’s protecting you.”

  He looked surprised. “Protecting me? From what?”

  “Somebody trashed her studio and the owner of a frame shop in Ephraim was murdered.”

  “Whooee. That sure is somethin’. I wonder when she took it.”

  “My guess would be Sunday or Monday.”

 
He pulled at his beard. “And why.”

  “Damned good question. If I knew that maybe I could find her.”

  “Good luck with that, kid. I’ll keep a good thought. Let me know.”

  “Thanks, Grizzly. Will do. Nice to see you again. Thanks for taking care of Maxine.”

  “My pleasure, kid. Don’t let so much time go by.”

  “Will do.”

  Maxine waved as we drove away. “What a sweet man.”

  “Yeah. You won’t find a better one.”

  She looked at me with a playful smile. “I might argue with you on that.”

  Taking a deep breath, I responded slowly. “Well, you’re entitled to your opinion.” I kept my eyes on the road but could feel her looking at me. “We’ll stop at the grocery store and get a sandwich.”

  I parked on the dirt next to the store. We went inside, ordered ham sandwiches, and ate at a picnic bench next to my Mustang. Two more cars pulled up while we were eating.

  “There’s something that’s bothering me,” Maxine said.

  “Shoot.”

  “I think Grizzly might know where she is.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Well, he wasn’t at all concerned about losing the boat. Kinda like he knew where it was.”

  I laughed. “Good catch, but not true. Two things about Grizzly. One, he doesn’t lie—ever. If he says he hasn’t seen her, he hasn’t. Two, he doesn’t care about the boat.”

  “That’s hard to believe.”

  “For you and me. But not for Grizzly. Things just tie you down. If you have something that’s going to bother you if you lose it, you never really enjoy it in the first place.”

  She looked confused. “I don’t understand.”

  “If you have something valuable, you’re buying insurance, or a safe, or whatever. You’re spending time protecting it, not enjoying it.”

  She was quiet for a minute. “Do you believe that?”

  “In theory, sure. Makes sense. But not so easy to do.”