“Sure.” The manager led Lin back inside the office. He moved to the desk and the toe of his boot hit Anton Wilson’s book that was resting on the floor. He bent and picked up it, placing the book facedown on the desk. He pulled open a file cabinet that stood to the left of the desk and he rummaged through some files. When the manager found what he was looking for, he wrote three names, addresses, and phone numbers on a piece of paper which he handed to Lin. “These folks don’t mind being contacted for testimonials.”
“Okay, thanks.” As Lin was folding the paper to put in her jeans pocket, she recalled that she’d seen Bill down at the docks on the morning of the murder. “Sorry about Mr. Hammond.”
Bill stiffened. “Yeah. Well, stuff happens.”
Lin got the impression that the manager-soon-to-be-owner wasn’t too broken up over the death of his employer. A shiver of disgust ran through her body. “I thought you looked familiar. You were down by Greg’s boat the morning of the murder, weren’t you?”
Bill looked surprised. “The cops called here after they found the body. I answered. Greg didn’t have family. The police asked me to come down.”
A whoosh of cold air drifted over Lin. Her heart sank. She knew what it meant and she steeled herself for what she would see. Standing right behind the manager in the far corner of the room was the eighteenth-century ghost. Lin forced her face to stay neutral.
An auburn-haired, middle-aged woman carrying a briefcase opened the door to the building and stepped into the office. She acknowledged Bill and gave Lin a hasty nod.
“This is Joan,” Bill said. “She’s the bookkeeper.”
Joan turned to Bill. “I have that paperwork you wanted to go over.” She went through the door to the back office.
“Drop by or give us a call after you talk to those people on the list I gave you.” Bill gestured to the paper Lin still held in her hand. “We’d be glad to do the stonework for you. We’ll come out and give you an estimate. Let us know as soon as you can and we’ll get your job on the work-list.”
Lin nodded and thanked the man. Before she and Nicky left the building, Lin took a quick look to the corner. The ghost was gone. Once outside, she thought about the coincidence of finding Anton Wilson’s book on ghosts under Greg Hammond’s desk.
Walking to her truck, she decided that it might be a good idea to get a copy of that book.
***
Lin, Viv, and Nicky strolled towards the docks. The sun was sinking lower in the sky and the air was much cooler than it had been during the afternoon. Viv had a canvas bag looped over her shoulder. “I brought you the book. I haven’t read it. I wonder what mysteries Anton Wilson thinks can be found on the island.”
“It’s an odd coincidence that Hammond had Wilson’s book in his office. I can’t wait to look through it.”
The girls headed to the section of the docks where Viv’s boyfriend John kept his boat. Nicky trotted along after them.
“So John said the guy who used to berth his boat next to Greg Hammond’s boat has moved to the slip next to John. John called me this morning before he took the ferry back to the mainland. He’s going to Boston to visit his brother for a week. He was surprised to see a different boat beside his when he woke up this morning.”
“What’s this guy’s name?”
“Nate Johnson. He told the Harbor Master that if he couldn’t move his boat, then he’d leave the island. John thinks he was freaked out by Hammond’s murder and he didn’t want to be anywhere near where it happened.”
“Some people are superstitious.” Lin kept looking over her shoulder. The last time she was at the docks she saw the ghost and she was hoping that he wouldn’t make a reappearance.
Viv led the way along the docks. “John said we should use his boat and maybe we’ll get a chance to talk to Nate Johnson about the murder. We’ll have to be subtle though. We don’t want to scare him off.”
“Do you know anything about Johnson?”
“I’ve met him a few times, but I really don’t know anything about him.”
When the girls reached John’s boat they climbed aboard with Lin carrying the dog. Viv went down into the hold and put some things in the refrigerator. She returned with a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers. She set them down on the table. “Maybe we can entice the new neighbor over for a drink.”
The girls settled on the seats and Nicky jumped up to sit next to Lin.
“You think he’ll show?”
“Don’t turn around but I think he’s coming.” Viv smiled and waved to someone on the dock. When the person came closer, she stood, and gave the man a welcome. “Have time to join us for a drink? Wine or beer?” Viv’s warm and cheerful personality always drew people in. “John’s away for a few days.”
Nate Johnson came aboard. He was about six feet tall with sandy blonde hair. Lin estimated that he was probably in his late-thirties. Viv handed him a beer and he sat down.
“So you moved slips?” Viv didn’t waste any time bringing up the subject.
“Yeah.” Nate didn’t elaborate.
“I can’t remember,” Viv said. “Which dock were you on before this one?”
Nate told them.
“Too noisy over there? Trouble with neighbors?” Viv sipped from her glass.
“That wasn’t the problem,” Nate said. “I’d been over there for a couple of years. I thought a change was in order.”
Lin sighed inwardly afraid that this conversation was going to lead nowhere. “Wasn’t that the dock where Greg Hammond had his boat?”
Nate blanched. He took a swig from his bottle of beer. “Yeah.” He took another long swallow.
“What did you think of Hammond?” Viv asked as nonchalantly as possible.
“He was okay. Pretty much kept to himself. We’d shoot the breeze now and then.”
Lin patted Nicky. “Was he the type who courted trouble? Or do you think the attack was random?”
Nate seemed to wince, and then he shook his head. “I don’t think it was random. I think Greg got mixed up in some kind of mess.”
“Drugs?” Lin asked even though she doubted that was at the root of the killing.
“Nah. Greg wasn’t into stuff like that.”
“What do you think it was about then?” Viv leaned slightly forward trying to encourage speculation. She offered the man another beer thinking that more drink might loosen his tongue.
“Greg was into get-rich-quick schemes. He was always reading about things he could do to make extra money.”
“Why?” Lin looked puzzled. “He had a big landscaping business. Didn’t that keep him busy? It must have done well.”
Nate scratched the back of his neck. He shifted in his seat. “Greg was pressed for money. He … well, he had a bit of a gambling problem. Money slipped through his fingers pretty easy.”
Lin’s eyes widened. “You think Hammond was killed over a gambling debt?”
Nate was quiet for a few moments. “If I had to guess? It’s possible. He was messing with some dangerous characters. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to move my boat over here.” Nate shook his head. “But, who knows? He could’ve been killed over something else.”
“Were you around that morning?” Perspiration formed on Viv’s forehead. Just thinking about being down on the dock and hearing the arguing voices on the morning of the murder made her break out in a sweat.
Nate nodded. “I was down below. I was making breakfast.”
“Did you hear anything? See anything?” Lin pressed.
Viv hoped that Nate hadn’t seen her walking past on the docks that day.
“I heard some shouting. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I wasn’t sure if it was somebody fooling around, or maybe a television was on, something like that.” Nate looked down at his hands. “I was the one who found the body. I should’ve gone over there right away when I heard the noise, but I didn’t. After I ate my breakfast, I felt uneasy about the yelling I heard, so I went over to Greg’s boat, called for him. He didn’t answer. I could smell something burning inside so I went in. There was a frying pan on the stove. Greg was facedown on the floor.” He made eye contact with the girls. “That’s the real reason I moved slips.”