police station. You’d think I was some kind of crook who
spent my time there. Hasn’t writing news done anything about the
way you ramble all around a subject?”
Teddy shoved me, which nearly pushed me off
the deck box. I shoved back, but not so hard that it did any more
than nudge her.
“ So what else did you find out at the
police station?” Or was this her cheer-Cyd stop of the
day?
“ The police are looking for witnesses,
which one would suspect. The cookies that the first responder
donated were yummy. That’s the ambulance driver, or maybe it was a
funeral home driver. Anyway the driver borrowed a body bag from the
police and thanked them with cookies. Obviously Kaye’s cookies from
the school bake sale.”
Like nobody else made desserts but Kaye,
which I didn’t mention. “Uh, huh. Cookies. Then....”
“ Doug came in and snatched a couple.
You, of course, know Officer Yarnell, our—”
“ Yes.”
“ This is the best part. He ignored me
completely, but he warned Emily about talking to me. The quote
was....” Teddy reached for her recorder.
“ Just tell me.”
“ He said, ‘You better look out for
her.’ He meant me , but get this. I’m standing right there listening, and he acts
like I’m invisible and tells Emily he didn’t want me to hear
anything about Nicole Joline’s boat, or to visit my ‘friend Cyd
Denlinger.’ ”
“ Which is why you came straight
here.”
“ Naturally. So, what do you think?
What does Nicole’s boat have to do with anything?”
“ Could be about the title. Could be
about the gangster who used to own Snapdragon . Could be our friend Doug is
remembering what a good detective you were back in third
grade.”
Teddy grinned. “You think?”
“ Could be that all these years he has
been secretly pining away for the touch of your lips on
his.”
She bopped me on the shoulder, and asked,
“Can you believe it? Doug called me, ‘our favorite muck-raker.’
”
“ Encouraging. Next he’ll call
you his favorite
muck-raker.”
Teddy jumped up, doing a much better job of
nearly pushing me off the deck box. “Try to do a friend a favor,
and what does she do? Makes fun.” She stepped off the boat onto the
dock.
“ See you,” I called after her. A
good-cheer visit, definitely. She didn’t even ask any more about my
break-in.
Nicole had a boyfriend? I wondered who.
~ ~
Late evening
If there was ever a moment when I didn’t
want to see Kaye, it was after a long, tiring, worrisome day.
Without even saying, “Permission to come aboard,” she stepped
through my door and let out a well-modulated shriek.
“ Yeah, it’s a mess, but I didn’t do
it,” I told her. “Blame it on an uninvited intruder. Lizzie saw him
leave my boat. Sounded like a bum, but it was somebody who knew the
combination.”
“ I hope you’ve changed it. Don’t tell
me you used the same one Nicole had.”
“ Yes, and yes. So, anyone who got the
combination from Nicole....”
“ What did the intruder
steal?”
I shrugged. “Maybe he did get something, but
I don’t know what. He didn’t get the title, which is the only thing
I care about. And do you realize it’s too late for a visit?”
Kaye passed me and peeked into the forward
cabin. “What an unholy—”
“ Didn’t I just say it was a mess? You
should have seen the neat piles I had before some unknown goon
tossed the place.”
“ Everything in its place, I suppose?”
Kaye said with her usual disdain for my organizational
abilities.
“ It was almost this bad when I took
over.”
“ You think the intruder wanted the
title, but what if he didn’t? What if there are untold riches
buried among this litter?”
“ Yeah, sure.”
“ No, think of it. Look at that room
back there.”
“ You’re turned around. That room back
there is actually in the front of the boat. You entered from the
back.”
“ Semantics,” Kaye said. “Do you think
Nicole might have hidden something valuable back, ah, that is,
spent my time there. Hasn’t writing news done anything about the
way you ramble all around a subject?”
Teddy shoved me, which nearly pushed me off
the deck box. I shoved back, but not so hard that it did any more
than nudge her.
“ So what else did you find out at the
police station?” Or was this her cheer-Cyd stop of the
day?
“ The police are looking for witnesses,
which one would suspect. The cookies that the first responder
donated were yummy. That’s the ambulance driver, or maybe it was a
funeral home driver. Anyway the driver borrowed a body bag from the
police and thanked them with cookies. Obviously Kaye’s cookies from
the school bake sale.”
Like nobody else made desserts but Kaye,
which I didn’t mention. “Uh, huh. Cookies. Then....”
“ Doug came in and snatched a couple.
You, of course, know Officer Yarnell, our—”
“ Yes.”
“ This is the best part. He ignored me
completely, but he warned Emily about talking to me. The quote
was....” Teddy reached for her recorder.
“ Just tell me.”
“ He said, ‘You better look out for
her.’ He meant me , but get this. I’m standing right there listening, and he acts
like I’m invisible and tells Emily he didn’t want me to hear
anything about Nicole Joline’s boat, or to visit my ‘friend Cyd
Denlinger.’ ”
“ Which is why you came straight
here.”
“ Naturally. So, what do you think?
What does Nicole’s boat have to do with anything?”
“ Could be about the title. Could be
about the gangster who used to own Snapdragon . Could be our friend Doug is
remembering what a good detective you were back in third
grade.”
Teddy grinned. “You think?”
“ Could be that all these years he has
been secretly pining away for the touch of your lips on
his.”
She bopped me on the shoulder, and asked,
“Can you believe it? Doug called me, ‘our favorite muck-raker.’
”
“ Encouraging. Next he’ll call
you his favorite
muck-raker.”
Teddy jumped up, doing a much better job of
nearly pushing me off the deck box. “Try to do a friend a favor,
and what does she do? Makes fun.” She stepped off the boat onto the
dock.
“ See you,” I called after her. A
good-cheer visit, definitely. She didn’t even ask any more about my
break-in.
Nicole had a boyfriend? I wondered who.
~ ~
Late evening
If there was ever a moment when I didn’t
want to see Kaye, it was after a long, tiring, worrisome day.
Without even saying, “Permission to come aboard,” she stepped
through my door and let out a well-modulated shriek.
“ Yeah, it’s a mess, but I didn’t do
it,” I told her. “Blame it on an uninvited intruder. Lizzie saw him
leave my boat. Sounded like a bum, but it was somebody who knew the
combination.”
“ I hope you’ve changed it. Don’t tell
me you used the same one Nicole had.”
“ Yes, and yes. So, anyone who got the
combination from Nicole....”
“ What did the intruder
steal?”
I shrugged. “Maybe he did get something, but
I don’t know what. He didn’t get the title, which is the only thing
I care about. And do you realize it’s too late for a visit?”
Kaye passed me and peeked into the forward
cabin. “What an unholy—”
“ Didn’t I just say it was a mess? You
should have seen the neat piles I had before some unknown goon
tossed the place.”
“ Everything in its place, I suppose?”
Kaye said with her usual disdain for my organizational
abilities.
“ It was almost this bad when I took
over.”
“ You think the intruder wanted the
title, but what if he didn’t? What if there are untold riches
buried among this litter?”
“ Yeah, sure.”
“ No, think of it. Look at that room
back there.”
“ You’re turned around. That room back
there is actually in the front of the boat. You entered from the
back.”
“ Semantics,” Kaye said. “Do you think
Nicole might have hidden something valuable back, ah, that is,
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