her the chance to step in.
“I was with Riley last night,” she said, “and again this afternoon. Yes, Bobby got arrested, and Ocean Breeze was seized.
“But that doesn’t mean Riley’s lost his boat,” she continued. “And it doesn’t mean Bobby’s guilty of anything, either.”
She sighed. “Yeah, my brother-in-law can be an idiot, and he does some pretty stupid stuff because he can’t see past his next beer. He can trust the wrong people—especially if they act like they’re buying his big-shot act—but he’s not cut out for a life of crime. Too risky, and Bobby is kind of opposed to taking risks when it comes to his own safety and comfort.”
I bit my tongue to keep from commenting on the fact she had referred to Bobby as her brother-in-law, without her usual qualifier of former . Interesting .
“And yet he works on a commercial fishing boat?” Felipe asked. “That doesn’t sound safe or comfortable.”
“Fishing’s what he knows,” Karen said. “He grew up on the water—his dad fished, his uncles fished—and now his big brother owns a boat and can give him a job. To him, fishing is just what his family does. He isn’t much of a long-termkind of guy. Probably doesn’t think about what might happen in the next month, so if there isn’t a storm right now, he doesn’t see the danger.”
“I have to agree with Karen,” I said. “I’ve known Bobby almost as long as I’ve known her and Riley, though mostly just as Riley’s little brother. But he’s way too laid-back and go-with-the-flow to get involved with smugglers.”
I mentally added, Except maybe as a customer . But even then, he wouldn’t know anything of value to the investigators, and the most he could be busted for was simple possession.
“It sounds like you’re convinced he’s innocent,” Felipe said.
“I am,” Karen replied. “Enough to put my money where my mouth is. I posted Bobby’s bail.”
Ernie’s eyes widened in shock. “Girl, you must have way more money than I thought! I heard a bunch of numbers thrown around, some as high as half a million. Where’d you get that kind of money?”
He stopped suddenly. “I’m sorry, that is absolutely none of my business. My mama would be washin’ my mouth out with soap for saying that, and then lecturing me about respect. My apologies, Miss Karen.”
It was difficult to tell with his cocoa-colored skin, but it looked like he was actually blushing.
Karen just laughed at his distress. “Don’t I wish! It was nowhere near that much. I paid a few thousand for the bond and put up the house as collateral.”
She saw the stricken look on the two men’s faces and hurried ahead. “It was Riley’s house, too. And he couldn’t pledge Ocean Breeze while it was impounded. It’s reallyokay,” she reassured them. “Riley will get the boat back, and he’ll pay me back. He always does.”
Always does? Apparently there were a few more things my best friend wasn’t telling me.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she warned me. “It’s like any other business: sometimes he needs money before he gets paid. I’ve made a couple loans, is all. And I make better interest than I do letting the money sit in the bank.”
Somehow I didn’t think she was getting interest on the money she paid for Bobby’s bail.
And why wasn’t I reassured? Probably because we always underestimated Bobby’s ability to get himself in trouble.
It didn’t take long to get an answer to my question.
Karen was cutting the cake when the phone rang. I jumped up to answer it, since her fingers were sticky with frosting.
I listened to Riley’s voice for a minute after I answered, my heart sinking into my shoes. Finally I stopped him.
“I think you better talk directly to Karen, Riley.”
Karen wiped her hands on a dish towel, her face twisting into a scowl at my words. “What?” she said to me.
I just shook my head and held out the phone. I didn’t want to be involved in this
“I was with Riley last night,” she said, “and again this afternoon. Yes, Bobby got arrested, and Ocean Breeze was seized.
“But that doesn’t mean Riley’s lost his boat,” she continued. “And it doesn’t mean Bobby’s guilty of anything, either.”
She sighed. “Yeah, my brother-in-law can be an idiot, and he does some pretty stupid stuff because he can’t see past his next beer. He can trust the wrong people—especially if they act like they’re buying his big-shot act—but he’s not cut out for a life of crime. Too risky, and Bobby is kind of opposed to taking risks when it comes to his own safety and comfort.”
I bit my tongue to keep from commenting on the fact she had referred to Bobby as her brother-in-law, without her usual qualifier of former . Interesting .
“And yet he works on a commercial fishing boat?” Felipe asked. “That doesn’t sound safe or comfortable.”
“Fishing’s what he knows,” Karen said. “He grew up on the water—his dad fished, his uncles fished—and now his big brother owns a boat and can give him a job. To him, fishing is just what his family does. He isn’t much of a long-termkind of guy. Probably doesn’t think about what might happen in the next month, so if there isn’t a storm right now, he doesn’t see the danger.”
“I have to agree with Karen,” I said. “I’ve known Bobby almost as long as I’ve known her and Riley, though mostly just as Riley’s little brother. But he’s way too laid-back and go-with-the-flow to get involved with smugglers.”
I mentally added, Except maybe as a customer . But even then, he wouldn’t know anything of value to the investigators, and the most he could be busted for was simple possession.
“It sounds like you’re convinced he’s innocent,” Felipe said.
“I am,” Karen replied. “Enough to put my money where my mouth is. I posted Bobby’s bail.”
Ernie’s eyes widened in shock. “Girl, you must have way more money than I thought! I heard a bunch of numbers thrown around, some as high as half a million. Where’d you get that kind of money?”
He stopped suddenly. “I’m sorry, that is absolutely none of my business. My mama would be washin’ my mouth out with soap for saying that, and then lecturing me about respect. My apologies, Miss Karen.”
It was difficult to tell with his cocoa-colored skin, but it looked like he was actually blushing.
Karen just laughed at his distress. “Don’t I wish! It was nowhere near that much. I paid a few thousand for the bond and put up the house as collateral.”
She saw the stricken look on the two men’s faces and hurried ahead. “It was Riley’s house, too. And he couldn’t pledge Ocean Breeze while it was impounded. It’s reallyokay,” she reassured them. “Riley will get the boat back, and he’ll pay me back. He always does.”
Always does? Apparently there were a few more things my best friend wasn’t telling me.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she warned me. “It’s like any other business: sometimes he needs money before he gets paid. I’ve made a couple loans, is all. And I make better interest than I do letting the money sit in the bank.”
Somehow I didn’t think she was getting interest on the money she paid for Bobby’s bail.
And why wasn’t I reassured? Probably because we always underestimated Bobby’s ability to get himself in trouble.
It didn’t take long to get an answer to my question.
Karen was cutting the cake when the phone rang. I jumped up to answer it, since her fingers were sticky with frosting.
I listened to Riley’s voice for a minute after I answered, my heart sinking into my shoes. Finally I stopped him.
“I think you better talk directly to Karen, Riley.”
Karen wiped her hands on a dish towel, her face twisting into a scowl at my words. “What?” she said to me.
I just shook my head and held out the phone. I didn’t want to be involved in this
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