Deep Waters

Gwendolyn because she confronted you about the embezzlement and threatened to have you arrested."
    "That's not true." Panic flared in Rick's face. "Are you crazy? I didn't kill her. Hell, I didn't even know she was dead until I came back from the beach with some of the others."
    "Going to be a little tough to prove, isn't it? Everyone knows that, what with the fog and those hooded robes the Voyagers wear, anyone on the beach could have disappeared from the crowd long enough to murder Gwendolyn. But you have a solid motive, and you're new here in town. That gives you an edge on the competition, Swinton."
    "I didn't kill her, I tell you. I can prove it, if it comes to that. Plenty of people saw me on the beach during the half hour before midnight."
    "Maybe. Maybe not. Lots of excitement down there on that beach last night. But I'll leave that to you and Tybern to sort out." Elias leaned back against the dinette. "In the meantime, you and I are going to work on your image problem."
    "Now what are you talking about?"
    Elias smiled. "We're going to prove to the Voyagers and everyone else in town what a nice, honest guy you are. We'll show them how bad you feel about the fact that the spaceships didn't arrive last night. You're going to do what you know Gwendolyn Pitt would have wanted to do in such sad circumstances."
    "And just what would that be, you sonofabitch?"
    "We're going down to the bank to set up a trustee account. With the bank serving as trustee, of course. Then you'll call your bank in Seattle and arrange to have all of the funds in your personal account wired into the new account."
    Rick's face reddened furiously. "Like hell, I will."
    "A representative of the First National Bank of Whispering Waters Cove will disperse the funds to the Voyagers. Being the competent, thorough, hardworking employee of the company that you are, I'm sure you've got a list of everyone's contributions."
    "Goddamn you." Rick leaped to his feet and launched himself at Elias.
    Elias stepped aside. Rick hit the dinette table and sprawled across it in an ungainly heap.
    "Let me put it this way, Swinton. If you don't decide to play the good guy, I'm going to call Tybern. He'll take it from there. He shouldn't have too much trouble figuring out how to put a hold on those funds in your Seattle account while he arranges for the audit. (After all, he's conducting a murder investigation. One way or another, you're going to lose that money. Might as well make the process work in your favor."
    "Bastard." Rich heaved himself slowly off the table. His eyes narrowed viciously.
    "My way, you come out of this looking like you tried to do the right thing. Your way, you look like a murder suspect. Take your pick."
    Rick slammed the laminate tabletop again and again with his fist. "Bastard, bastard, bastard. You'll pay for this. I swear it. Nobody screws Rick Swinton and gets away with it."
    "Let's go. It's ten o'clock. The bank is open."
    Elias had just allowed Crazy Otis to step off his shoulder and onto the perch behind the counter when Charity rushed through the front door of Charms & Virtues.
    "It's after noon." She raced toward him, skirts flying. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick."
    "Heh, heh, heh," Otis said.
    Charity ignored the parrot. "I was beginning to think something dreadful had happened to you."
    "Such as?" Elias hit a key on the ancient cash register. The drawer shot open with a satisfying clang.
    "How was I to know?" Charity reached the counter. She was breathless. "It could have been any number of things. There's a murderer on the loose, or have you forgotten?"
    "No." Elias took a moment to savor the sight of her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright with concern. Concern for him, he thought with a stab of wonder. "I'm surprised you even missed me. I hear you've been busy saving Newlin from the gallows."
    "All I did was find an alibi for him." Her brows drew together. "How did you know about that?"
    "I saw Ted and Radiance on my way down the pier. They told me what you'd been up to this morning."
    "Is that right?" She heaved a deep sigh. "Well, a woman's work is never done. I've been working on your alibi ever since I got Newlin out of Tybern's clutches."
    "Mine?"
    "Don't you think that it's going to be a little difficult to explain to Chief Tybern that you were busy searching Rick Swinton's motor home at approximately the same time that Gwendolyn was getting murdered? B and E is not exactly a great