Trawling for Trouble by Shelley Freydont Page B

here, that we’ve heard of.” He flicked his head toward his companions.
    They both shook their heads.
    â€œFurther north?” Chaz asked.
    Mouse whistled. “Hell, man, what are you into?”
    â€œNot me. The cops have a couple of old geezers I know in custody for murder.”
    Which was not the whole truth, but she’d never seen Chaz in undercover mode before, and Liv had to hand it to him. He fit right in.
    â€œOld Seamus?”
    Chaz nodded.
    â€œDamn. What a stupid ass. What was he doing up there in the first place? I didn’t think he was running for any of the big guys. Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
    Liv’s stomach clenched. Mouse’s reaction couldn’t bode well for Seamus and Gus, or for any of them.
    â€œIf Seamus was up that ways, I think your corpse is probably a bagman named Jimmy the Snail. Runs things back and forth from the city to the border.” He snorted out a half laugh. “Heard some talk. Like maybe he skipped out on a delivery with some of the goods. Which either puts Seamus in with some serious movers, or with two-timing Jimmy the Snail. Either way it comes up the same. They’ll come looking for him. The poor schmuck is in some deep shit.”
    â€œYou don’t know what the cargo was?”
    Mouse shook his head. “I stay as far away from that shit as I can. I’m a poor honest carter. I just move stuff from one place to the other and get paid for it. I don’t need that kind of aggravation. Now I think you and your lady here should get the hell out. If they’re after you, I don’t want them finding me. And even if they aren’t, if I were you, I’d turn this boat around and just keep going ’til you run out of water.” He looked over at the two metal cases. “Those for me?”
    Chaz nodded.
    He turned to leave. “You’re not working with the law?”
    Chaz gave him a look.
    â€œDidn’t think so. Keep your nose clean, and hell to pay, don’t follow us and don’t go heading toward Canada. They’re nasty. You know that.”
    â€œI do.”
    â€œI don’t have to make sure of you, do I?”
    â€œNope. We’re solid.”
    â€œStill and all. Sit here for an hour, before you leave.”
    Chaz nodded.
    His two companions picked up the cases and crossed back to their boat. Mouse clapped Chaz’s hand. “Good to see you, man.”
    â€œYou, too.”
    Mouse leapt from the
Truth
onto his boat.
He
was
as silent as a mouse,
Liv thought as they pushed off.
    Chaz just stood there for a minute, then turned to Liv. “Hungry? We might as well eat while we wait.”
    â€œWhat? Are we really going to sit here an hour to let them get away? And what was in those cases?”
    â€œYes. Unless you feel like getting your head shot off. Me, I’d rather just eat. I’ll even break down and make some more coffee.”
    Momentarily distracted, Liv said. “You can do that?”
    â€œYes, as you would have known if you had caught fish the other day instead of a mafia bagman. Come on, I’ll show you.”
    â€œBut what about the cases?”
    â€œNone of your business. But it was just some of Mouse’s stuff he was storing at his mother’s house.”
    â€œSounds ominous, if not illegal.”
    Chaz shrugged. “I didn’t ask. So you want coffee or not?”
    â€œYes.”
    He led her into the cabin, flipped up a counter to reveal a coffeepot, an apartment-size stove, a fridge, and other assorted cookware. On the other side of the counter a storage bin converted into a small table.
    â€œWow,” Liv said. “This is impressive.”
    â€œMy home away from home. The nose sleeps four if you don’t need to roll over.”
    He poured bottled water into a kettle.
    â€œWhat was your friend Mouse talking about? Who is Jimmy the Snail? Do you think that’s who we found?”
    â€œCorrection. You.