Death Runs Adrift (The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries) (18 page)

“What?” I mumbled into his chest, inhaling his spicy, woodsy
scent.

“I love you,” he said, his voice fierce. “If something happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do. You are the most precious thing on this earth to me.”

My heart melted, and a wave of guilt broke over me. “I’m sorry,” I said.

“I’m sorry I was so angry,” he answered, still holding me tight. “It’s just …” His voice was rough. “It took me my whole life to find you. I couldn’t bear to lose you.”

“I’m here,” I told him. “I’m fine.”

“Thank God,” he murmured. He gave me a long squeeze and let me go, but still held my hand. “But I think it’s time to call Detective Johnson.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because we know Zeke Forester is likely doing something illegal, and it might be connected with Derek’s death. They can get a warrant and search the barn.”

“That’s why I don’t want to call him yet,” I told him. “Look at what they missed at Derek’s house. Besides, the next time and date on that paper is tomorrow night. If Evan did what I think he did tonight, those boxes I saw will still be in Smuggler’s Cove tomorrow morning at low tide.”

“If you’re right,” he said. “A big if. And if you are, why the intermediate step?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Forester obviously doesn’t want anyone to know about what he’s transporting,” John said. “Why not just pick it up directly from the farm? Why take the risk of storing things in the cove? Assuming you’re right, of course, and that’s where it’s going.”

“Zeke didn’t seem to want anyone to know what he was up to. Maybe it’s to minimize his involvement.”

“But somebody’s got to know.”

“An middleman, maybe? Somebody he trusts?”

“Maybe,” John said.

“Whatever it is, he seems to think it’s going to end soon. Maybe the cows he’s applied to have here are going to supplement his income enough that he doesn’t need to do illegal work anymore.”

“If whoever is relying on him knows about that, it might explain why someone set his shed on fire.”

“A warning,” I suggested. “He talked about that. Said he wouldn’t be intimidated.”

“Tell me about the barn,” John said.

“He says it’s derelict, but it’s locked up tight, and there aren’t any cracks in the boards. And there’s a light on even when nobody’s there.”

“Interesting,” he said. “How about those boxes?”

“They smelled like black pepper,” I said. “Just like the compartment in Fred’s boat.”

“Fred’s boat?”

“Um, yes.” Blushing slightly, I told him about Eli’s and my trip to visit the fake
Zephyr
.

“Dear God, Natalie.” He stared at me in disbelief. “You snuck onto Fred Penney’s boat?”

“Eli was with me,” I said. “It was his suggestion that I jump on. And I need to solve this. Tania didn’t do it, and the police are doing a shoddy job investigating. We both know that.”

He sighed. “I may not let you leave my side again until this is all worked out,” he said.

“I think we should visit Smuggler’s Cove during low tide tomorrow morning,” I said, pressing him. “If we find something, we can alert the authorities, and they can stake the place out tomorrow night.”

“I’m not sure I like it,” he said.

“We can take two skiffs,” I suggested. “Eli offered to help. One of us can stay out and keep watch while the other one goes in and checks it out.”

He grimaced. “It’s not ideal, but it’s a plan. I’m not sure how it’s going
to help get Tania off the hook, though.”

“Derek’s mixed up in this somehow. I found the low tide dates in his house, remember?”

“I’d rather not,” he said.

“We’ll figure it out tomorrow,” I said. “In the meantime, I should probably worry about breakfast.”

“Low tide is at ten tomorrow, right?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I’ll call Eli and set it up,” he volunteered.

“Thanks,” I said. “I love you, you know.”

“I love you too.”

_____

Despite the fact that both Beryl and Agnes were downstairs at eight, breakfast seemed to take forever the next morning. I had everything cleaned up and had wiped the counters down twice by the time Eli knocked on the kitchen door at 9:30.

“I’ll take care of the rooms this morning,” Catherine told me. She was dressed simply, in linen slacks and a tasteful blue silk top. Must not be a date day.

“Thanks,” I said.

“What do you think you’ll find?” she asked, sitting down at the kitchen table with a cup of black coffee and smoothing out her slacks.

“I don’t know, but I hope it’s not a guy with a gun.”

“Be careful, Natalie,” she said. “I found a terrific Mother of the Groom dress. I’d hate to waste it.”

I smiled and gave her a quick hug while Eli snagged a cookie from the jar. “You won’t tell Claudette?” he asked as he bit a corner off a Turtle.

“My lips are sealed,” I told him as I grabbed my windbreaker from the hook by the door. Biscuit looked up at me from her favorite spot and gave me a sleepy meow. I’d forgotten to feed her, I realized.

“I’ll take care of it,” Catherine said, as if reading my mind.

I gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“Ready?” he asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. John’s down in his workshop; let’s go find him.”

“Be careful,” Catherine called after us as we stepped through the door.

I turned to smile at her. “We will.”

John was already on the path waiting for us. “Fifteen minutes to low tide,” he said.

“Let’s get moving then,” Eli said. John climbed into
Mooncatcher
, and Eli and I hopped into his skiff. The plan was for Eli and me to keep watch while John investigated the cove.

“If there’s any funny business outside, just give a yell,” John told him before we started the motors.

“I came prepared,” Eli said, pulling aside his jacket to show what looked like an antique revolver.

“Does it work?” I asked.

“I don’t know, and I hope we don’t have to find out,” Eli answered.

It seemed like no time at all before we were outside Smuggler’s Cove. There were no boats in sight, and as Eli idled his motor, John circled around for a better shot at the entrance.

“Got a flashlight?” I asked.

“Right here,” John said, patting his pocket.

“Be quick,” I advised him, and held my breath as he gunned the engine and glided into the hole in the cliff, expertly avoiding the rocks I knew lay just under the surface on either side. I caught my breath as he vanished from sight, and turned to Eli. “You don’t think anyone’s in there, do you?”

“If so, they’ve been in there all night,” he told me. “Tide just got low enough to get in five minutes ago.”

We sat quietly, scanning the open water around us, waiting for John to emerge. Eli had to adjust the skiff’s position a few times as we waited. No other boats approached, but I felt my blood pressure rise as the minutes passed and there was no sign of John.

When I couldn’t stand it any longer, I said to Eli, “Do you think we should go in?”

“Give him another few minutes,” he said. “It hasn’t been that long.”

“Are you kidding me? It’s been like half an hour!”

As I spoke, I heard the roar of a boat motor from the cove. My whole body tensed, only to dissolve with relief when
Mooncatcher
emerged a moment later.

“Thank God,” I murmured, understanding the feeling of worry John had been describing to me the night before.

“What’d you find?” Eli asked, eyes bright with curiosity.

“I know what Zeke’s doing in that barn,” John said as he pulled up alongside.

“What?” I asked.

“Growing marijuana,” he said.

twenty-one

“I still can’t believe
it,” I said after John left a message for Detective Johnson to call him back.

“I’m guessing he was growing it in the barn,” John said. “That would explain the light you saw last night, and the black pepper to cover the scent. He was probably using grow lights.”

“And the fertilizer that came on the mail boat,” I said, suddenly remembering. “He’d told me he only used manure for his crops. It was manure from the farm that we found on the floor of the cove last time. And the license he was applying for was probably as a medical marijuana producer.”

“Which explains why he told Evan he was finished with the business,” John said.

“I hate to turn him in,” I told John. “He moved here with his brother so that he could look after him. I think he’s a good person.”

“Two kids on the island are in jail for drug possession,” he reminded me.

I grimaced. “You think that was Zeke?”

“Derek may have sold it to them, but I’m guessing that’s where it came from.”

I was quiet for a long time, thinking of Brad’s happy face as he pulled weeds from the garden. “What’s wrong?” John asked when I pulled out a cookbook and began leafing through it.

“I’m feeling conflicted,” I said.

My fiancé came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. “About what? The fact that we’ve uncovered a drug ring, but still don’t know who killed Derek?”

“Well, that too, of course,” I said. “But I’m really worried about turning in Zeke Forester. I think his motives were good, and if something happens to him, I don’t know what’s going to happen to his brother.”

“He still made the decision to get into the business in the first place,” John pointed out.

“Yes, but why?” I put down the canister of flour and looked out at the green trees, then told him about what we’d discovered at the old rectory.

“So the priest was a rum runner,” he said. “And making his own whiskey, too. Hardly what you expect of a man of the cloth.”

“But there was a reason for it,” I said. “That’s what bothers me. Beryl’s grandfather probably got into the business of rum running to help pay for his wife’s medical bills,” I said, “and he ended up dead. We’re planning on turning in Zeke, but I think he only started growing as a way to care for his brother. I’m not a big fan of drug use, but there’s a bill up to legalize it right now anyway.”

“It’s true, it’s not like cocaine or methamphetamines.”

“What if he was desperate?”

John stopped massaging my shoulders. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of asking him.”

“I am,” I said, then turned to look at him. “Is that wrong?”

“He might alert the people who are doing the pick-up,” he said. “And he might be a murderer.”

“I don’t think he is,” I said. “I may be wrong, but my heart tells me he’s a good person.” I turned around and looked at him. “What do I do?”

He sighed. “Let’s wait until Detective Johnson calls. I’ll tell him what we found in the cove, but I won’t tell him where it came from until we have a chance to talk with Zeke.”

My heart swelled, but I was still worried. “Are you sure? Is it obstructing justice not to tell?”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell,” he replied. “I just said we’d talk to Zeke first. If we go together, I can arrest him before he tips anyone off.”

“Really?”

“What choice do I have?” he asked, looking grim.

“I love you,” I said.

“Good thing.”

_____

We arrived at the farm just after noon. When John knocked on the door, Brad answered, giving us a beatific smile.

“Hi, Brad. Is your brother here?”

“Hi, John! Hi, Natalie! I’ll tell Zekie you’re here! He made me cupcakes today. Carrot. My favorite!”

“Who is it, Brad?” Zeke’s voice came from somewhere in the house.

“Friends,” Brad said, and my stomach twisted with guilt.

Zeke came to the door, patted his brother on the shoulder, then turned to us. “What’s up?”

“We need to talk,” John said quietly.

“Come in,” the farmer said casually.

“Alone,” John said, and something in his voice made Zeke pause. His face paled, but his voice was easy as he spoke to Brad. “I’m going to go show Natalie and John the tomatoes. Can you butter the toast when it pops up?”

“Okey dokey, Zeke!”

Zeke exited the house and led us away from it before turning to John. “What’s this about?” he asked.

John looked at me. I swallowed hard. “We know what’s in the barn,” I told him.

He digested that for a moment, and his shoulders slumped. “How?”

“I saw you down at the shore. And John was at the cove this morning.”

Zeke looked at the house and ran a hand through his hair. “I was trying to get out of it. It was the only way I could afford to take Brad out here, get him out of the city and into a small community.”

“Can we see it?” John asked.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Of course.” We followed him down the rows of vegetables to the barn. He unlocked the padlock and opened the doors, letting out that strong, sneeze-inducing scent of black pepper—and something else. Something green.

We followed him into the barn and around a partition, and what I saw took my breath away.

Dozens of light fixtures dangled from the ceiling, and the floor of the barn was covered with rows of empty pots. What appeared to be drying racks were toward the back of the barn. It was all empty now.

“Wow. How much were you growing?”

“A lot,” he said concisely. “But as you can see, I’m out of business
now.”

“Who were you working for?” John asked.

“Fred set it all up,” he said, surveying the empty barn. “I tried to stay out of it. And when I told him I was quitting, he threatened me.”

“He burned your shed down, didn’t he?” John asked.

Zeke nodded. “I think it’s his only source of income, and he’s afraid what would happen if it dried up. I’m applying for a license to grow it medically, but if that doesn’t work, I’m hoping I can make up the difference with a dairy.” He grimaced. “It’s probably too late, though.”

“What about Derek?”

“I don’t know about Derek,” he said. “I don’t think Fred is a killer, but I could be wrong.” He shook his head. “I knew it was a bad idea, but I couldn’t figure out any other way to take care of Brad.” He looked haggard. “I quit as soon as I found out Derek was dealing to kids.”

“You’re sure Derek was dealing?” I asked.

“Yeah. He was hooked up with whoever was organizing everything. I had to cut him loose; he was too dangerous to have around, and I didn’t trust him. Plus, he was just a bad business.”

“He was taking Adam’s boat out,” I said. “Do you know why?”

“I think he was taking extra from the barn and selling it himself,” he said. “He didn’t have a boat of his own, so he used Adam’s. The sternman’s job was just cover for the money he was making off drugs.”

“What did he do when you fired him?”

“He threatened to blackmail me, but when I told him I knew he’d been dealing, he stopped threatening me.”

“He had a contact who was providing him money, apparently. Any idea who?”

He shook his head. “As far as I know, once I fired him, he lost his income source, except for what he got helping Fred out.”

John gave Zeke a hard look. “Do you think Fred might have killed him?”

“I doubt it,” Zeke said. “He set my shed on fire to scare me, but I think he was really scared himself. And as for Derek …” He shook his head. “It was convenient, in a way, that someone killed him, but it wasn’t me.”

I thought of Brad, and Zeke’s willingness to break the law to protect his brother. Would he kill Derek, too? I wondered.

“Any idea who
did
kill him?” John asked.

“I don’t know. It wasn’t me, though; I was getting out anyway.” He shook his head. “Growing the recreational stuff made enough money to keep Brad comfortable, but I just couldn’t handle the fact that children were using it. I don’t mind pot, but kids are something different.” He looked at John. “Are you going to arrest me?”

“What would happen to Brad if you went to jail?” I asked him quietly.

His face seemed to crumple a bit. “Our parents are dead. I guess … I guess he’d be a ward of the state.” He turned pale at the thought.

John sighed. “If it were up to me, I’d consider staying quiet, but I’m pretty sure Fred will turn you in.”

Zeke looked startled. “Have they arrested him yet?”

“Not yet,” John said, “but there’s a sting operation set up. The police are staking out the cove; the pick-up’s tonight, isn’t it?”

“Like I said, I don’t know.” He grimaced. “And I don’t even have information to bargain with. The only person I know is Fred.”

John sighed. “I wish I had a solution for you.”

Zeke stared back at the farmhouse. “Me too,” he said, forlornly. “I deserve to go to jail. It’s just … I can’t bear the thought of Brad being in an institution.”

“Why drugs?” I asked.

“I couldn’t figure out any other way to make it work,” he told me. “I looked at the property, and then I was having a beer down at Spurrell’s Lobster Pond, and Fred started talking to me. Said he knew a way I could pay the bills without harming anyone.” He sighed. “It seemed too good to be true, and I guess it was.”

“I’m sorry, Zeke,” I said.

“Me too,” he told me, and looked at the barn. “I wish I’d never met Fred Penney.”

“If anything happens, we’ll do our best to take care of Brad,” John told him. “Maybe he can help out at the inn, or something.”

“Won’t work,” Zeke said. “He needs too much care. I couldn’t ask you to do that.” He sighed. “You know, I’ve made this mess, I’m going to have to clean it up. Let me make some arrangements for Brad, and I’ll turn myself in.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, worried for his sunny brother.

“I want to clear the air,” he said. “This has been heavy on my conscience. I just need some time to arrange things for Brad, if that’s okay with you.”

“I think we can spare the time,” John said.

“I presume you’re going to want to wait with me so I don’t tip off Fred.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to,” John said.

“Well, why don’t you come in and have a beer. Might as well enjoy my last hour of freedom.”

“Thanks,” John said. “We’ll take you up on that.”