The Bone House - Brian Freeman [54]
'You may be right,' Cab told Reich, 'but right now, I can't even prove Bradley was on the beach with the girl. We're still running the forensics, and I hope we'll get lucky. Otherwise, we need to find somebody who saw something.'
'So what do you want to get done on my turf, Detective?' Reich asked pointedly. 'You're going to stir up a lot of people who are already hurting because of what happened.'
'I'd like to find out if Bradley had some kind of previous relationship with Glory Fischer. I'd also like to know if there was anything else going on in that girl's life.'
Reich put down his coffee mug on the bar. 'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Glory saw someone she knew in Florida. It scared her. I want to know who it was and whether it had anything to do with her death.'
'Someone she knew?' Reich asked. 'You think it was someone from around here?'
'That's what I'd like to find out.'
Reich's lips crinkled unhappily. 'My advice is to keep your eyes on the ball, Detective. I spent a lot of time with Mark Bradley last year. Having him in the middle of this thing doesn't surprise me at all.'
'No?'
'No. That man is a powder keg.'
'What about Glory?'
'What about her?' Reich asked.
'I hear she had problems. Stealing, drugs, sex. Sounds like she ran pretty fast for a nice country girl.'
Reich shrugged. 'Around here, there's not a lot to do in the quiet season. Kids get into trouble. Glory had her share. People aren't going to take it too well if you start dragging a nice girl's name through the mud. She's the victim here. Don't you forget that.'
'I won't.' 'Delia Fischer is a good woman. She doesn't deserve to see her kids treated like this.'
'You know her well?' Cab asked.
'We're both natives. Those of us who have been around here our whole lives know everybody else, Detective.'
Cab got off the bar stool. 'I've taken up enough of your time, Sheriff. I've got a ferry to catch. I just didn't want to start nosing around your jurisdiction without introducing myself.'
'That was a smart plan,' Reich agreed. 'If my deputies or I can help you nail Bradley, you tell me, OK? There's bad blood for me on this one.'
'I understand.' Cab nodded at the shot glass, which contained a residue of bitters. 'Thanks for the drink. I'm not likely to forget it.'
'I bet not.'
'Tell me something, Sheriff,' Cab added. 'You know pretty much everything that happens around here. Is there anything else I should know about Glory Fischer? Anything that could have led to her death?'
Reich finished his coffee and wiped his mouth. 'Not a damn thing, Detective. You just keep your eyes on Mark Bradley.'
* * *
Chapter Eighteen
Hilary spotted the purple Corvette in the boarding line for the last ferry of the day and saw a lanky man in a business suit atop a bench in the park by the harbor. She recognized his gelled blond hair and movie star looks, and her hands tightened around the steering wheel with anxiety. She pulled sharply off the road.
Cab Bolton nodded to her as she climbed out of her car. He held a cell phone high over his head, aimed at the sky. 'Hello, Mrs Bradley,' he said. 'This is a beautiful island, but the cell signal sucks. It's driving me crazy.'
Hilary didn't waste time with small talk. 'I hope you weren't harassing my husband, Detective.'
'God forbid,' Cab replied pleasantly. He climbed off the bench and stood up to his full height. Hilary, who wasn't small, wasn't used to anyone towering over her the way Cab did. He gave her a disarming smile and tugged at the sleeves of his suit coat. 'Is it always so cold here in late March'
'If it's too cold for you, go back to Florida.'
'Oh, I just like complaining.' He glanced around the island at the rocky water beyond the harbor and the thick barrier of evergreens hugging the shoreline. 'This is a barren place to live. Why did you and your husband move up here?'
'Not everyone loves the suburbs,' Hilary replied.
'Were you running away from something?'
'Yes, we were. Smog. Crowds. Traffic. Concrete. Sameness.'
Cab took off his sunglasses and dangled them on