“I don’t believe it. I didn’t know him that well, but I don’t believe it,” she said, slurring her words. “Every one was there, right with him. How come no one saw?” Ally demanded. Her voice was strong, but she was shifting from foot to foot as she spoke.
“Probably because none of us was expecting any thing to happen,” David told her, rising. “Mrs. Conroy, you seem…distraught. Would you like me to walk you to your room?”
“Why? Because I might fall into the water and drown?” she said with hostility.
“Because I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself in any way,” David said.
Suddenly her eyes fell. She sniffed. “He liked me. Liked Zach and liked me. You don’t know how hard it is to raise a kid by yourself. And he was…not the kind of man who’d get drunk, fall in the water and drown.”
“The sheriff will be investigating,” David assured her gently. “In fact, he’ll be here tomorrow. You can talk to him yourself.”
She suddenly seemed to deflate, hanging on David’s arm. She looked up at him, a little bleary-eyed. “Hey, you’re all right, you know?”
“I’ll walk her to her room,” David told the others.
They nodded.
Ally Conroy was definitely stumbling as she clung to David. “We’ve got one of the cottages,” she said. “It was an Internet deal. Cool, huh? I’m paying a lot less than most people. Have to watch my money, you know?”
“Of course. I’m glad you got a good deal.”
By the time they reached her cottage, he was ready to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder, she was stumbling so badly. He damned himself for taking the time to go with her, was even now missing something being said at the Tiki Hut, some piece of the puzzle that had to come together soon.
Because he didn’t believe, not for a minute, that Seth Granger had just fallen into the water and died.
They reached the cottage at last. She couldn’t find her key, so David knocked on the door, hoping Zach would hear.
“He was onto something. Onto something big,” Ally said suddenly.
“What?”
“He told me about some ship.”
“What ship?”
“Where is that damn key?” Ally Conroy said.
David strove for patience and an even tone. “Mrs. Conroy, what ship? Please, think for me.”
“The…ship. He was going after a ship. Said he had a friend who needed help, and he intended to help her, because it might be the best thing he’d done in his life. Will you look at this purse? It’s an absolute mess.”
“Don’t worry, there’s a key in there somewhere, and if not, Zach will open the door. Mrs. Conroy, you could really help me out here. Did Seth know the name of the ship he wanted to find?”
“The name of the ship…” she repeated.
“The name.”
“Oh…yes! The Anne Marie, I think he said.” Her eyes brightened, and she smiled, forgetting her quest for her key for a moment. “He was very excited about it. He said there was more fantasy written about her than fact. That the legend had it all wrong. No, history was wrong, legend was right.” She shook her head and gave her attention back to her purse. “Where is that damned key?”
The door opened. Zach looked at them anxiously.
“I thought I should walk your mom to your cottage,” David said.
Zach looked amazingly world-weary, understanding and tolerant. “Thanks, Mr. Denham.”
“No problem, and call me David.”
The kid nodded, taking his mother’s arm.
“I’m okay,” Ally said, steadying herself. She cupped Zach’s face, then gave him a kiss on the forehead. “I guess we have to take care of each other, huh? I’m sorry, hon.”
“It’s okay, Mom.”
“I’m going to lie down,” Ally said.
“Good idea,” Zach told her.
Ally paused, looking at David. “I…thank you,” she said.
“Not at all.”
“I’ll try to remember anything else I can,” she told him. “After an aspirin and a night’s sleep,” she added dryly.
“Thanks again.”
Ally walked inside. Zach looked at David. “She liked Mr. Granger,” he said with a shrug. “I was sorry, but…I didn’t want her getting all tied up with him. I know she was thinking it would be great for me to have a dad, but he was a loudmouth. And rude. I didn’t want my mom with him. I didn’t make him fall in the water, though.”
“I never thought you did, Zach,” David said.
“Thanks,” Zach said. As David started to walk away, he called him back. “Hey, Mr. Denham? David?”
“Yes?”
“Maybe sometime, if you’re not too busy, you could show me the Icarus?”
“I’d be glad to,” David said. “Maybe tomorrow. Ask your Mom. Maybe we can have coffee together, or breakfast, and I’ll take you both out on her.”
In all honesty, he liked the kid. Especially after tonight.
And he damn sure wanted to talk to Ally Conroy when she was sober.
Before anyone else did.
Chapter 7