Cards on the Table, стр. 36
«Yeah,» Phillip said. «Your face was real tender, Peter. When you looked at him, I mean. Everybody noticed.»
Susan tapped her notebook. «Okay, any mail delivered? Supplies?» Peter shook his head. «Tiny come by?»
«Yes! Tiny came with some crabs the first night we were here. I don't know if he met anyone, though. He just brought the crabs into the kitchen. Actually, he didn't even come in,
he had his boots on and he just handed them into me, said something about not wanting to mess up the floors.»
«Okay. So the only thing that happened was…» Susan's voice was reluctant. «Jacob fell for Peter. In an obvious way. So unless you have lots of people jealous of who you're sleeping with, Peter, Sebastian is the only person with motive to kill Jacob. Motive and opportunity, because he doesn't have an alibi.»
Sebastian shook his head and sighed, ran his big hands back through his black hair.
Peter pulled a chair out, noting clinically that his hands were shaking. «Susan, how can you even say that? It's ridiculous. Sebastian? You must be joking. Don't even say it.» «Really? Why is it impossible, Peter?» «Because Sebastian would never do anything to hurt me, or anyone else.»
«Well, you and I know that, because we know him. We're gonna have to find something more concrete, because the state cops are on the way and they're going to find out I called him and told him about Jacob. He's my brother so it won't matter what I say. They will automatically discount my word. We know he was up the Yukon, but all we can prove is that he was on the other end of a phone the day after the murder. I called him the night Jacob was killed and there was no answer. He could have been anywhere. Okay, what we need to do next is fingerprint everyone Jacob met for the first time here on the island.» Jesse reared back, shocked. «Fingerprints? Why?»
«Because there were only two hundred eighty-one people on the island when Jacob was murdered. And I know the whereabouts of most of our criminals. The majority of them were dressed up as Elvis tribute artists, singing, and directly under my eye during the time in question.» «Susan, listen. If we did something…»
She shook her head. «I've already sent in criminal background checks on you guys.» She winked at him. «Shoplifting a pair of red Calvin Klein briefs when you were sixteen don't count, buddy.» Jesse turned bright pink. «I never!» Phillip laughed. «That must have been me!»
Susan continued. «So that means I'm looking for someone who was fingerprinted but never convicted of a crime, or someone who is hiding his identity. Like this man who raped Jacob's sister, then disappeared. «
Peter stood up again and started reorganizing the napkins on the buffet. «Susan, I think he would have told me if he'd recognized someone. Certainly he couldn't have kept it a secret if he had seen that man. I didn't know him well, but he didn't seem like the sort of man who could keep a secret, you know? I mean, you could read his feelings in his face. He was utterly transparent.»
Sebastian stood suddenly and walked out of the room. Peter watched him go, barely listening to Susan. «Then maybe someone just thought Jacob recognized him. Or something happened between when you left for Elvis and he was killed. Less than two hours. Hard to imagine. But if it wasn't something like that, then we're back to Sebastian as having the only possible motive. Or you, Peter. And that is even more ridiculous to contemplate than thinking Sebastian could hurt that sweet young kid.»
Casper stood up and started rolling up his shirt sleeves. «We'll know the motive when we know the killer. We're just guessing until then. Susan, you got your gear? You can take my prints first.»
She nodded, pulled the cards and ink pads out of her bag. «Let's try and do everyone he had contact with, from the pilot on the plane that brought him in here. I can only investigate what happened after he got to the island, Peter. If his sister's rapist saw him somewhere else, on the plane from Seattle, in the airport, wherever, followed him and killed him, then he
somehow got back off the island without us finding him. I don't know, Peter. Let's just do the basics, and see what comes up. God is in the details.» «Susan, do we have a problem with rape on the island?»
Her face closed a bit. «Peter, anywhere there's a problem with alcohol, there's a problem with rape. Most of the time I don't hear about it except whispers and gossip. I would say nine times out of ten, I don't hear about it. But yes, we have a problem with alcohol. So we have a problem with rape.»
Peter went into the kitchen. Sebastian was standing at the big window, hands on his hips, staring out at the brilliant blue water that seemed to go on forever. «Wishing you were somewhere else? You don't have your bags packed, do you?»
Sebastian turned around, but he didn't speak, just looked at Peter for the longest time. Then he turned back to the window. «Nope. Wishing I hadn't been gone so much, Peter. Wondering if you've had enough.»
Peter couldn't think of anything to say. He joined him at the window. How long since he had stood in the sunshine and enjoyed this view? «Wondering if I've had enough of what?» «Of me. Of us. Peter, want to walk into town with me? I'll buy you a tangerine.»
«A tangerine! There hasn't been fresh citrus fruit in the store since Christmas!»
«It's spring, big guy. There was a crate of California tangerines coming across with me on the ferry.»
Peter looked at him, felt his heart squeeze a little in his chest from love. Love warm and deep and forever. Sebastian was wondering if he'd had enough. Like he'd had enough of sunshine and stars. Like he would ever get tired of looking at the moon in the night sky. «Yes, thank you, Sebastian. That would be lovely. I can't remember the last time we went for a walk together.» Peter heard his voice become very formal, the way it did when his
emotions threatened to overtake him. Sebastian heard it, too. He reached across and took Peter into his arms.
«His face was transparent, and what did you see when you looked at him? I don't think you can read my feelings when you look in my face, Peter. I don't even know if you want to. But that doesn't mean that what I feel for you isn't strong. What's between us is like a tree that's been growing a long time, with deep roots. I didn't hurt your boy, Peter. I promise you, I would never hurt some kid just because he fell in love with you. How can I blame him for that? I did it. I do it all the time.»
«Sebastian!» Peter was stuttering in shock, his arms reaching around Sebastian's waist. «I know you didn't do anything to Jacob. You couldn't hurt someone. Don't be ridiculous.»
«It's not ridiculous, Peter. It's the most logical explanation.» His arms tightened, and he bent over Peter, spoke softly into his hair. «I don't want to be arrested for young Jacob's murder, Peter. Because they'll haul me off, and you'll be left alone here. With a murderer.»
Chapter Five
When Sebastian was younger, just making a name for himself in the competitive world of Alaskan sled dog racing, a photographer had taken pictures of him camped out with his dogs on the third night of the Yukon Quest. The camp fire had turned his face to gold, and the camera caught him playing with them after a long day on the trail. The dogs were leaping, tongues out, trying to lick his face, and he was cuddling them in his arms.
Alaskans loved their sled dogs, and the hint of Native blood in his dark hair and eyes made Sebastian the favored hometown son across much of Alaska. He only took sponsorship offers from the local businesses that he knew, the sno-go repair guys, the kayak rental places, the village knitting co-op run by his Auntie Ty. He missed out on the big money, going for love instead. And Alaska loved him for it. Peter always forgot how big a star Sebastian was until they went out in public together.