33

 

Geoff found me huddled against my log, sopping wet, shivering. I’d made no attempt to open the red sack.

He hunkered down and gathered me into his arms. Slowly his heat penetrated my fright, and the shivering subsided.

“What were you thinking?” he asked. Geoff knew how I felt about water. Aquaphobia, he called it, though I’m not sure my cowardice deserved a clinical designation.

“I thought it was Josh.”

I felt him look around. “The sack?”

“It’s red.”

“And you thought…oh, Gai.” He hugged me tighter. “That’s the bravest thing I’ve ever known anyone to do.”

“It’s not Josh.”

“No, sweetheart, it’s not Josh. He’s at my apartment, with Ash. She’s trying to convince him to tell Andrew what he saw the other night.”

“What did he see?”

“I have no idea. I don’t think Ash does, either. She just knows if they’re going to have any kind of a future, he has to take responsibility for his actions.”

“Isn’t that what Claude always said? There’s no forgiveness until we take responsibility for our sins?”

He kissed my soggy hair. “Are you ready to go home?”

I crawled out of his lap. My clothes clung to me like second skin. I plucked at my t-shirt.

“Come on.” Taking my hand he pulled me to my feet. “No one will see you.”

I slid under his waiting arm. “Don’t forget the sack. I almost died for that thing.” He didn’t contradict me, though I’m sure he thought I was being melodramatic, and hoisted the sack over his shoulder.

Geoff waited while I showered and changed, then we crossed the bridge to his place. He left the red sack on his terrace and slid open his door for me to enter first. Ash and Josh were still there. They sat at opposite ends of the couch, and judging by their mutinous expressions, I’d say they’d been arguing.

“He refuses,” said Ash.

Josh stuck out his chin. “I’m not sticking my neck in a noose.”

“It’s not a noose if you’re t-telling the truth.”

“You think I’m lying?”

Obviously, they’d resolved nothing, but at least they were talking—well, shouting—and Josh wasn’t out doing worse.

Geoff offered me the recliner and pulled up a kitchen chair for himself. “I may have something that will tip the scales.”

“How?” asked Ash.

Josh watched Geoff. Suspiciously?

“Gai rescued something from the harbor. Thought you might like to see it.” Without waiting for their answer—Josh and Ash exchanged glances, hers curious, his worried?—Geoff retrieved the red sack from outside.

He dropped it on the coffee table, unconcerned with the wet stain it would leave.

Now that I was no longer in a panic and could think and see rationally, I could tell this was not and should never have been mistaken for a person. It was a faded Montreal Canadiens pillowcase, mostly red, with the distinctive blue and white logo. When I’d dragged it up the beach, I was pretty sure the end had been securely knotted. It wasn’t now. Geoff must have opened it while I showered.

Seeing the soggy pillowcase, Josh began scratching his head.

Ash gave me the raised eyebrow.

“Would you like to see what’s inside?” asked Geoff.

She scooted toward the middle of the couch and leaned forward.

Josh pressed himself as far away as possible without falling on the floor.

My own curiosity intensified by his response to the pillowcase, I knelt beside the coffee table, eager for the big reveal.

Indulging the drama of the moment, Geoff slowly reached into the pillowcase. His arm disappeared up to his elbow. The fabric quivered. He lifted out the first object and placed it carefully on the table.

It was one of Carrie’s frogs. I’d have staked my life on it.

Geoff reached into the pillowcase and brought out a second and a third, until the pillowcase was empty, and a row of frog figurines stretched the length of the coffee table.

We all stared at them.

“Are those…?” Ash looked at me.

“Carrie’s? Yep.”

Tentatively, fingers extended, Ash caressed the largest figurine—a crowned frog standing on his back legs as he, lips puckered, strained towards, well, presumably the princess. “It’s b-beautiful,” she whispered. Her face glowing with awe, she crouched beside the table and studied each one. Except for the frog prince, she didn’t touch any.

Josh seemed unable to drag his gaze from Ash’s rapt face.

“Oh, Josh.” She turned to him, her eyes filled with tears. “You d-did this for me?” She threw herself into his arms, and they spilled onto the floor. He laughed. She cried.

Geoff and I looked at each other.

“We need to notify police that Carrie’s stolen figurines have been retrieved,” Geoff said. “I’m not sure they’ll be able to get fingerprints off of them, apart from ours. They’ve been soaking in sea water for days. And the pillowcase is old. It could have come from anywhere.”

Josh extricated himself from Ash. “You think?”

Geoff said, “I think you have a couple of different options. Gai and I can show these to Andrew. Gai found the pillowcase. Not knowing what was inside we opened it. This is what we discovered.”

“All true,” I said.

“Or we could tell Andrew and LeClerc the extended version.”

“The extended version?” I imagined Josh paled when he said that.

“We keep with the original story I just said, but you’re going to add your confession.”

“My confession?” Josh’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.

“That you took these figurines from Hunter Hall and, having realized the error of your ways, you are overcome by remorse for the additional pain you’ve caused Carrie on top of the death of her husband. So you threw them away. But now that they’re back, you want to return them to her in good faith.”

“Give ‘em back?”

“They’re going back either way. One way gets you off the hook and makes you look good in Ash’s eyes. The other way leaves a lot of unanswered questions that aren’t good for you.”

“But they’re gonna think I murdered Claude.”

“Did you?”

Josh recoiled. “No!”

I wasn’t being fooled a second time. “You lied before. Why should we believe you now? Why should Andrew?”

“I was scared. I lied because I knew what everybody’d think.”

Hands on my hips, I narrowed the space between us. “And now we’re thinking it. You robbed Hunter Hall. You killed Claude to cover it up.”

“So I lied.” Panic made his voice shrill. “That doesn’t mean I killed him!”

“And I don’t see the alleged murder weapon.” Geoff’s observation gave me pause.

The assorted frogs on the coffee table did not include the totem-like candlestick.

Geoff continued. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Josh, but if you were the killer, I’d expect the murder weapon to be tucked into this pillowcase with the other frogs. You wouldn’t think to dispose of it separately.”

Josh nodded.

“So which will it be? Option one, or option two?”

Ash clasped his hand in both of hers and gazed imploringly into his eyes.

Who can resist young love? Josh’s shoulders curled inward. “Call the cops.”