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.I d say that s cloudy. I knew that, as an ex-cop, Fratos was still friendly with one or two men on the force and that they would have passed along information on the case.But it made me mad he would be so irresponsible as to blab it all over theRat the equivalent of CNN, or better. Gee, Ben. I smiled. You seem to know an awful lot about the case.You get your info direct from the perp? His reaction totally unnerved me.He slammed the beer bottle down on the bar and stood up, red in the face, muscles popping along his neck. You fucking nosy dyke! You been following me? I ll teach you to trail me around! He swung at me.I ducked, and suddenly Joe was between us, arms around Fratos. Ben, you crazy or something? Alex was just riding you a little, and I gotta say you started it.Looks to me like you already had too much beer somewhere.This one s on the house, but you better get on home and sleep it off.Get on now! Ben looked like he d like nothing better than a fight, but finally turned and left. Jesus, Alex, I m sorry.You okay? Joe patted my shoulder. Oh, yeah, he missed.But what on earth did I say? He knows I know he has contacts who d tell him stuff about a case, especially a murder.Why would he get so upset? He had to know it was just a needle. Well, for one thing he was half-drunk.For another, you re not his favorite person. Joe returned to his usual place behind the bar. I don t know why he blames you for that Keystone Kops act he pulled with that skylight, but hedoes.Has from the beginning.Anyway, you want me to reheat your lunch? Uh, no, thanks, Joe.I ve kind of lost my appetite.Maybe Billie could wrap it up for me.I ll have it later at home. He was back moments later. Billie gave you a fresh salad and added some pecan pie for a little comfort, she says.And it s on us, Alex.Billie says you should have punched him while I held him. Thanks.Billie is a woman of great ideas. I smiled as I took the package. But I have a feeling it would take more punch than I ve got to shut that mouth. And it did. Chapter 14Fargo and I walked to the car.I sat a moment, feeling dizzy and shaken.I was more upset than I wanted to admit.Fratos could have broken my jaw if he had connected.What the hell had gotten into him? Okay, he d had a few.Okay, he didn t like me, but you don t attack everyone you don t care for.Or maybe you do if you re Ben Fratos he had the reputation of a short fuse.It went nicely, I suppose, with his long, prying nose.He liked to be in the know about everything and anything going on in town.Who was selling his house, whose car was being repo d, who was fighting with her husband, whowas behind in his mortgage payments, who was cheating, whatever.You were likely to spot Fratos any place at any hour watching, smirking.I ve no idea what purpose this gathering of information served.He had fewinvestigatory cases, I knew that much.At home I put Billie s package in the refrigerator for later reference.I automatically pulled out a Bud and then put it back.I was edgy.This damn murder was getting to me.Though I couldn t put my finger on anything Mitch wasdoing wrong, he seemed as centered on blaming Peter and the Wolf as Captain Anders was on blaming some nameless thief.If Anders was right, there d probably never be an arrest, much less a conviction, unless the killerwas found by sheer luck.One transient in Provincetown on Halloween weekend would stand out about like a seagull at the town dump.Anyway, why would a transient killer who struck opportunistically, having seen Lewis flash bigbills, carry him out to the amphitheater and pose him on stage? It almost had to be someone who knew Lewis and had reason to kill him.That left Wolf and Peter, and in my heart, I really didn t want it to be them.I checked my watch and was surprised to find it only a little after one. Saddle up, Fargo, let s go see what Mr.Wood has to say about selling legless tables. There are those who would say that Fargo did not understand my entire sentence.I happen to think Fargo understood every word I ever said.But I am positive he got Saddle up and Let s go. Why else would he have beatme to the back door with a big grin and majestically sweeping tail?Heed this warning: watch what you say in front of your dog.He knows.Headed for Orleans, I drove past the dunes, nearly white and blindingly bright in the midday sun, with the intense autumn-blue sky opening as a deep pool behind them.On my right was the bay, lined with all the little cottagesand their hopeful signs of We re Open! and Free Heat! and Off-Season Rates.Anything for a few more profitable weekends.A great expanse of pure clean space on one side and crowded commercialism on the other somehow, in Provincetown, it seemed fit.I loved it all.As we drove down Route 6, we passed Mr.Ellis, abroad on some errand, no doubt, and looking rather like a benign midget behind the wheel of his cream Lincoln Navigator.He gave a brief, choppy wave and quickly returnedhis hand to the wheel.I had the feeling Mr.E.was not an SUV man at heart and wondered why he had one as I wondered why so many people do.Cream colored.I wondered if Ellis had been careening down the beach road in the small hours of Halloween night, tossing Lewis s wallet and watch out the window, nearly sideswiping poor Harmon.While I found it difficult topicture the dapper Mr.Ellis playing Casey at the Bat with Lewis s head, I thought sustained contact with Lewis might bring out the worst in most of us.But why, for example, would Ellis want to kill him? My whimsical side tookover.Lewis owed money to the bank, so Ellis beaned him, took his cash and laid him out on stage because he knew it was the only funeral Lewis would have.Lewis tried to steal Ellis s pretty Lincoln, and Ellis grabbed a handychair leg and killed him, not wishing to bother the police with a personal problem.They had a lover s quarrel, and Lewis threatened to blackmail Ellis.Ellis killed him and in a fit of remorse laid him on the stage so he would bemore comfortable.Now that scenario appealed to me.Not that I had much serious thought of Ellis being involved in any way with Lewis or his demise, but the words blackmail and Lewis seemed a likely combination.Whom would Lewisblackmail? Anyone he could, was my first answer.And that would be? Someone with at least some amount of money.Someone who was doing something naughty or illegal.Someone whose reputation or career would suffer if the knowledge became public.Someone likeEllis, actually, although I couldn t imagine his embezzling funds or climbing into the wrong boudoir window.But of course, that would be the whole idea.You are doing something wrong pay me or I will reveal your criminal orembarrassing secret.So many people could be vulnerable: a banker, a lawyer, a teacher, a cop, a minister.a minister.Reverend Bartles?He did keep popping up, didn t he? Perhaps an unseemly liking for young girls or boys? Perhaps Harmon s favorite evil, some connection to drugs? Possibly money laundering? Probably not stealing from the collection plate;I doubted there was enough in it to steal.There was at least some link between him and Lewis, though.I wondered how far it went and how I could find out what it was.I was still puzzling over that one when I arrived at Wood sWoods [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.I d say that s cloudy. I knew that, as an ex-cop, Fratos was still friendly with one or two men on the force and that they would have passed along information on the case.But it made me mad he would be so irresponsible as to blab it all over theRat the equivalent of CNN, or better. Gee, Ben. I smiled. You seem to know an awful lot about the case.You get your info direct from the perp? His reaction totally unnerved me.He slammed the beer bottle down on the bar and stood up, red in the face, muscles popping along his neck. You fucking nosy dyke! You been following me? I ll teach you to trail me around! He swung at me.I ducked, and suddenly Joe was between us, arms around Fratos. Ben, you crazy or something? Alex was just riding you a little, and I gotta say you started it.Looks to me like you already had too much beer somewhere.This one s on the house, but you better get on home and sleep it off.Get on now! Ben looked like he d like nothing better than a fight, but finally turned and left. Jesus, Alex, I m sorry.You okay? Joe patted my shoulder. Oh, yeah, he missed.But what on earth did I say? He knows I know he has contacts who d tell him stuff about a case, especially a murder.Why would he get so upset? He had to know it was just a needle. Well, for one thing he was half-drunk.For another, you re not his favorite person. Joe returned to his usual place behind the bar. I don t know why he blames you for that Keystone Kops act he pulled with that skylight, but hedoes.Has from the beginning.Anyway, you want me to reheat your lunch? Uh, no, thanks, Joe.I ve kind of lost my appetite.Maybe Billie could wrap it up for me.I ll have it later at home. He was back moments later. Billie gave you a fresh salad and added some pecan pie for a little comfort, she says.And it s on us, Alex.Billie says you should have punched him while I held him. Thanks.Billie is a woman of great ideas. I smiled as I took the package. But I have a feeling it would take more punch than I ve got to shut that mouth. And it did. Chapter 14Fargo and I walked to the car.I sat a moment, feeling dizzy and shaken.I was more upset than I wanted to admit.Fratos could have broken my jaw if he had connected.What the hell had gotten into him? Okay, he d had a few.Okay, he didn t like me, but you don t attack everyone you don t care for.Or maybe you do if you re Ben Fratos he had the reputation of a short fuse.It went nicely, I suppose, with his long, prying nose.He liked to be in the know about everything and anything going on in town.Who was selling his house, whose car was being repo d, who was fighting with her husband, whowas behind in his mortgage payments, who was cheating, whatever.You were likely to spot Fratos any place at any hour watching, smirking.I ve no idea what purpose this gathering of information served.He had fewinvestigatory cases, I knew that much.At home I put Billie s package in the refrigerator for later reference.I automatically pulled out a Bud and then put it back.I was edgy.This damn murder was getting to me.Though I couldn t put my finger on anything Mitch wasdoing wrong, he seemed as centered on blaming Peter and the Wolf as Captain Anders was on blaming some nameless thief.If Anders was right, there d probably never be an arrest, much less a conviction, unless the killerwas found by sheer luck.One transient in Provincetown on Halloween weekend would stand out about like a seagull at the town dump.Anyway, why would a transient killer who struck opportunistically, having seen Lewis flash bigbills, carry him out to the amphitheater and pose him on stage? It almost had to be someone who knew Lewis and had reason to kill him.That left Wolf and Peter, and in my heart, I really didn t want it to be them.I checked my watch and was surprised to find it only a little after one. Saddle up, Fargo, let s go see what Mr.Wood has to say about selling legless tables. There are those who would say that Fargo did not understand my entire sentence.I happen to think Fargo understood every word I ever said.But I am positive he got Saddle up and Let s go. Why else would he have beatme to the back door with a big grin and majestically sweeping tail?Heed this warning: watch what you say in front of your dog.He knows.Headed for Orleans, I drove past the dunes, nearly white and blindingly bright in the midday sun, with the intense autumn-blue sky opening as a deep pool behind them.On my right was the bay, lined with all the little cottagesand their hopeful signs of We re Open! and Free Heat! and Off-Season Rates.Anything for a few more profitable weekends.A great expanse of pure clean space on one side and crowded commercialism on the other somehow, in Provincetown, it seemed fit.I loved it all.As we drove down Route 6, we passed Mr.Ellis, abroad on some errand, no doubt, and looking rather like a benign midget behind the wheel of his cream Lincoln Navigator.He gave a brief, choppy wave and quickly returnedhis hand to the wheel.I had the feeling Mr.E.was not an SUV man at heart and wondered why he had one as I wondered why so many people do.Cream colored.I wondered if Ellis had been careening down the beach road in the small hours of Halloween night, tossing Lewis s wallet and watch out the window, nearly sideswiping poor Harmon.While I found it difficult topicture the dapper Mr.Ellis playing Casey at the Bat with Lewis s head, I thought sustained contact with Lewis might bring out the worst in most of us.But why, for example, would Ellis want to kill him? My whimsical side tookover.Lewis owed money to the bank, so Ellis beaned him, took his cash and laid him out on stage because he knew it was the only funeral Lewis would have.Lewis tried to steal Ellis s pretty Lincoln, and Ellis grabbed a handychair leg and killed him, not wishing to bother the police with a personal problem.They had a lover s quarrel, and Lewis threatened to blackmail Ellis.Ellis killed him and in a fit of remorse laid him on the stage so he would bemore comfortable.Now that scenario appealed to me.Not that I had much serious thought of Ellis being involved in any way with Lewis or his demise, but the words blackmail and Lewis seemed a likely combination.Whom would Lewisblackmail? Anyone he could, was my first answer.And that would be? Someone with at least some amount of money.Someone who was doing something naughty or illegal.Someone whose reputation or career would suffer if the knowledge became public.Someone likeEllis, actually, although I couldn t imagine his embezzling funds or climbing into the wrong boudoir window.But of course, that would be the whole idea.You are doing something wrong pay me or I will reveal your criminal orembarrassing secret.So many people could be vulnerable: a banker, a lawyer, a teacher, a cop, a minister.a minister.Reverend Bartles?He did keep popping up, didn t he? Perhaps an unseemly liking for young girls or boys? Perhaps Harmon s favorite evil, some connection to drugs? Possibly money laundering? Probably not stealing from the collection plate;I doubted there was enough in it to steal.There was at least some link between him and Lewis, though.I wondered how far it went and how I could find out what it was.I was still puzzling over that one when I arrived at Wood sWoods [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]