Eclipse Bay

“Winston’s smart. He can handle that guy.”
    She watched the big dog heave his bulk to his feet. “I’m sure I’m a lot smarter than that monster, too. But I wouldn’t want to get into a fight with him.”
    “Okay, okay. Winston stays in the car.” Rafe walked to the gate and leaned on a grimy button.
    A few seconds later the door of the trailer opened. Dell Sadler appeared, silhouetted in the gloom. He gazed at Rafe and Hannah, his face shadowed by the brim of a greasy billed cap. After a while he apparently came to a decision. He started toward the gate. The dog paced stiffly after him, moving with the painfully awkward stride of an animal who was either very old or had been badly injured.
    Dell crossed the yard, weaving his way between piles of tires, crumpled fenders, and assorted mutilated auto parts. When he reached the gate he made no move to open it. He stared balefully at Rafe through the chain links. The dog came to a halt beside him and stared too. Dell did not look down, but he put his hand on the creature’s head in a gesture that was at once calming and absently affectionate. The bond between man and beast was evident.
    “It’s okay, Happy,” Dell said.
    Quite suddenly Hannah found it difficult to believe that this man had tried to murder Winston last night.
    “What d’ya want?” Dell asked gruffly.
    “We need to talk to you, Dell.”
    “What about?”
    “Kaitlin.”
    Dell’s shoulders stiffened visibly. He hesitated for a long time. Then he reached for the latch. “You better come inside.”
    The gate swung open. Dell led the way through the piles of dead automobiles.
    The tidy interior of the trailer was a surprise. Hannah glanced surreptitiously around as she sat down on the worn vinyl-covered couch. There was a good reading lamp on the built-in end table. A pile of magazines bearing recent dates was stacked beside it. A new mystery novel by a familiar author lay on the miniature coffee table.
    Dell hovered in the little kitchen. He appeared nervous, uneasy, as if he was not sure how to handle guests. “You want something to drink? I got some soda and beer.”
    “Soda’s fine,” Rafe said. “Whatever’s handy.”
    “Soda sounds great,” Hannah said gently.
    “Sure.” Dell opened the refrigerator and hauled out two cans. He carried them into the living room portion of the trailer and set them on the table in front of Rafe and Hannah.
    Hannah glanced through the screen door of the trailer, studying the dog sprawled outside. “What happened to your dog?”
    “Happy got run over by some drunk bastard on the highway while we was out on a tow job one night. Messed up his rear legs pretty bad. Vet told me I oughta put him down, but I just couldn’t do that. Cost me a fortune, but what was I gonna do? Me and Happy are partners, y’know?”
    “I know,” Hannah said. Definitely not a dog killer, she thought. But if Dell Sadler wasn’t the one who had put Winston out on the rocks in Dead Hand Cove, who had? “Someone tried to kill my dog last night.”
    “Why would anyone wanna kill a dog?”
    “We think it may have been meant as a warning of some kind,” she said quietly.
    “Shit. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You think maybe I tried to hurt your dog on accounta what happened to Kaitlin?”
    “It crossed our minds,” Rafe admitted. “You’re the only one I can think of who might have wanted to avenge Kaitlin’s death.”
    “Shit,” Dell said again. He sank down onto a threadbare chair and stared at the logo on the can in his hand. “I wouldn’t hurt no dog. That little pooch of yours didn’t have anything to do with what happened to my sister.”
    “You’re right.” Rafe leaned forward, legs spread. He held the can of soda loosely in his fingers between his knees. Serious but nonthreatening. Man to man. “I’ll come to the point, Dell. I know you think I killed Kaitlin. I didn’t. That’s the God’s honest truth. You’ll believe what you want to believe, but in the meantime, I really need to know why you’re so sure I’m guilty.”
    Dell turned the can between his hands. Eventually he looked up. “I always figured it was you because you were the last one with her that night. Everyone said you were pissed that she was playing around.”
    Hannah stirred. “But why were you always so sure that it was murder in the first place? Why couldn’t it have been an accident?”
    “Because they found her in Hidden Cove. Said she must have been