“Sure, that can be arranged, as long as you’re willing to wear an ugly orange life vest. I’ll pick you up at your place in half an hour.”
Twenty-Seven
“I thought you usually go out at dark o’clock,” Harper said over the sound of the engines as the boat chugged out of the harbor and into the bay.
The briny ocean breeze was invigorating, the sea lions were barking, and the seagulls were cawing overhead. She took a deep breath and soaked it all in.Yes. This was exactly what she needed.
“Usually we do, but we had that special event earlier, and tomorrow’s schedule is packed. Weather report says we’re supposed to get hit by a bomb cyclone in the next day or two.”
“What in the world is a ‘bomb cyclone’? Doesn’t sound good.”
“Heavy rain, basically,” Tariq said, squinting into the bright sunshine. “We Californians get a little freaked out when confronted with actual weather systems. So, do you want to tell me what happened this morning? You’re clearly shaken up.”
She had taken a long, hot shower to remove all traces ofthis morning’s nightmare, but still felt as if she had Joel’s blood under her fingernails, reminding her of how the mud from poor Delilah’s grave had stuck with her. Harper was starting to feel like Lady Macbeth: No matter how many times she washed her hands, they were still unclean.
“Kind of a long story,” she said.
“I ain’t got nothin’ but time, baby,” Tariq replied with a gentle smile.
Harper gave him an abbreviated version of meeting Asher and Highbaugh at the Perles Mansion, getting locked in the basement with Asher, and hearing Asher and Joel arguing upstairs before Joel ended up dead on the patio outside.
“Didn’t see that coming,” Tariq said, shaking his head as he steered the boat. “Joel was a weird little dude, but—wow. You think he was drunk?”
“Under the influence of something, that’s for sure. I didn’t smell alcohol on him, though that can be masked. The detective said they’d run a tox panel.”
“And do you believe Asher’s version of events? Or…do you think he might have pushed Joel himself?”
“Joel was acting very strangely…I don’t know.” It was only then that Harper remembered the journal was still in her car, under the seat. “I mean, Asher was awfully angry, and they were arguing, but pushing someone out a window to his death? That’s…a lot.”
“And Highbaugh hightailed it out of there?”
“I imagine he heard the ruckus and took off. The better part of valor, as they say.”
Tariq nodded and gazed out to sea, apparently lost in thought. A bracing wind came off the water; seagulls swooped and called overhead.
“You really think Asher could have done it?” asked Harper.
“I really think I don’t trust him,” said Tariq. “Delilah told me a few things about their relationship. He was very possessive toward her, to a disturbing degree.”
“I got that feeling. The thing is, Joel did appear completely out of touch with reality…he said he was seeing bunnies.”
“That’s a new one,” Tariq said. “Assuming the bunnies didn’t do it, then there were only two people upstairs. Either Asher murdered Joel by pushing him out the window, or Joel jumped out the window of his own volition.”
“I suppose those are the two options.”
“Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Thereisa back stairway,” said Tariq. “The old servants’ stairs. Theoretically, someone else could have been there and slipped away without being noticed.”
“That’s a disturbing thought.”
“What do you want to bet the authorities rule it a suicide? Joel was an odd duck, and you yourself said he’d been acting strange the past few days. Much easier to blame him for his death than to accuse a wealthy local resident of murder.”
“Detective Serrano doesn’t strike me as the type to ignore evidence or to participate in a cover-up.”
“Doesn’t have to be that obvious, Harp. All he has to do is not vigorously pursue the investigation and close the case.” Tariq cut the boat’s engine. “And now, time to get to work. This looks like a likely spot.”
