Deep Waters

at Hank. "Did you charge her with murder?"
    "Not yet." Hank said. "Right now, I'm holding her on assault charges and a few other miscellaneous goodies. The murder charge may be a little more difficult."
    "But she told me herself that she killed both of them," Charity said indignantly.
    "Well, she isn't saying a damn thing now," Hank replied. "Clammed up but good. Waiting for her lawyer, she says. In the meantime, I'm going to have another look-see around the sites of the two murders. With any luck I may be able to turn up some useful evidence."
    "Hold on a minute, Hank." Elias dug deeper beneath a mound of fake french fries. "I may be able to give you a jump start on that investigation." The beam of the flashlight fell on a small, bulging envelope. "Ah-hah. I knew something was wrong back here."
    Charity looked at him expectantly. "What did you find?"
    "Rick Swinton's final attempt to prove that no one screws him over and gets away with it." Elias tossed the envelope toward Hank. "I think this belongs to you."
    Hank plucked the envelope out of midair. His brows rose as he felt the size and shape of the object inside. Without a word he tore open the small packet and pulled out the tape. "Well, I'll be damned."
    Charity's eyes widened. "Do you think that's the tape of Gwen Pitt's murder?"
    "Swinton told Jennifer that he had hidden it here in Charms & Virtues," Elias reminded her.
    "Yes, but how in the world did you know where to look?" Charity asked.
    Elias grinned. "I noticed yesterday that the dust on that pile of plastic food wasn't as thick and even as it had been a few days ago. It had been disturbed."
    "How the hell could you notice that amid all this clutter?" Davis demanded with a derisive glance at the interior of the shop.
    "A good shopkeeper knows his stock," Elias said virtuously.
    "Very observant," Hank said with genuine admiration.
    "Yeah," Newlin agreed. "Real sharp of you, Elias."
    "Thanks." Elias carried the flashlight back to the counter.
    "Don't get the idea," Charity warned, "that this incident will provide you with an excuse not to dust in the future, Elias. I still say a clean and tidy shop is the hallmark of a well-run business."
    Davis grinned. "Better listen to her, Winters. When it comes to running a business, Charity's an expert."
    "I've always admired professional expertise," Elias said.
    "Heh, heh, heh," Crazy Otis cackled.

20

    It is true that the waters of the past and the future are forever joined. But those who are wise and determined can alter the coarse of the river.

    —"On the Way of Water," from the journal of Hayden Stone

    In the end, the Crazy Otis Landing Shopkeepers Association voted unanimously not to close the pier to the public in order to hold the second wedding reception of the year. Instead, they invited the whole town to the festivities.
    To everyone's astonishment, virtually the entire population of Whispering Waters Cove showed up to take part. The pier was thronged. Crisp October sunshine warmed the milling crowd and danced on the waters of the cove.
    Elias was amazed at the turnout. "We've got a bigger crowd than the one that turned out for the spaceships back in August."
    "What the hell did you expect, Winters?" Hank Tybern swallowed the last of a large sugar cookie decorated with mauve icing and surveyed the crowd gathered on the landing with evident amusement. "The town's decided that you're here to stay. The improvements you're making to the pier are starting to show. Weekend tourist traffic is still strong even though we're well into October. And you and your lovely bride solved the crime of the century here in the cove this summer. You're celebrities."
    "It was an exciting summer," Charity agreed complacently.
    "What was that about spaceships?" Meredith asked as she wandered over to join the group in front of Charms & Virtues.
    "Long story," Hank told her. "And best forgotten."
    "Bottom line is that your sister and Elias here are local heroes." Phyllis Dartmoor came to a halt and saluted Elias and Charity with a glass of punch. "By the way, I see that the shops are starting to fill up." She nodded toward the three new signs that hung over nearby doors.
    Elias followed her gaze. In addition to the new card shop that Newlin and Arlene had opened with the aid of a small-business loan from Far Seas, Inc., there was also a bakery and an aromatherapy shop. He wasn't certain how well the aromatherapy operation would work, but you could never tell on Crazy Otis