Lucas nodded: Im actually here because I want to know more about your husband. I have an abstract of a Douglas County file about his disappearance, but theres not much in it.
There wasnt much to say. Her lower lip trembled as she said it; she was twisting a ring on her finger, and Lucas noticed that it was a wedding ring. He just got on the boat and vanished.
But there isnt any doubt that the boat sank? Lucas asked.
What? Have you found out something?
No-no-no. Just… your tone of voice.
Well… Again, the trembling lip. Its been almost impossible to put this behind me, because nothing was ever found. No body, no boat debris, nothing. After he disappeared, all kinds of inspectors went to the bank, and they came and questioned me to make sure he hadnt taken off with some money. I mean, every time I get a phone call at home that Im not expecting, I halfway think its going to be his voice.
But you really think the boat sank.
Yes. She nodded firmly. In fact, I even think I know what happened. Do you sail, Mr. Davenport?
I have. Im not particularly good at it. Weather was a sailing fanatic, as her father had been, and theyd gone out almost every warm weekend, and for a long two weeks in the Caribbean.
When a boat goes down, theres almost always lots of debris, Ingall said. You know the enormous amount of stuff sailors carry around with thembooks and logs and guides and all kinds of paper. Andy had even more of it than most people. Business papers and references and so on. Plus the boat had a lot of wood. So if it had blown up, like some people thought, theyd have foundsomething. But they didnt find anything. So you know what I think?
What?
What I think is, it was a cool day, and Andy had the autopilot on and hed gone below. While he was down there… the keel fell off, she said.
The keel?
Yes. The keel on our boat was about four thousand pounds of lead, held in place with four huge steel bolts. You normally couldnt even see the bolts, without pulling up parts of the solethe flooring.
Yeah. He knew what a sole was.
Anyway, I think the nuts worked off the bolts, from vibration, and then, with some sudden strain, the keel simply fell off, she said. If that happened, the boat would have turned turtle just instantly, and water would have started pouring down the companionway and the whole thing would have sunk in a minute or two. There are cases known like this. Theyre rare, but it sort of explains everything. There wouldnt have been time for life jackets or anything, and the inflow of water would have kept everything inside. It wouldve been just… glug.
But thats a rare thing.
Yesbut.
But.
We kept the boat in Superior, and theres this old guy up there who pretty much lives on his boat. Not technically, because they dont allow that, but hes around day and night. When I was up there during the search, he told me that Andyd had somebody working on the boat the night before he disappeared. He didnt pay much attention, but he said hed noticed the guy had pulled up the sole andstuck it in the cockpit, out of the way of whatever he was doing. He assumed the guy was working on the plumbing, but he could have been working on the bolts. Maybe there was something wrong with them. Or maybe he did something that messed them up.
Huh. Was your husband there that day? When the work was being done?
No, not that day.
Did he often hire people to do work when he wasnt there?
From time to time. I mean, good boat-repair people are like plumbers or electricians. Theyll schedule you for some work, but something happens on another job and it gets stretched out, or they get free earlier than they think. So lots of times wed just give them the key and the go-ahead to do the work whenever they could get there.
Did you know that work was being done?
No. But sometimes he didnt tell me. The boat was more Andys thing than mine.
Did anybody ever talk to the guy who did the work?
Nope. We looked around, but nobody ever figured out who it was. We had a guy wed used quite a bit, but he said he didnt know anything about it. And nobody ever really saw the guy doing the work. He did it in the evening, mostly after dark. And he wasnt there very longso that made me think it wasnt the plumbing, which would take a while. The only thing I could think of that youd pull up the sole for, and wouldnt take long, would be the bolts.
Look, Lucas said, I dont want to upset you, but… was there any possibility of suicide?
No. She said it positively.
Lucas said, Okay.
Andy was a happy guy, she said. He was doing great in his job, he was up for a promotion, we were talking about putting a big garden in behind the house, we were talking about another child. I was supposed to bring Toby up to the islands the next day, and we were all going sailing, and Toby was all excited… No. He didnt commitsuicide. And he didnt take off with any money or anything. He was just a heck of a good guy and well adjusted and his folks are nice and my folks liked him and they liked him at the bank…
This promotion, Lucas said. Who got it? After he died.
Well… Wilson McDonald.
Would Andy have gotten the promotion if he hadnt died? For sure?
Hethought so. He said hed aced Wilson out of the slot. I mean, its never for sure until its done, and Wilson has all those family connections… Why?
Were just trying to run down all possibilities, Lucas said vaguely.
She was too smart for that. One hand went to her throat and she leaned toward him and said, Oh my God, do you think Wilson McDonald killed Andy to get promoted, and then shot Dan Kresge? He got Dans job, didnt he?
Temporarily. There seems to be some doubt about it in the long run
…
She pointed a finger at him, excited: Do you know about George Arris?
Yes…
Wilson gothispromotion too.
I havent been able to establish that. Not clearly. Believe me, George would have gotten the job. My God, this never occurred to me, she said. She pushed the palm of her hand against her forehead. How could I have missed it? Its so obvious.
Theres probably nothing to it, Lucas said.
Oh, bull… feathers, Mr. Davenport. Three people dead and Wilson gets all the promotions? My God, he murdered Andy!
No-no-no. Theres no evidence of that at all.
Then whyd you bring it up?
Because Im checking everything…
Wilson McDonald, she marveled. Who wouldve thought.
Please, Mrs. Ingall…
He halfheartedly tried to talk her out of the sudden conviction that Wilson McDonald had killed her husband; then said goodbye.
He was out the door and on the sidewalk when she called after him: Mr. Davenport?
Yes? He turned and she came down the walk to him.
If this was murderjust say it was, that somebody loosened up the bolts on the keel, okay? They couldnt have taken them all the way off, because then the only thing that would be holding it on would be some adhesive and sealer. Then, with a good bump, the keel might have fallen off in the harbor.
Yeah?
So they had to leave the bolts partway on, expecting them to work off, which they eventually would have. But they couldnt knowwhen. Toby and I usually went up with Andy, so whoever it was… wasnt just killing Andy, she said. If Andyd made the islands, wed have been on the boat the next day, and it mightve fallen off with us aboard. This guy, whoever it ishe was willing to kill all three of us.
LUCAS HAD LAST SEEN SHERRILL WHEN SHE LEFT TO pick up Bonnie Bonet, Robless friend. When he got back, Sherrill and a uniformed cop were marching a young woman down the hall, her hands cuffed behind her back. Lucas caught up with them, said, Bonet?