Page 27

Sunday

“Motherfucker,” Gabriel hissed. He released the flat metal tool he’d borrowed from Elton that he’d been using to scrape the last of the gross unknown off the countertop in the Ticket ’s galley. Instinctively, he tried to shake the pain away, but it didn’t work. The paint-splattered instrument had slipped in Gabe’s grip and jabbed directly into the fleshy part underneath his left thumb instead of under goo like it was supposed to.

“Fucking hurts.”

He was still tired and strung out from the shooting and probably shouldn’t have been employing simple, but sharp, tools.

“The damn boat is determined to kill me.” Reluctantly, he examined the injury. Wounds were not his favorite thing, especially if they were his. Other people’s? No big deal.

Blood pearled from the cut and dripped slowly down his wrist, but it didn’t seem deep enough for a visit to the medical center. He did not want to go back there, especially after what had happened last Friday night. A Band-Aid would be fine. Which was in the first aid kit in the Minnow, along with the topical antibiotic. He sighed.

He tore off a paper towel from one of the rolls Elton had gifted him last week and pressed the sheet against his palm, holding it in place with his other hand. Gabe bounced from foot to foot, checking every few seconds to see if the bleeding had stopped. It didn’t take long to turn into a weak dribble, which he considered a win.

Yep, no need for urgent care. Dr. Karne is on the job.

“Still hurts though.”

Why did injuries like this hurt more when it was cold out? It wasn’t raining at the moment, but temperatures had dropped again and hovered just above freezing. The space heater Gabe had bought yesterday at a local hardware store seemed to be doing its job. At least it was taking the edge off so he’d managed to sleep comfortably enough. He’d checked out of Casa Elton just yesterday but would return for showers and laundry. And morning coffee.

Admit it, you miss Elton already, Chance.

Fine, he did. But there was still the issue of the Colavitos. So for now, it was best to move on. Or down the street anyway.

A hard thump he had no problem recognizing had Gabe scowling across at the causeway. He and Ranger Man had a truce of sorts, but the man still managed to piss him off. No doubt it was mutual.

“Karne, you in there?”

“Where else the fuck would I be?” The ache in his hand was making him cranky.

The Minnow was parked next to the boatshed. Did he think Gabriel had left it there and wandered off? It wasn’t as if he had a spare ATV sitting around like Elton did.

“Mind if I come aboard? ”

Gabe was immediately suspicious. What could Lundin want? But he had no logical reason to refuse.

“I suppose I can’t stop you.”

The boat shifted in the water as Ranger Man stepped onto the deck, and Gabriel leaned his hip against the counter for support. Seconds later, Lundin was in the cabin, taking up the remaining space and more. His sharp gaze homed in on the bloody paper towel.

Without asking permission—apparently, that was reserved for boarding sailboats—he grabbed Gabriel’s injured hand and unwrapped it.

“Jesus, Karne, have you cleaned that out yet?” Lundin managed to sound truly concerned.

Gabriel made a show of looking around the small space. “Does it look like it? I’d be likely to get sepsis using anything that was left here.” He retracted his hand. “And my first aid kit is in my car, so no.”

“I’ve got one. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Gabriel stayed put, unsure just where he’d go anyway, unless to Elton’s. Fading footsteps were followed by a thunking sound and then the process was repeated in reverse. Casey reappeared, followed by Bowie this time, carrying a red plastic case about the size of a car battery.

Setting it on the counter, he popped the latches and opened the box, which Gabriel knew was a well-stocked first aid kit even without seeing inside.

“Hold your hand out,” Casey ordered.

“Nice bedside manner there, Ranger Man.”

A snort was followed with, “Surely, you don’t still think you’re the first person to come up with that? Literal nine-year-olds usually, but hey, you do you.”

“Are you saying?—”

“Yes, I am saying you act like a nine-year-old. Working for the park, I have plenty of experience with them over the summer months, believe me.”

The urge to argue that he wasn’t acting like a little kid would likely only reinforce Lundin’s belief that he, in fact, was . Hiding an eye roll, Gabriel snapped his mouth closed and watched while for the second time in ten days a wound of his was scrubbed with antiseptic—perhaps a little harder than was absolutely necessary—and then covered up with a thick bandage.

Quickly and efficiently, Lundin repacked the box and snapped the lid shut.

“Always prepared?”

For real, Gabriel?

They’d only just come to a mutual non-hatred agreement, and here he was antagonizing Ranger Man again. Casey could’ve just ignored the fact that Gabriel was bleeding out.

Drama again, Chance. You were not bleeding out. Face it, you like him.

“Always,” Lundin replied seriously. “Now, I need you to come with me.”

Gabe did not want to go anywhere. “Why?”

Was his tone belligerent? Maybe a bit like a nine-year-old’s? The probability was high. He was grouchy. Sleeping on the Ticket was not easy to adjust to. The heater worked but Gabe wasn’t used to the motion of the waves yet. That was his excuse, and he was sticking to it.

“Because,” Lundin said with false cheerful patience, “Elton sent me to retrieve you.”

Gabe narrowed his eyes. “That sounds ominous.”

Lundin shrugged. “I don’t know. Is it?”

Forgetting his injury for the moment, Gabriel shrugged into his jacket. What did Elton need? While the Gordon MacDonald drama unfolded, Gabriel had managed to push the Peter problem and the Colavitos to the back of his mind. Was Elton in danger because Gabe had been careless?

He fumbled with the stupid zipper. “Dammit.” Gabe was kind of ambidextrous, but the bandage was in the way and fastening his coat was proving difficult.

“Just come on already. You’re not going to freeze to death, and no one is going to care if your coat is zipped or not.”

“Who is no one?” He wasn’t moving an inch until he knew why Ranger Man had been sent to collect him.

“I don’t know. Elton didn’t say, just called me saying that he needed you back at his place ASAP.”

Maybe Gabe should consider actually activating the burner phone he’d bought along with the space heater and extension cord yesterday. “He didn’t seem worried or anything?”

Damn, he hated going into a situation blind.

“No.” Lundin had started toward the deck but turned back around to face Gabriel. “Should he be?”

If it was the Colavitos, he’d have to do some fast talking. So far, he’d managed not to be interviewed by any news types covering the Nolan story. Elton and Lundin had agreed to talk to the Westfort Journal, but Gabe had declined.

Gabriel shook his head. “Nope,” he lied. “Let’s go.”

Lundin drove with Bowie in the back seat while Gabriel rode shotgun. Reflexively, he crossed his arms over his chest and hoped everything was okay. Dammit, he cared far too much for the old man.

Elton’s like that, Chance. He’s like moss, grows on you.

Yeah, well, Gabe wasn’t sure he could handle the easy affection Elton offered. Or rather, he could get too used to it.

It was only a few minutes’ drive before Gabriel spotted the rusty sculpture that marked the entrance to Elton’s property and Lundin was easing the Jeep into a spot next to Elton’s truck.

What Gabriel didn’t expect to see there was a white 1970s-era Cadillac Eldorado in mint condition parked on the other side of the pickup.

“What the hell? That thing belongs in a museum. Whose is it?”

“No idea.”

Casey turned the engine off and elbowed his door open. Gabriel did the same, sliding out of the Jeep to the frozen mud of the parking area.

“You’re coming in too?” Gabe asked.

Lundin shrugged. “Just gonna make sure everything’s okay with Elton.”

“I think he would have said something to you, don’t you?”

“Maybe.”

Gabe was irritated that, after the past few days of working together to help Gordon MacDonald, Ranger Man hadn’t warmed up to him. Normally, he did not have to try this hard. And why wasn’t their truce enough for him anyway?

You wouldn’t appreciate him if he was easy, Chance.

Gabriel led the way, knocking the back of his bandaged hand against Elton’s doorframe. From the other side, he could hear talking, but the words were indistinguishable. The door was opened by a man Gabriel had never met before, and he took an involuntary step backward. Purposefully or not, Ranger Man blocked his escape.

“You must be Gabriel,” the stranger said. “Come inside.”

Still hesitating, Gabriel took in the newcomer. His dark suit was custom tailored. That and the expensive shiny leather shoes screamed lawyer. A person learned a great deal by keeping an eye on people’s shoes .

“Let the boy in, Shay,” a woman’s voice demanded. “We didn’t drive this far for you to block the doorway.”

Whoever this Shay was, he was a couple of years older than Gabriel but about the same height and build. Remarkably similar, actually. Rolling his eyes, the stranger moved out of his way. Gabriel peered inside, still hesitant to step across the threshold.

Sitting in the spot on the couch Gabriel had occupied only yesterday was an unfamiliar woman. She appeared to be around Elton’s age, although it was hard to gauge after eighty or so. She was tiny and bird-like, with a shock of pure white hair cut short so it curled around her ears, and her eyes glittered with sharp intelligence. Not a person to take lightly. Slowly, she rose to her feet, using a cane, Gabriel noted. Elton should take a lesson out of her book.

Ranger Man jammed a finger between Gabriel’s shoulder blades. “Inside,” he whispered.

Against his instinct—which was to flee—he took a single step into the living room. The woman drew closer to him, her walking stick thump-thumping against the carpet. When she was less than a foot away, she stopped and squinted up at Gabriel for what felt like the longest minute of his life.

“Another one,” she eventually said with a disgusted shake of her head. “That boy just couldn’t keep his pecker in his damn pants.”

Gabriel glanced over at Elton, who shrugged, comfortable in his recliner and obviously not concerned.

“Another what?” Gabe asked carefully. Did he want to know?

Without answering him, the anonymous woman turned back around and started toward the couch again. Gabriel thought he heard her muttering but couldn’t make out the words.

“Ah, anyone here care to explain just what the f— what’s going on?” Gabe asked. “Why have I been… inspected, for lack of a better word? Who are you?” The last bit was directed at both the lawyer and the woman.

Sitting again, the woman patted the cushion next to her with a gnarled hand. “Come, sit down next to me.”

Said the spider to the fly. You’re the fly here, Chance.

Gabriel caught a glance from the lawyer, who gave a nod that both encouraged Gabriel to comply and suggested that it would be much easier for him if Gabe went along with it. Whatever it was. Elton cocked his head too, and even though Ranger Man was standing where he couldn’t see him, Gabriel was certain he was also wishing Gabe would just sit the fuck down.

She may have been old, but Gabe knew she was dangerous. And she was the one who held all the power in the room. The woman oozed the same kind of authority that Heidi had held.

Four men in the living room, and she had them all in the palm of her hand. Gabe had the vague thought that if his mother had been alive, she would either have hated her or joined her in some unholy union and ruled the world. With a sigh, he crossed the short distance and sat as he’d been directed to.

“Gabriel Karne, I suppose you are wondering who the hell I am?” She didn’t give him time to respond but instead held out a knobby hand which Gabe shook, feeling dazed. “I’m Claribel Delacombe. Your aunt, great-aunt if you need precision. Shay”—she pointed a boney finger at the man she’d brought along—“is one of your half brothers, also having been fathered by the useless lying piece of shit that was David Delacombe.”

“Claribel,” Shay admonished.

“I don’t want him thinking David was some kind of martyr because we both know he wasn’t anything of the sort.”

“Don’t mind Auntie Claribel,” Shay-the-lawyer said. “She doesn’t believe in sugar-coating anything. ”

“I’m too old to take the time to nice it up for the new guy.”

“So, hey,” Lundin said quietly, “this seems to be a family thing. I’ll just let myself out.”

With that, the coward fled, leaving Gabriel with only Elton for backup.

“He seemed like a nice young man. Are you two together?”

“Together?” Gabriel repeated hoarsely when he had enough oxygen to do so.

“Pfft, together. Lovers. Boyfriends. Together together.” Claribel made what some circles would describe as a rude gesture.

Shay clapped a hand over his mouth, but Gabriel could tell he was hiding a grin. Elton just shook his head again and stayed quiet.

Shay dropped his hand. “Auntie, I think you’ve scandalized Gabriel enough for now. Maybe keep on with the pertinent part of why we are here.”

“Fine, be a spoilsport.” She turned her attention back to Gabriel. “I’m pro-gay, in case you are curious. All the letters of the alphabet. The world would be a better place if people would stop worrying about who was fucking who.”

“Claribel, focus,” Shay said sternly.

“Very well, if you insist. Elton called a few days ago asking about the deed to The Golden Ticket , saying that the heir to David’s boat showed up and needed it. I have to admit, I thought we’d meet years ago.”

“I only found out about,” Gabe said, lifting his hands and cocking his index fingers, “the boat, after my mother passed away. Which was a little over a month ago.”

He didn’t feel the need to explain that the inheritance been almost perfect timing due to the unfortunate mistake that was the Anderson brothers. That part was still working itself out. Hopefully, they’d forget about him .

Oh, Chance.

“And who exactly was your mother?” Claribel asked.

“Heidi Karne.”

“Heidi Karne,” she repeated slowly. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard the name mentioned. But seeing as this is David we’re talking about, that’s not a surprise. When he died—in complete disgrace, if you’re at all curious—the instructions were to leave the sailboat here. Then I learned that Elton was taking care of it. I’ve held onto the deed and Elton did the hard work. Which is good because there’ve been times when I was mad enough at David to torch the damn thing.”

Gabriel understood the sentiment but not for the same reasons as this Claribel woman.

“From what Heidi told me over the course my life and in the letter she left me,” Gabe said, “is that she never spoke to my father again after finding out she was pregnant with me. I didn’t think he knew she’d had a child.”

“It’s immaterial now, they’re both gone. The Delacombe genes are strong though,” Claribel continued, managing to sound slightly disgusted by her own statement. “I would have known immediately if I’d seen you at the grocery store or someplace like that.”

“When was the last time you went grocery shopping?” Shay asked her dryly.

“Don’t sass me, young man.” Claribel returned her attention to Gabriel. “Tell us your story.”

“Er, like what?” He scrambled to come up with a version of his life history that didn’t scream confidence man. His hand throbbed, distracting him.

She continued to stare at him, not blinking. It was unnerving.

“Let’s see.” Gabriel stalled for time, his brain blank. “Heidi never married. We bounced around from place to place as Mom discovered new opportunities, mostly in and around Seattle. We lived outside San Francisco for a couple of years when she was dating an art dealer. After that ended, she started up her own gallery in Missoula. But we always ended up back here in the good old Pacific Northwest.”

“And what do you do?”

“At the moment, I’m… in between things. I’ve done a little of everything,” he said vaguely.

Could he sound anymore suspicious? Maybe, but not likely.

Claribel made what someone else might call a scoffing sound, as if she knew exactly what Gabriel was glossing over.

“My nephew was a grifter, honey. I don’t think he did an honest day’s work in his life.”

“Claribel,” Elton interjected, “what would you know about an honest day’s work? I’ve heard about that bingo group you’ve got going up on Piedras.”

“Give Gabriel a break,” Shay said. “He didn’t expect to be interrogated this afternoon.”

“Mph. I should have had Niall drive me. And I have too had honest work. At least once.” She chuckled at her joke.

Gabe blinked. What alternate universe had he stumbled into? Maybe the cut on his hand was worse than he’d thought, and he was suffering from blood loss.

“Niall,” Shay explained, ignoring Claribel and her joke, “is the other other half brother. He’s an ex-police officer. Homicide. I was a defense lawyer in Seattle for most of my career,” he said, confirming Gabriel’s lawyer suspicion. “Nowadays, I pick and choose my cases.”

A lawyer and a cop? Jesus Christ. Heidi was laughing her butt off.

“You’re not in Seattle anymore?” Gabriel didn’t think he’d heard either of those names before. Admittedly, he didn’t have much to do with homicide .

“No, all of us live up on Piedras Island now.”

Had his mother ever mentioned Piedras Island? Gabriel didn’t think so, not at least to him as an adult. He’d certainly never visited what was supposed to be the jewel of Washington State, just like he hadn’t visited Heartstone.

Not much for the likes of us up there, Chance.

“I’ve heard it’s pretty.”

“Never been?” Shay asked.

“Nope.”

“Well, you’re coming up now,” Claribel announced. “Everyone is going to want to meet you.”

“Everyone? Is she always like this?” Gabe asked their audience.

“Claribel believes the motto ‘she who must be obeyed’ applies to her personally,” Shay said with a laugh.

“Ah.” Gabriel glanced at Claribel out of the corner of his eye. “Thank you for traveling all the way here.” Did he need to outright ask for the deed? What did they want from him?

“It’s settled, then,” Claribel said.

Gabriel had no idea what exactly was settled. All he needed was the document that proved The Golden Ticket was his. He certainly didn’t want any new family to come along with it.

He decided to ignore her comment.

“Casey Lundin, the guy who just left, told me I need the deed to register the boat in my name at the marina.”

“You give Shay here a dollar and he’ll write up a bill of sale. It’s much easier to transfer ownership that way.”

Shay eyed his—their—aunt and then looked back at Gabriel. “Claribel is right. And you don’t know how much I hate saying that aloud. ”

After the dollar-deed exchange and goodbyes that lasted too long for comfort—including another thinly veiled command to visit soon—he and Elton watched Shay help Claribel into the backseat of the Cadillac. Then he moved to the front and climbed in behind the wheel of the big car, like he was her chauffeur. Smiling at them, Shay sketched a wave and proceeded to expertly maneuver a three-point turn and head down the road toward Westfort and the ferry dock.

Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief when the car disappeared from sight. “That was a lot.”

“It’s probably a good thing Claribel’s influence is limited to a small island close to the border with Canada.”

Turning away from the front window, Gabriel looked at Elton.

“Do I want to know how you and Claribel know each other? I probably don’t, do I? You know what was really weird about an already extremely weird situation?” He didn’t wait for Elton to guess. “It was almost like looking in a mirror, seeing Shay Delacombe. I used to want a sibling, and it turns out I have not just one, but two brothers. And they look like me, or at least Shay does. We look alike .” He dragged a hand down his face as if that would help him articulate his feelings. “I don’t know how to process this. Do I want to? There’s so fucking much going on right now.”

It was a good thing Elton knew better than to offer him a beer.

“Take your time. You have the bill of sale now. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

Gabriel side-eyed Elton. “Are you sure about that? I seem to recall a vaguely threatening invitation to visit Piedras Island.”

Elton chuckled. “You have some time anyway. Shay will try to keep her in line.”

“Somehow I think that’s a full-time job. ”

“No doubt it is. Are you hungry?”

His stomach growled a yes.

Elton winked at him and headed into his kitchen. “I can whip up a couple grilled cheese. Afterward, I’ll drop you back at the marina.”

“Should I worry that you seem to think melted cheese and fried bread is a food group?” Gabriel teased, following him. “Also, not going to turn down a hot meal.”

“When you’re as old as me, you learn to appreciate the basics.”

He watched Elton push the sandwiches around in the pan and thought about how less than a week ago he’d literally run for his life. For the first time, Gabe thought maybe he had a chance of stopping here on Heartstone. With a few detours to Piedras. Maybe.

Perhaps a rainy Monday had been a good a day as any to start a new life. Gabriel knew better though; he had a feeling he didn’t like in his gut.

His new life hadn’t started yet and wasn’t going to until he fully got rid of the old one.

They hadn’t sat down to eat yet when Elton’s phone rang, disrupting the quiet. Could the ring of a phone call be a portent? Gabe suspected so.

“Hello,” said Elton, “one second.” He held the receiver out to Gabriel. “It’s Casey.”

“Did you miss me already?”

“No,” said Ranger Man.

“I love the brutal honesty. Can this wait? Elton and I are just about to have dinner.” Did he sound whiny? He did.

“Someone was just here at the marina, asking about you. A blond guy, about forty? Chinos and loafers? Sound familiar? I told him to fuck off, but I think he’ll be back.”

Gabe shut his eyes for just a second.

Peter .

Catch up with Gabriel and Casey in Bait and Switch , coming soon.

Gabriel Karne is back — or rather, still on Heartstone Island and doing his best to lie low. But everything falls apart when Gabe's ex-partner-in-crime shows up and muddies the waters.

However, this is Gabe Karne, after all. Surely some fast talking will make Peter exit stage left.

Or not.

Bait and Switch is book two in the Subtle Deception series.