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I REACHED OVER THE rail of my boat and pulled down two folding lawn chairs. They were the chairs I took from my parent’s house after they sold it and moved from Fernandina Beach. They were the same aluminum chairs with the green mesh strips they used to use at the beach when I was a kid.
I set up on the dock to face the St. Johns and climbed back onto my boat. I turned to Alex. “I have Jack Daniels, a couple bottles of beer, and a bottle of white wine in the fridge.”
Alex sat down and stretched her feet out in front of her on the edge of the dock. “Wine is good. Unless you want to just grab a bottle of beer. Whatever’s easier.”
I shrugged. “Either way. But if I open the wine, you can’t just have one glass. I don’t want it to go bad.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “You can actually put the cork back inside. But you don’t have to worry, I won’t leave you drinking alone.”
I headed down below and grabbed the bottle of wine from the fridge. I looked at the Jack Daniels on the counter and wondered why it had less in the bottle than I’d remembered. I reached up on the shelf and grabbed a wine glass and the only rocks glass I owned since I’d moved back to Jacksonville. I dropped two cubes into my glass and climbed up the ladder.
Alex stood up and grabbed the wine and her glass as I stepped down off the boat. We both sat next to each other in the chairs, both quiet as we sipped our drinks and looked out over the St. Johns.
The boat I lived on didn’t belong to me, but I was lucky enough to be the official caretaker. The owner was somewhat of a friend who had business down in Australia and didn’t plan to return to the states anytime soon. I lived rent free without a yard to worry about. And my friend didn’t have to pay to store his boat. We both considered it a win-win.
I looked at my watch. “It’s after eight and no word from Angela?”
Alex stood from her chair and leaned against the boat to face me, one foot up behind her. “So what did you make of Angela’s friend, Roy?”
“Roy Mason? I don’t know. She introduced him as John’s good friend. But they seemed to have something going on between them.”
“Romantically?”
“No, I don’t think so.” I sipped my Jack. “He didn’t see any reason for her to hire me. He seems to trust that the Sheriff’s Office knows what they were doing.”
Alex nodded. “They do. And you know that.”
“Of course. But they’re also human. They make mistakes.”
“Did Angela say anything else about him?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t ask many questions. That’s what our meeting was supposed to be for. But Roy said he and John were tight...more than friends, was I think is how he put it.”
“If his best friend doubts there’s anything more to John’s accident, then...”
“I of course want to talk to him again. Sooner than later.”
I heard my phone ring then jumped from my chair and looked around. I wasn’t sure where I’d left it, but knew the ringing came from the boat. “Where the hell’s my phone?” I stepped past Alex and pulled myself up onto the deck.
Alex climbed up behind me and pointed to my phone, on the cushioned bench. “It’s right there.”
By the time I answered the caller had hung up. I looked at the screen and saw it was Angela’s number, then dialed her right back.
She answered on a half-ring. “Henry, I’m sorry about what happened earlier. It was somewhat of an emergency and turned into quite the mess. I hope I didn’t waste your time.”
“It’s not a big deal. At least I got the chance to meet John’s charming brother.”
“Oh. I’m sorry about that. I told him to join us, only because I thought he had the right to know what’s going on. He and John weren’t close, but they were still brothers. He just takes some getting used to.”
“So are you all set with your client’s emergency?”
“I believe so. In fact, you met him last night at Barrington’s. Roy Mason.”
I looked at Alex as she leaned on the rail and watched me. “Roy Mason’s one of your clients?”
“Not just a client. He’s our biggest. I’m surprised he didn’t mention it when you met him. It’s usually one of the first things he says when I introduce him. He wants everyone to know he’s not just some small fish. Although, the truth is if it wasn’t for Roy, Thompson Insurance may not be what it is today.”
“Alex and I were just talking about him. I’d like to meet with him, see if he’d be willing to talk.”
Angela went quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. He made it clear he’s not too interested in another investigation. He even mentioned it again on our call...that I’m wasting my money hiring you.”
“Does that really mean he can’t talk to me?”
“Well, you’re the expert. I’ll leave it up to you.”
I watched Alex climb off the boat and sit back down in the aluminum chair.
I thought for a moment. “Angela, is there anything else besides the helmet that’s making you suspicious? I’m having a hard time believing that’s the only reason you want to hire me.”
“If there was something else, I’d tell you.” She was quiet again for a couple of moments. “Would you call me crazy if I told you I had a feeling in my gut that something happened to John?”
I turned and looked toward the river. “I’d rather you tell me that then have me focus on why his helmet wasn’t on his head.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. But it doesn’t mean I’m not suspicious of him not wearing a helmet, but...”
“How about we meet in the morning, so we can get a little deeper into the details?”
“I’m heading up to Atlanta for the day. I’ll be back in the late afternoon or early evening. Would you be able to come out to my house then?”
“I’ll check with Alex to see if—”
“I was hoping...I thought maybe it’d be okay if you came alone? I’d just feel more comfortable that way.”
“Oh, uh...” I thought for a moment as Alex looked up at me. “I like having Alex with me. She’s very good at...”
“I’d like you to come alone, Henry. It’s a simple request from your client. Okay?”
I felt a lump in my throat and wondered what her request was all about, as strange as it was. “Okay, that’s fine. What time?”
“I’ll be home by seven, at the latest. Any time after that. Do you know where I live, down in San Marco?”
“I have your address. I’ll be there at seven. And in the meantime, if you’re okay with it I’m going to reach out to Roy.”
Angela was quiet for a moment. “What about John’s widow, Michelle? Don’t you want to talk to her first?”
“Well, of course I’ll talk to her. And I assume she knows you’ve hired me?”
Angela was quiet for a moment. “I haven’t told her.”
“She doesn’t know you’ve hired a private investigator to look into her husband’s death?”
“I just haven’t gotten around to calling her.”