The Deadly Art of Deception

by Linda Crowder

  “Nothing wrong with a little cheese sauce,” I said.

  “I don’t know where you put it,” said Taylor, perhaps with a hint of envy. She turned to Mel. “Are you having a boy or a girl?”

  “We don’t want to know,” said Mel, “We want to find out the old-fashioned way.”

  “I’ll help you paint the guest room green,” I offered, and Mel kicked me.

  “Mom and Dad might not like you painting the room with them in it! Besides, we’ll have plenty of time to paint the room pink or blue after the baby’s born.”

  “There’s no way Mom’s going to be happy living five miles into the woods once that baby comes, Mel. You’d better think about building an addition.”

  “Don’t even joke about it, Cara,” warned Bent. He looked at Mel. “She is joking, right?”

  Without taking her eyes off her husband, Mel kicked me again, this time far more painfully. “Of course she is, honey.”

  “Why don’t you let your folks have your apartment after the baby comes, Cara? You can stay with me. I’m sure I’ll be ready for company by then.”

  “Thanks, Taylor,” said Mel. “I don’t want to sound selfish, but I don’t like the idea of Cara being so far away after the baby comes.”

  “Then stop kicking me.”

  “Who’s kicking you? Your leg just keeps getting in the way of my foot.”

  “Ladies,” said Bent, and we subsided.

  “It’s not that far away,” Taylor persisted. “She can come into town whenever she wants.”

  “Doesn’t the water around the island freeze?” asked Mel.

  “Nah, Johnny had it dredged when he moved out there,” answered Bent. “He didn’t want to have to keep pulling his boat out of the water.”

  “I know we kept the boat in the water all winter,” agreed Taylor, “but I never thought much about it. How could Johnny have afforded to have dredging done? Isn’t that horribly expensive?”

  “I don’t rightly know,” admitted Bent. “Maybe he bartered for it. We do a lot of that around here.”

  “True.”

  “Except you don’t have a boat,” I said.

  “I forgot. Jack took Johnny’s boat after he died. He said they’d bought it together, so it seemed only fair for him to have it.”

  Bent snorted. “Jack didn’t buy that boat.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Johnny bought it with money he inherited from his mom. She left him the house too. It’d been in her family for generations.”

  “Johnny never told me his mother grew up here.”

  “She didn’t,” I said, letting Bent get back to his lunch. “It was a vacation home. Her family has been coming here off and on since before I was born. That’s why she and Jack chose Coho Bay when they decided to live in Alaska full time.”

  “Why didn’t they live on the island?”

  “They did for a while, at least in the winters. They lived at the mill in the summer. Once Johnny was old enough to go to school, they moved into town like my folks did.”

  “And you and Johnny grew up together? That’s what he always said.”

  “You might be able to take Dad’s boat,” offered Mel, saving me from what was becoming an uncomfortable conversation.

  “I wouldn’t say this around your dad,” said Bent, “since I know how proud he is of that boat, but that thing’s held together with duct tape and baling wire. I wouldn’t want to have you all the way out there, relying on a boat that breaks down every time you look at it cross-eyed. Look how fast that filter went bad.”

  “That’s a good point,” agreed Mel. “Now that you mention it, we shouldn’t just take Taylor out there and dump her on the island with no way off.”

  “I’ll be fine,” said Taylor.

  “There’s Frank’s boat,” said Bent, stopping the conversation in its tracks. “It was just a thought. Maybe you could rent it.”

  “From who?” I asked. “Anybody hear Frank talk about his family?” Three heads shook.

  “Wouldn’t he have listed an emergency contact on his rental application?” asked Taylor. Eyes rolled, giving her an answer. We didn’t go in for that kind of formality here.

  “Dan’ll track down the next of kin,” said Bent. “Whoever they are, I can’t imagine they’ll need it before spring. I’m sure they’d rent it to you, Taylor.”

  “I don’t think Taylor should express any interest in that boat,” said Mel quietly.

  We let her words soak in, forced to remember that in Dan’s eyes, Taylor was a suspect. I broke the silence. “Maybe you should rent it, Bent, and just let Tay use it when you don’t need it. Hey, I wonder if we could convince Dad to buy it if it comes on the market.”

  “You’re being morbid, don’t you think?” asked Mel.

  “She has a point, hon, we need a better boat. I don’t have any money, and I don’t think your dad can afford to buy it right now, but maybe we could do a rental.”

  “I could go in on it with you guys. Maybe all together we could swing it.”

  “Will you guys stop talking about Frank like he’s dead? It’s positively ghoulish how you’re already dividing up his things.” All eyes turned to Taylor. There were patches of red on her cheeks, and her eyes blazed.

  I felt horribly guilty. “I’m sorry, Tay.”

  “Of course you’re right, Taylor. Let’s pray that Frank is alive and well and will walk through that door laughing at all of us for having ever thought otherwise.” Just then the door chimed, and we all turned to stare at it, wondering if Mel’s words had gone straight to God’s ears, but it was only Dan. Four groans of disappointment greeted him.

  “Nice to see you too,” he said.

  “I’m sorry, Dan,” said Bent, getting up. “Can I get you anything?”

  “One of those would be great,” said Dan, pointing at what was left of Bent’s burger. “Where you been hiding them?”

  “I’d have to charge twice as much to put burgers like these on the menu, but I’ll see what I can do for you. Have a seat.”

  Bent picked up his plate and empty juice glass and gestured for Dan to take his place. Mel started to get up, but Bent told her to finish her lunch. Dan sat down and looked around the table. We must have looked guilty. “Why are you all looking at me like that? Whole town’s talking about the murder. No reason why you shouldn’t.”

  “Did the state police have any answers?” I asked, thankful we didn’t have to tell him what we’d really been talking about.

  “Nah, just took the body and some things from the cabin and the boat they thought would have DNA on them.”

  “Did they find blood on the boat? Do they think that’s where... it... happened?”

  “Cara, I can’t talk about what they may or may not have found.”

  “Did they take the boat with them?” I jumped when Mel kicked my leg.

  “Why would they do that?”

  I felt the heat rise to my face. I was really going to have to learn how to control that reaction. “Just asking.”

  “Well, just stop asking questions you know I can’t answer.” He pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to Mel. “Thanks for the loan.”

  “Does this mean we can rent out the cabin again now?” I asked. “Stop kicking me, Mel!”

  “Get a lot of demand for dry cabins in the off-season, do you?” Dan thanked Bent, who had made him a burger not quite as big as his own but bigger than usual. Bent held his hand out to Mel as customers had started trickling in.

  “Don’t you worry, Mel. I’ve got it,” I said, getting up and motioning for her to sit.

  “Stop treating me like a hothouse flower. Let me work until I’m so big I don’t want to do anything. Besides, don’t you have a renter leaving today?”

  “Oh shoot! I completely forgot. I’d better get out to the cabins, or he’ll leave without me.”

  “Want me to come with you?” asked Taylor.

  “No need. I can check out renters in my sleep.”
/>   “Can I borrow your key? I locked the apartment when I left.”

  I pulled the key off my ring and handed it to her. “Why don’t you stop by Longman’s and have one made? That way you won’t have to keep asking me.” Longman’s General Store sat a block off the main drag. They stocked groceries and basic supplies, and they had the only key grinder in town.

  “I’ll do that, thanks. I’ll leave yours with Mel so if I go for a walk you won’t be stuck.”

  “Thanks, Tay.” I said good-bye to Dan and shrugged into my coat for the mile walk to the cabins. It was warm enough that by the time I got there I happily shed the coat as I knocked on the door.

  “Morning, Cara. Wondered if you forgot about me. I’m all ready to go.”

  “I’m sorry. I would have been here earlier, but it’s been a bit crazy around town lately.”

  He stepped out of the cabin, carrying one bag and hoisting a large backpack onto his shoulder. He handed me his key. “I noticed all the police activity.” He nodded at Frank’s cabin, two cabins away from his. “What’s up?”

  “Frank Baker is missing.”

  He dropped his backpack and stared at me. “No fooling? I’m sorry to hear that. He seemed like a nice guy. I hope he’s okay. After that poor guy got killed last year, I’ve been carrying bear spray.”

  “Me too.” I was glad he hadn’t heard about the body hauled out of the bay. “Did you see much of Frank?”

  He leaned against the porch railing and stared thoughtfully at the other cabin. “Just to say hello and good-bye. Couple of nights ago, I guess, was the last time I saw him. You were over there last night, weren’t you? Pounding on the door?”

  “Yes, sorry we made so much noise. We were worried about him.”

  “Then I saw him the night before that.”

  I felt my heartbeat pick up speed. “Friday night?”

  He nodded. “He came home late. He was always quiet. I wouldn’t have heard him except I’d had a little too much of that chili your brother-in-law makes. It’s good stuff, but oh, man-a-mighty, fella can’t sleep after that.”

  “You happen to notice what time it was?”

  “Round about two in the morning. I remember thinkin’ it wasn’t like him to be comin’ home so late.”

  “Was he alone?”

  “Sure. Never saw him bring anyone home with him. ’Cept the policeman. He came over a few times. Seemed to be friendly visits, nothin’ to worry about.”

  My heart was pounding so strongly I had to sit back on the porch railing so I wouldn’t fall down. He hadn’t seen Taylor, who’d claimed she was with Frank all night. Frank had gone into the cabin at two, but Taylor had said they’d been in the cabin when Dan checked it before midnight. What had Dan been doing visiting Frank? I hadn’t even known they knew each other except in passing.

  My renter didn’t seem to notice my distress. He bid me a cheerful farewell, and I plastered on a smile that faded the moment his back was turned. I listened to his whistle fade and willed myself to calm down. There must be a reasonable answer. Maybe Taylor had been with Frank at midnight and he’d walked her back to town, well, after. Finding the apartment still locked, maybe he settled her in his boat and went home, which would account for Kenny seeing her alone early in the morning.

  What kind of man would have sex with a woman then bundle her off a mile down the road, then leave her alone on a boat in the freezing cold predawn and walk another mile back to a dry cabin? Somebody was lying. I couldn’t think of any reason why my renter would lie, which could only mean that Taylor was lying about where she and Frank had been that night. Why would she lie about that, knowing that Frank could easily discredit her?

  My head ached, and I rubbed my temples, trying to soothe away the pain. No, no, no, no, no! Taylor could not possibly have known that Frank had been beyond the ability to discredit anyone. There had to be another explanation. I forced myself away from the railing. I needed to get the cabin ready for winter. There was no plumbing to winterize, so I cleaned out the wood stove, dumping the ashes in the metal container made for that purpose. I stacked firewood next to the hearth in case some hiker or hunter got caught in a storm this winter and needed to use the cabin for shelter. Dad always had me leave two of the cabins unlocked with a special symbol on the door. When I opened the cabins in the spring, I often found thank-you notes.

  Finished, I walked over to Frank’s cabin and checked the door. It was locked. I peeked in the window, but the curtain was still drawn. I wished I’d thought to bring my passkey with me, but it was hanging on a hook in my apartment. “What happened to you, Frank?” I whispered, leaning on the door. For a moment I pictured it opening, spilling me on the floor and making me laugh up into the face of a very much alive and amused Frank Baker. The door stayed solidly closed, and the cabin beyond was silent. I thought of the headless body and shuddered. “Please don’t let that be you.”

  Chapter 9

  I walked slowly back into town, my thoughts racing, the spectacular view wasted on me. The bells tied into my shoelaces made a cheerful noise that my heart didn’t echo. No one was quite sure how effective bells were as bear deterrents, but I usually enjoyed the happy sound enough to wear them anyway. My father delights in telling tourists you can identify bear scat by the presence of bells, and sometimes they believe him until they catch sight of the twinkle in his eye. Like whistling past a graveyard, it may not help, but it certainly didn’t hurt, so most people wore bells in spring and fall. Today the bells only made me sad.

  I noticed the state police boat pulling away from the cannery on its way back to Juneau. The thought of what it carried robbed the air from my lungs, and I sat down unceremoniously on the dirt road. It didn’t matter that Frank had slept with Taylor. He had been my friend, a smile I’d depended on all season long. He’d stepped up to protect Taylor when Jack had threatened her at Mel’s. Now he was nothing more than a mutilated body on a ship bound for the state capital.

  The sun offered me no warmth as I sat there, rocked by the sudden and brutal fate that had befallen the man whose eyes had danced with mischief whenever he looked at me. My thoughts inevitably turned to Johnny, who’d met his own fate just as suddenly. I pulled my knees up to my chin and locked my arms around my legs and shook. How long I sat there I couldn’t say, but when I looked up, the boat was gone and the wind was blowing clouds over the sun, stealing the light and warning me I’d better get moving or risk being caught outside when the storm hit.

  I scrambled to my feet and started walking. I took a shortcut across lots when I got to the outskirts of town and headed for my apartment. Reaching the alley behind the gallery, I stopped short and ducked back behind the fence I’d just rounded. Taylor was standing in the alley, engaged in whispered conversation with a man. His back was to me so I couldn’t see who he was, but her face bore a harsh and angry look I’d never seen before. I was too far away to hear what they were saying, but her words and her gestures spoke volumes.

  She was clearly upset and making that point undeniably clear to her companion, who couldn’t have been saying much judging from the fact that Taylor was doing all the talking. The man finally put his hands on her shoulders and leaned his head down, saying something that seemed to soothe her because her body relaxed slightly and her face lost some of its edge. I pulled back and leaned against the fence, confused at what I’d seen. Taylor didn’t know anyone in Coho Bay, certainly no one she would know well enough for what had felt like such an intimate moment.

  By the time I had the good sense to peek around the fence again, they were both gone. I kicked the fence in frustration. I’d missed the chance to see the man’s face or at least the direction he’d gone. The apartment forgotten, I turned and marched straight to Mel’s, pushing the doors open and letting them crash behind me. I stomped through the empty dining room and pushed open the kitchen door. This time it was Mel and Bent whose intimate moment I interrupted, though I was too upset to recognize that I was intruding and walk away.
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  “What’s happened?” asked Mel. “Cara, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  I dug up a smile though it seemed to do little to reassure her. “Nothing. Everything. I don’t know, Mel.”

  “You’re white as a sheet. What is it?”

  “I have to sit down.” I pulled a stool out from under the worktable and sat down hard. Mel sat more gracefully beside me and waited. In halting fashion, trying to take hold of my own jumbled emotions as I talked, I told them what the renter had said about Frank.

  “Which means Taylor lied about being with Frank,” said Mel. “Why would she do that?”

  “And where was she since she wasn’t at the cabin? Kenny said he’s sure he saw her walking alone on the pier the next morning. What would she be doing out there?”

  “I don’t know, Cara.”

  “But that isn’t all. I was cutting through the alley on the way home and caught Taylor with some guy behind the gallery.”

  “Doing what?” asked Mel.

  “Throwing a fit. I was too far away to hear what she was saying, but she wasn’t letting him get a word in. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and whispered something, and she seemed to calm down.”

  “Who was he?” asked Bent.

  “I have no idea. I only saw him from the back. Who does she know well enough to have that kind of conversation with?” I looked from one face to the other, but puzzled expressions were all I saw.

  “Wait!” said Mel. “Could it have been Frank?”

  “Do you think?” Then I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure. He wasn’t tall enough to have been Frank.”

  “Didn’t he look at all familiar?”

  “No, Mel, his back didn’t remind me of anyone. And don’t ask about his hair. He had a hat on. One of those knitted ones that only everybody wears.”

  “What about his coat?” asked Bent.

  I closed my eyes. “Cloth, tan, probably lined from the bulk.”

  “Like the one Dan wears.”

  I opened my eyes and looked hard at Bent. “Dan thinks Tay’s a black widow. Why would he be huddled with her behind the gallery?”