by Amie Denman
I took Marlena’s suggestion and walked to Kurt’s house on my lunch break. Though I didn’t think today’s would turn into the event that the one on Saturday had. Had it only been forty-eight hours? A lot had happened since then. The investigation was building toward a finale that could have me joining Kurt on the injured list. Or worse.
When I neared his house, I saw a familiar black Lincoln Town Car in the driveway. Beat to the punch again. It could be her father, but Mary was likely already there in front of me. I just hoped she wasn’t looking Kurt over from A to Z in a surgical second opinion. That was my plan. I considered turning and running straight back to the marina where I would wave the white flag and accept a consolation margarita from Marlena.
My moment of waffling didn’t last long. I resolved to have it out with Mary and move on with my life one way or the other. However it turned out, I would at least be able to focus on catching Cerberus and the mayor up to no good.
In a fearless display of bravery, I tiptoed onto the porch and listened at the open front window. Officially, I was checking to see who his visitor was for sure, but unofficially I wouldn’t have minded getting some clear and useful information. What I got was an earful.
I’d only heard her voice briefly when she’d been the blushing bride in the limo, but I knew it was Mary. Her voice was raised, tense and angry. A surprise because I’d never seen her go past sedate on the emotion meter. Kurt sounded tired and resigned, but firm.
“How many times do I have to tell you, Mary?”
“I just don’t believe you would throw this away,” she said.
“When have I ever led you to believe that there was anything between us?” Kurt asked.
“You gave me a Christmas present once.” She sounded petulant and hurt.
“I delivered a Christmas present to your family from ours. My mother always made walnut fudge and gave it to the neighbors.”
“You’re the youngest in your family and so am I,” she continued.
“And…”
“I always thought we would end up together.”
“Sorry.”
“I suppose you’ll be going after that slutty kindergarten teacher.”
“Leave her out of this,” said Kurt. His tone suddenly angry instead of tired.
“She has all the class of a double-wide trailer,” snapped Mary. “She’s probably slept with half the town by now.”
“You should talk.”
“How dare you say that to me? She is nothing like me.”
Kurt laughed. “You’re right about that. She’s ten times better. Besides, as far as I know, she’s slept with the one guy in town that you haven’t.”
I closed my eyes and tried to imprint those words on my brain so that I could remember them forever. No matter where I went or what I did in life, they would live in my cerebral cortex as one of the best comebacks in the history of conversation. Not bad for a guy just out of the hospital. I wanted to rush in there and throw my arms around him, but I didn’t think the argument was over yet. I was all for getting into a good fight, but this wasn’t any place for amateurs.
“You have to marry me. It’s what my father wants,” she said, this time sounding less hurt and more threatening.
“And do you always do what your father wants?” Kurt asked.
“Most people find that it’s in their best interest.”
He laughed again, humorless and hard. “I suppose that’s some kind of a threat.”
“You work for him.”
“I work for the fire chief.”
“Who is hired by the mayor,” she said coldly.
A moment of silence followed, and I took a small, cautious breath. I pressed against the wood siding outside the wide front window that opened onto the porch, hoping to blend in. Not terribly surprised by what I was hearing, I could hardly believe that I’d stumbled almost blindly upon it.
“I never thought you would sink this low, Mary,” Kurt said softly. “You would force me into a relationship to please your father? Why the desperation to reel me in? How would this benefit you?”
“My father needs loyal friends.”
“I guess I get loyalty from my friends without strong-arming them. Besides, I’m already a loyal employee. What else would he need from me? It’s not like I’m in a position of influence. I’m just a firefighter.”
“Who has an influential family.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Your brother is in a vulnerable position. Accountants can make mistakes,” Mary said.
My wheels were turning as I tried to remember what Marlena had told me about Kurt’s brothers. One brother was a priest, one was a professor of something and the other one was in business of some kind. Was he an accountant? Damn, I would have to pay more attention to Marlena’s lectures in the future. Not that their accuracy was particularly stellar.
“Get out of my house.”
“What?”
“I said get out. I am telling you to leave and never come back,” Kurt ordered.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Am I?”
“I can get you fired.”
“I’ll get another job. Every city needs firefighters. Your father’s power doesn’t extend beyond the Bluegill city limits.”
“You have no idea how powerful my father is,” she said.
“Okay, why don’t you tell me?”
This was turning into a real bonus for me. Out of the anger of rejection, Mary might blurt out information I could use. Maybe she’d reveal why Cerberus was willing to loan her father gambling money. Johnson and Balcheski would be impressed if I found the answer to that part of the mystery.
Sadly, it was too good to be true. The next thing I heard was the side door of Kurt’s house slamming, then the Lincoln backed out of the driveway without even pausing to look for traffic and squealed its tires pulling away. I doubted if Mary even glanced at the front porch. She was too wrapped up in testing the car’s transmission. If I had such a nice car to drive, I wouldn’t mistreat it like that. Of course, it was easy to make empty promises when you were becoming a world champion hitchhiker.
What to do next? Knock on the door as if nothing had happened or slink back to the marina? Or find a private place and do a little happy dance. It looked like there would be no more photos to contribute to the Kurt and Mary album. I planned to set aside time later in the day to celebrate.
I mustered up some courage and was about to knock when I heard Kurt talking to someone else. This time on the phone.
“Hey, Luke, it’s Kurt. We have to talk.”
Silence, then I heard Kurt mumble something about a visit from Mary before his voice trailed off. Damn. He must have walked upstairs or to the back of the house where I couldn’t hear his end of the conversation. Thus far in my espionage career, I had not advanced to phone tapping. Forced to let this opportunity go, I tiptoed off the porch to go back to work. Unless I was mistaken, I would soon have plenty of chances to pump Kurt. For information.
Chapter Twenty-four
Harry had the gift of being almost always right when it came to figuring me out. My dad’s sixtieth birthday party that evening inspired me to drink too much and then talk too much in the truck on the way home.
My twin sisters, Rose and Daisy, had come from two different states but still managed to get Dad exactly the same present. My brother, Gerry, announced that he’d decided to pursue art history instead of theology because it was much more practical, and my mother revealed all the details of her menopause hormone therapy. All the details, with stern warnings to her daughters that we were not to ever go through menopause if we could help it. My sisters and I promised that we never would, and at least I was being truthful. Playing with fire these days, I might not live to see the splendid end of my childbearing years.
Yep, Harry had been right. I drank at least one glass of wine for each nutty family member and needed help getting into his F-150 at the end of the night.
It was only a half-hour drive home—enough time for me to tell Harry about Kurt Reynolds, Chief Balcheski, John Johnson, Damien Cerberus, the Virgin Mary, Mayor Ballard, Marlena and even the lewd one-eyed pirate, Sherman. I spilled everything and shed a few maudlin tears where necessary and appropriate.
“So, let me get this straight,” he said after a few minutes of silent driving. “You’re involved because they think you can figure things out.’
“Hard to believe, I know.”
“No, it’s not. You can always find my favorite shoes and earrings when I can’t.”
“I guess.”
“And you did emerge from the Shepherd family to be relatively normal, so you must have some magical powers.”
“Maybe.”
“I just don’t know what Johnny and the chief want you to find out.”
“Johnny?”
Harry grinned. “We bonded.”
I shrugged.
“Seems like they already know Cerberus let the mayor gamble at his casino across the river and run up a huge tab,” he continued. “They already know the mayor stole a million bucks from Bluegill to pay back the debt. And they suspect the mayor also paid back Cerberus with some fake testimony about the wife’s murder.”
I nodded.
“So what don’t they know?”
I stared out the window. My head already hurt. “There’s something more.”
“Obviously.”
“It’s not obvious. They don’t know for sure why Cerberus killed his wife. And they don’t know what else is between those two guys. Seems like there’s something else going on, but nobody can put his finger on it.”
“But they think you can?”
“Guess so. Maybe I’ll find out something at the boat show next weekend.”
“You don’t sound too excited about being a boat ho.”
“I don’t feel like being ogled and pawed by rich men.”
“Listen to yourself,” he said. “You wouldn’t hear me talking like that.”
“Maybe you should dress up and take my place,” I suggested.
“Tempting. But your stories are so much better than mine lately. Tell me about your Saturday lunch break again.”
I was drunk enough to oblige him with a detailed repeat. I figured he deserved a few perks from having to put up with me. Might as well be good entertainment.
It was a heck of a relief to spill all the details to someone who was a champion at keeping his mouth closed and always championed my side. No threat in telling Harry any of this except that it might drag him into the more unpleasant complications of the investigation. When we got home, he helped me into the house and up the stairs to my room. Then he slipped my favorite nightgown over my head, set my alarm clock for 7:00 a.m. and tucked me in.
A note was waiting for me next to my steaming coffee cup on Tuesday morning.
“Found it on the porch,” Harry mumbled through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “Must not’ve seen it last night when we got home.”
I took a sip of coffee before unfolding the paper. Given my luck, it would be a death threat from a number of possible suspects.
“It’s safe to read.”
I raised one eyebrow at him.
“I might’ve peeked.” He grinned. “It’s not like it was sealed.”
I opened the already violated note. It was written on the back of a page torn out of the owner’s manual for a Chevrolet pickup.
Dear Jazz,
Came by to see you. Three times. Will see you at marina tomorrow. I hope everything’s okay with you.
Kurt
“That’s pretty quaint, leaving you a note,” Harry commented. “So old-fashioned.”
I ignored him because I was busy rereading the note. Three times.
“Of course, he couldn’t leave you a voice mail because you don’t have a phone. Next, he’ll be throwing rocks at your window.”
I continued to ignore Harry, busy speculating about why Kurt had come by three times to see me.
“Maybe you’ll make enough money being a boat ho that you can get a cell phone and see what technology can do for your love life.”
“Car first,” I said. “Unless you want to chauffeur me around the rest of your life.”
“It’s not all bad,” Harry said. “I hear the most interesting stories.”
Chapter Twenty-five
I got to the marina office ahead of Marlena and used my key to get in. Even though she took more time with her makeup than I did, she was always there before me in the morning, and it worried me that she was late. Maybe I was just nervous in general these days. Still, I was glad to see her and Sherman pull in about ten minutes after I did.
“Lazy bones,” she said, pointing at her husband. “He didn’t want to get out of bed.”
Relieved and feeling giddy as a result of confiding in Harry and getting a note from Kurt, I said, “Good for you two. Always nice to have a reason to stay in bed on a Tuesday morning.”
Marlena laughed and Sherman looked sheepish.
“I wish,” she said. “Sherm’s just tired this morning. Didn’t sleep good last night. I say it’s watching all those reality shows right before bed. Messes with your head.”
I couldn’t argue with that. Sherman stuffed a set of keys in his pocket, grabbed a hat off his desk and headed out the door.
“Maybe you should take him to the doctor,” I suggested.
“That’s what I said. He don’t wanna go, but I have ways of making my point.”
No doubt about that. Marlena disappeared into the office for a few minutes and I started to line up the paperwork for today’s departures.
“I see hottie fireman’s back on the job.” Marlena returned to the store area and flipped the open sign in the front window.
I rushed to the front window and looked down the row of boats to get a glimpse of Kurt in the fireboat. A high-school move for sure, but high schoolers know a few things about infatuation and hormones. They’re experts in that subject.
She gave me the scrunchy-lip smile. “Guess you’ve decided to forgive him for eloping with the Virgin Mary a few days ago.”
I laughed and was about to start explaining what I could without revealing too much, but Marlena started screaming.
“What? What?” I followed her glance out the window.
The small aluminum boat Sherman used for getting around the marina was floating in the middle of the marina, and we could see him slumped over in the bottom of it.
I launched into action and barreled out the office door. I had no plan except to get Kurt’s attention and get to Sherman.
“Kurt! Help!” I pointed frantically at Sherman’s boat.
Kurt jumped at the tone of my voice and stood too fast. He whacked his head on the partial roof of the fireboat.
“Sherman! In the boat!”
I grabbed a length of coiled rope and ran down the dock closest to the drifting aluminum craft. My feet thundered on the wooden boards and I hoped my girls wouldn’t get unbalanced and knock me down at this high rate of speed. I got to the end of the dock, looped the rope around a cleat and whipped off my shoes. I was going in.
“Let me,” Kurt said. He skidded to a stop beside me, blood running down his face from a cut on his forehead. He pulled his shoes off and tossed them next to his radio on the dock. I considered insisting that I would swim out and save Sherman, but one look at his body type and mine revealed the stupidity of that argument.
“Take this rope,” I said. “I’ll pull you in.”
He jumped into the water and swam quickly to Sherman’s boat. He grabbed the boat and I reeled them in hand over hand in ten seconds flat. The wail of an approaching siren pierced the early morning stillness. Kurt scrambled onto the dock dripping water everywhere and lifted Sherman from the boat. He laid the unconscious man on the dock and opened his shirt, trying to find out if Sherman was breathing or not, while Marlena stood over us screaming.
Kurt glanced up and our eyes met. I knew what
he needed. I pulled Marlena into a hug, dragging her several feet away and trying to calm her. The other firefighters were already rolling a stretcher down the dock. In seconds, Kurt and his partners loaded Sherman and whisked him to the waiting ambulance. Kurt glanced back at me and paused as he climbed into the back and pulled the door shut.
The ambulance took off with lights on and sirens blaring, leaving me and Marlena standing on the dock.
People who had stayed the night on their boats in the marina started climbing out of their cuddy cabins to see what all the fuss was about. I noticed John Johnson among the boaters who had been awakened by the sirens. He strode down the dock wearing sweatpants and a College of William and Mary T-shirt. So much for his rap star millionaire disguise. I doubted anyone noticed; they were too preoccupied with what happened to Sherman. Johnson was the first to approach us after the ambulance took off.
“Can I help?” he asked.
I shook my head but then realized that someone needed to take Marlena to the hospital.
“Do you have a car?” I asked.
“Yep.”
“Either loan me your car or take Marlena to the hospital.”
Johnson took a moment to decide. He had probably done enough background to know I did not currently possess a working car. Loaning his car to someone like me or driving a hysterical stranger to the hospital undoubtedly seemed like a tough decision. Lucky for him, he was saved by Chief Balcheski. Clearly, he’d heard the commotion over the radio. An emergency call for an ambulance to the marina must have gotten his attention, and he’d hustled over in expectation of seeing me being hauled off to my final rest.