Bev shook her head.
Nina half-smiled. “I’m not really digressing. Anthropology is another one of those degrees you can’t do much with unless you go on to grad school and most of the good jobs require a PhD. I was fresh out of college, able to get in with a team going on an expedition and for reasons that aren’t important, I took to boats and diving and had zero interest in settling down anywhere. You probably know you can’t make a real living in the dive business as an instructor, but a good boat captain who can handle anything up to a 100-ton? Different story, especially if you’re willing to travel. You might be surprised at the demand in the private yacht world. And, if in between gigs, you’re in a place of anthropological interest, you stay extra and do some pretty cool shit.”
“Such as learn about exotic poisons.”
Nina made a checkmark in the air. “This is why you’re a good detective. Without straining, I can rattle off three to four poisons someone could use to produce exactly the results of what happened with Matt. Poisons the ME would never think about checking for and sure as hell wouldn’t show up on standard toxicology screens.”
Bev masked the spark she felt. She’d never been comfortable with the ultimate ruling on Matt’s death. “Who and why?”
Nina’s mouth curved down. “Most people thought Matt was an asshole of the highest order. Did you ever meet him? As a person, I mean.”
“Yeah, there was a fatality with a guy he was guiding. I did the investigation on our end and that was a confirmed heart attack. Raney was cleared of any fault.”
Nina winced. “Ah. Did you have much contact with him about it?”
“Enough to agree with several assessments of him as an asshole. I’m not saying he didn’t have redeeming features, but if we stay with the total asshole perspective, that doesn’t generally lead to being murdered.”
Nina’s expression was philosophical. “To start with, yes, the assessments were correct. You aren’t the attracted-to-the-bad-boy type, are you?”
“Never saw any percentage in it.”
“I don’t seek them out, but let’s just say I’ve been involved with a variety of men and Matt and I suited each other. We were genuinely in it for fun with no expectations of anything else. I don’t intend to be graphic, so how about take my word Matt was in terrific physical shape.” She held her hand up in a Stop gesture. “Yes, I realize there can be weird medical problems we’re not aware of until it’s too late and I’m willing to accept that answer. I also don’t know who all was on the boat other than — I understand Gary Fitzhugh was the mate.”
Bev swirled ice in her glass and kept her gaze on Nina. “He was. Is there something I should know about him?”
Nina’s voice dropped. “Look, I agree someone being an asshole isn’t necessarily a motive for murder. In Matt’s case though as I’m sure you must have found out, his dick did way too much thinking for him. It was a game with him and trust me, he kept score, and discretion was not one of his characteristics.” She narrowed her eyes briefly. “You’re not going to go judgmental on me about how I should have despised him as an affront to all women, are you?”
Bev was pragmatic. “Not unless you tell me he was into kiddie porn or minors.”
Nina’s reaction was immediate. “No way, no how. Teenager was not his style. I could try to soften it and say Matt loved women, although I suppose the correct word could be appreciated. You know how guys are always saying, ‘The worst sex I ever had was still great?’ As women we’re usually more discerning, but that was Matt. He loved sex and he was no stranger to the cougar crowd as well as twenty-somethings. Being in a tourist town definitely made one-and-two night stands easy. The local scene could get a little tricky. He had enough of a reputation so a lot of women knew what they were getting into and enjoyed the short fling with no hurt feelings. Others either didn’t want to believe it or took it as a challenge. They were the ones who were sure they could change him. Those situations tended to end messily.”
Bev remembered Zia Langford had put Deena Pierce into that category. “There’s a connection to Gary in this?”
Nina paused for a sip of beer. “Oh yeah. It was a few months before I unplugged. You know how as boat captain and you’ve got a mate on board and everyone is in the water for both dives, you have plenty of time for chatting?”
“Sure.” With the predominantly shallow reefs, divers normally had forty-five minutes to an hour of diving in the water. Unless there was an emergency, it was quiet time for the captain and mate as they kept watch and waited.
“I did a couple of days a week with Scuba-Plus and had worked with Gary before. The minute the last diver splashed in, the grin came off his face and it was obvious something was eating at him. He retreated to the far side of the boat looking out and didn’t say a word. I let it go, just kind of watched him out of curiosity. Divers came up and he seemed fine, doing his job. Same thing once we alone on the boat after everyone went in for the second dive. The smile for the customers was gone within seconds. I asked if he was okay and he said he was fine. I pushed a tiny bit, saying we were alone and it was a good time to talk if anything was on his mind. He said he’d had a long night and there was nothing to it. It wasn’t my business and he was doing a good job as mate, so I didn’t really think too much about it. I had some extra work to do when we got back and I as headed into the shop I heard voices raised in the guest storage area. I thought maybe there was a problem with a pissed-off customer, but when I got a little closer I realized it was Matt and Gary. I heard Gary say something like, ‘You son-of-a-bitch, it’s your fucking fault and you’ll get yours someday.’ Matt said something I couldn’t hear and then there’s a sound I wasn’t not sure of and a, ‘Motherfucker,’ so I stepped to the open door. Matt was bent over a little and Gary’s fist was pulled back. I said, ‘What the hell,’ or whatever and they both jumped apart.” She took a breath. “Matt was shaking his head for me not to do anything and Gary stomped past me without a word. I asked Matt was what going on. He blew it off as guy shit and said he had a hot date and had to get going.”
Bev glanced around to confirm no one was near enough to listen in on the conversation.
Nina paused until Bev refocused. “I didn’t know what to think and I went into the shop. Laurie Wright was closing up and she asked me if anything had happened between Matt and Gary. I asked why she was asking and she told me Gary had come through there looking like he was about to explode and then she saw Matt pass by. I soft-pedaled it and said they might have had some kind of argument and that’s when she told me about Noreen — shit — I don’t remember her last name.”
“Worth throwing a punch over?”
Nina grimaced. “Not in the way you might think. I didn’t know the girl — she was a regular at Paradisio and that’s not one of my hang-out places. I guess Gary had a thing for her, but she thought of him as a buddy and Matt, well, Matt, was his usual self in hooking up with her. She didn’t last any longer than usual and she took it hard — was crying on Gary’s shoulder about it.”
“Probably not what he wanted to hear,” Bev said.
“Not usually. It was a lot more than that though. A few days later she’s out with some other guy. He’s seriously sideways, has a head-on with a semi, and they’re both killed. Him and Noreen, I mean.”
“Gary blamed Matt?” It was a stretch.
Nina pursed her lips before continuing. “Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe she was on the rebound, drank more than she would have, wouldn’t have been in the car with the guy if, yada, yada. I’m not saying it was a logical conclusion. It was pretty obvious from what I saw and what Laurie told me, Gary did hold Matt at least partially responsible.”
“It happened more than a year ago,” Bev pointed out.
“Yes,” Nina said and held up one finger. “Except another young lady who was part of the same crowd as Noreen and Gary was Deena Pierce.”
> “Well, shit.”
Nina leaned forward with her voice lower. “Timing is everything as they say. I don’t even remember how the topic of her came up yesterday. It was one of those out-of-the-blue things, but it’s a small damn town and there are several people who swear she got wasted over a break-up with Matt and she died from alcohol poisoning. Is it true?”
“That was the cause of death,” Bev said carefully, pieces clicking against each other in her mind.
Nina pulled back slightly and drew her almost empty mug toward her. “Look, I’m not trying to stir shit up. So, okay, two women, one of whom for sure Gary likes, both wind up dead in what are arguably self-destructive ways after Matt dumps them. It may not mean anything, but I wanted to tell you.” She drained the mug, reached for the bowl of snack mix and shook some into her hand. “I can stay for another if you have questions and, if you do, you want to swap from Diet Coke?”
What Bev wanted was to get to her notes of the investigation. “Hold on for one question. How would you see this going down if it wasn’t an accident?”
Nina’s voice was flat. “Pretty easy, really. You know how it works when you have several people on board. As mate, you move all around the boat, chat with the customers, make sure they have their set-up ready, answer questions they might have. The kind of poisons I’m referring to require small quantities and a vial or packet can fit inside a shorts pocket. If Matt was away from his gear, which is likely because he tended to be sociable on the boat, a few seconds is all it would take to put something on his regulator. If he’d already checked it, he wouldn’t put it in his mouth again until he was ready to go in. The correct substance wouldn’t kick in for maybe twenty minutes, which puts them down the line and into the wreck. Seizure occurs and if the right person isn’t close enough, rescue takes too long.” Nina brushed a napkin across her palm, maintaining eye contact. “I was told his dive buddy was some kid who worked at the store. Maybe she wasn’t as quick to realize what was going on as she could have been. A few minutes in not taking action would have made a big difference. Gary would have known in advance that’s who Matt was diving with.”
Bev pushed her chair away from the table. “It’s a hell of a theory,” she said. “You know Gary well enough to think he could have done this?”
Nina’s short laugh was bitter. “What are your three requirements? Means, motive, and opportunity? How much anger and nerve does it take? I don’t know and maybe I’m reading way too much into this. You tell me I’ve got more imagination than is good for me and I’ll take your word for it.”
“You’ve made some interesting points,” she said instead and stretched out her hand. “How long will you be staying?”
“I’m closing in on an arrangement to take a guy’s yacht to Abaco. It’s in for repairs for maybe two weeks, give or take. I’ll be around, and you’ve got my phone number.”
Bev walked Nina to the bar, focusing her thoughts. She’d been impressed with Nina based on their admittedly limited personal contact. She was respected within the marine community and now she was searching her mental files. She remembered Nina had helped Walt at Adventures Below for a while when he’d lost one of his captains with no notice. Walt was discrete, as knowledgeable as anyone when it came to scuba and, hell, he’d been through the mess with her when they’d damn near all been killed. She could go to the office to consult her notes again and if Walt didn’t have an afternoon charter, he’d probably be in the shop alone. He could be trusted to keep quiet as she contemplated Nina’s speculations. Jesus, was it possible? Obviously, it was possible or Nina wouldn’t have approached her. The correct questions were, did it happen, and would it have been as easy to pull off as indicated?
Bev was correct in guessing Adventures Below would be quiet if there was no afternoon charter. Walt was at the front counter, talking with Danny who grinned as always whether it was Bev or a total stranger. His extrovert disposition was part of what made him good with sales.
“Hey, there, how are you? You here to book a dive?”
“Would love to and we hope maybe next weekend,” Bev said.
“That’s okay, Danny,” Walt said and straightened. “Bev and I are going to the classroom. I think you have time to finish the order before six. If not, there’s no reason to stay later. Leave me a note and I’ll take care of it.”
He snapped his fingers. “No worries, boss man, I’ve got it. Tell Kyle I said hi, Bev.”
“I will,” she said and pivoted when Walt pointed to the half-full coffeepot on the credenza against the wall.
“That’s still pretty fresh and the fridge is stocked. Want a water or Diet Coke?”
Bev wasn’t certain how long their discussion would take. “Coffee sounds good.”
They carried their mugs into the classroom that looked the same as the last time she’d been in it. Walt’s focus was recreational scuba diving and, so far at least, he’d chosen not to get into serious technical diving and definitely not the rebreather technology other shops had added to their line-up. Old training posters on the side walls of the rectangular, windowless room hadn’t been replaced, although he had bought four new laptop computers — one for each eight-foot long table that faced the white board at the front. The two black metal bookshelves against the back wall were filled with reference material, much of it well-thumbed.
Walt eased onto the black armless padded chair of the first table, a slight grimace on his face from what Bev knew was a knee he was steadfastly refusing to have surgery for. He was only a few years younger than her father and he’d made a comment once about after too many months in an Army hospital in the waning months of the Vietnam war, he tended to avoid doctors as much as possible. His square face was weathered in the way of most men who made a career on the water and he swore he was going to start shaving his head someday rather than wait for the rest of his gray-streaked black hair to fall out.
“You didn’t give me much information on the phone,” he said, holding the mug mid-way to his mouth. “I gather it’s something confidential.”
“Hypothetical could be the right word. We love to dive, but we’re comparative novices to someone like you.” Bev hesitated. “Your answers might lead into confidential though.”
His brown eyes weren’t curious and his voice was level. “I’m not going to try to guess, so you might as well come out with whatever it is.”
“Did you know Matt Raney?”
“Not really, other than the name and to see him around occasionally. Never had any reason to deal with him. I was like most people and didn’t understand what the hell happened — no older than he was with the profile they were diving. When you’ve been in this business as long as I have, you see the anomalies though and I did sit and have a few belts with Roger Lariby after. Swapped some stories, talked about how unpredictable life can be.”
“Nina Gustafson?”
“Sure, hell of a good captain and that doesn’t count how easy on the eyes she is. I heard she was back in town. Where are we headed with this, Bev? You don’t have to beat around the bush.”
Bev held up one hand to get a swallow of coffee. Was she going to sound ridiculous?
“Would it be possible for Raney’s death not to have been an accident?”
Walt looked more thoughtful than surprised. “Well yeah, a couple of ways come to mind. Actual cause of death was drowning after becoming unconscious with no warning, right?”
Bev nodded and he tapped his thumb against the side of his mug. “The simple answer would be give him a bad gas to put him into convulsions and he would subsequently drown, but it couldn’t have been his tank or that would have happened immediately. His pony bottle was checked, as was his tank as a matter of protocol, and everything was normal. Turning off his air and preventing him from getting to his pony bottle would be a Hollywood style touch and highly improbable with the girl I was told was his dive buddy. The correc
t kind of poison is the logical thing.”
Bev arched her eyebrows.
“It’s not overly complicated,” he said, pushing his mug aside and ticking points off his fingers. “The keys are reaction time and effect. It can’t be immediate because it had to be something ingested before splashing in. There’s not a practical way to administer it underwater. At the depth they were diving, bottom time was going to be around thirty-five minutes, I imagine. Target time would be fifteen to twenty minutes to cause unconsciousness, seizure, or some degree of paralysis — all of which would lead to the inability to keep the regulator in his mouth. If the dive buddy took appropriate action to keep him from drowning, the right poison would still kill him, and it isn’t something an autopsy would be likely to reveal unless the doc knew specifically to look for something extra. Again, as a matter of protocol, the normal range of drugs would be tested for, but nothing more. Like I said, Matt’s death was out of the ordinary, but there are other documented cases. Without a basis to suspect poison, it wouldn’t have occurred to anyone.”
Bev didn’t tell him he was tracking with exactly what Nina had speculated. “This idea doesn’t seem to startle you.”
He grunted softly and his eyes stopped focusing on her. “I was an MP in the Army, did an assignment at Fort Hood in Texas before I got shipped to ‘Nam. You get DWIs, fights, domestic calls, theft maybe, nothing very big for the most part. Had a case that shocked everyone though. Wife with a toddler, husband, who as it turned out was an abuser. Smart about it so as not to leave visible marks. Most people who knew them described the wife as an introvert, plus I suppose we weren’t really attuned to the problem in those days. The husband didn’t show up for morning formation. That wasn’t like him and there was no answer when they called. They lived in post housing, so his platoon sergeant went over, saw the car, and no one came to the door when he pounded. The door was unlocked and all three of them were in the living room. Husband is on the couch in front of the TV, beer can on the floor. Wife is in the armchair, kid and goddamn nursery rhyme book with her. Note was on the coffee table. After she made certain her husband was dead, she poisoned herself and the kid.”
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