Tough Customer

'Scuffed footprints.' Ski shone the light onto the ground. 'Unfortunately, nothing we could imprint.'

'Candy wrapper, bottle cap, piece of cloth?'

'Nope. I've combed the area twice myself and had two other deputies do the same. Nothing. But, if you know what to look for, Starks left a clear trail to the house.'

He showed Dodge a skinny branch that had recently been broken and was hanging limply from the trunk of the tree, also a patch of grass that had been trampled on. 'Ms. Malone said he was no outdoorsman.'

Dodge studied several broken limbs that Ski spotlighted. 'He doesn't have your pathfinder skills, that's for sure.'

The older man was thoughtfully gnawing the inside of his cheek, indicating to Ski there was more on his mind. He asked, 'What are you thinking?'

'Why'd he stop at the bait shop and go to the men's room, risk being seen?'

'I hear ya. Sounds too careless for the controlled individual Ms. Malone described, doesn't it? But she also said that Starks was unhinged last night. He'd just shot somebody. He wasn't thinking straight. Or maybe he was being his orderly self and went into the restroom to assess the injury to his leg.'

'In other words,' Dodge said, 'you don't have a clue.'

Ski had the grace to smile. 'I'm open to ideas.'

'Who the hell knows why anybody does anything? I don't. The fact is, Starks made the stop. He was seen. What does that give you, Deputy?'

'Evidence that he was indeed here last night.'

Dodge's eyes narrowed. 'You doubted that?'

Ski gave a noncommittal shrug. 'It confirms Ms. Malone's and Lofland's statements. It explains why neither heard the car either coming or going.'

'Okay.'

'Once we get a positive ID on these tire prints, we'll know the make and model of the car, and I can get an APB out on it. There's no Toyota registered to Oren Starks, but Ms. Malone said he would be too smart to drive his own car.'

'But dumb enough to leave fresh tire tracks.' Dodge had been musing out loud, but when Ski gave him the high sign to continue his thought, he said, 'This guy's supposed to be a genius, right?'

Following his thought, Ski said, 'Being smart doesn't necessarily make someone a good criminal.'

'No, but it helps.' Dodge motioned down at the incriminating tire tracks. 'This is just plain stupid.'

'Stupid like fleeing the scene of the crime and going directly to a place where he'd be exposed.'

'Yeah, stupid like that,' Dodge said. 'I don't suppose the pious fisherman got the license plate number on the Toyota.'

'We're not that lucky. He wasn't definite on the color, either. 'Dark,' that's all he could tell me.'

'You're gonna piss off a lot of innocent Toyota drivers who'll be stopped.'

'Can't be helped.' Ski waited a beat, then asked, 'Have you seen enough?'

'I may come back, take a look around. If it's okay.'

'You're asking permission?'

'Not really.'

'What I thought.'

Ski followed the outlining tape to the other side of the clearing and then walked along the overgrown track till they reached the road. His SUV was parked partially in the ditch. He opened the driver's door and reached in for a bottle of water. He passed it to Dodge, who thanked him, uncapped it, and took a drink.

'Do you need a minute to catch your breath?' Ski asked.

Dodge recapped the water bottle and tossed it back into the SUV. 'Any day of the week, son, I could still whip your butt.'

'Not in a fair fight.'

'I never fight fair. Fair gets you killed. Didn't the Army teach you anything?'

The two men sized each other up as they had the first time they'd laid eyes on each other in the hospital corridor. Finally Dodge seemed to reach a decision. He dug into his pants pocket, withdrew something, and, reaching for Ski's hand, slapped the object into his palm.

'Amanda Lofland's cell phone.'

Ski looked at the phone in his hand, then back into the private investigator's implacable eyes.

'I found it,' he said. 'In the hospital cafeteria.'

'They don't have a lost and found at the hospital?' Ski asked.

'I checked around. Didn't see one. I was in a hurry.'

'So you had to turn on the phone in order to discover who it belonged to.'

Dodge gave a half shrug, a very unapologetic half shrug.

Ski said, 'I'll see that Mrs. Lofland gets it back.'

'I'm sure she'll appreciate it.'

They exchanged another long, assessing stare, then Ski motioned for Dodge to climb into the SUV. He went around the hood, and Ski heard him cursing as his city shoes sought purchase on the steep bank of the ditch.

As they drove past the car parked at the end of the lane leading to the house, Dodge remarked on it. 'I noticed him there this afternoon. Security guard?'

'Reserve deputy. We've got a dozen men and women we can't afford to keep on the payroll, but we use them in emergencies. There's another one watching the dock.'

'Bumped into him earlier,' Dodge said. 'He looked me over good.'

Ski smiled, thinking I'll bet he did. He said, 'I don't want to take any chances that Starks will come back and carry out his threat to kill Ms. Malone.'

'I'm sure you don't. Her mama is a town big shot. If something happened to Caroline King's daughter, your boss would have your ass.'

Ski gave him a hard look. 'That's a lousy thing to say.'

'Sue me.' Then, 'Okay, okay, that was a potshot.' After a moment, he asked, 'What about the municipal police? Are they of any help to you?'

'Five-man operation. Mostly they break up fights at the high school football games and organize the Fourth of July parade.'

'I figured.'

'We of the sheriff's office are the main peace officers. It's up to us--'

'Up to you.'

Ski shrugged. 'Up to me to find Starks.'

'Well, he's not at the Cypress Lodge. I've already checked.'

'Thanks,' Ski said drily. 'I'll mark it off my list.' Then after a short pause, 'I thought you might be bunking out here at Ms. King's house.'

Dodge stayed stubbornly silent, ignoring Ski's bait and saying nothing as they approached the house. The headlights swept the front door just as Caroline came through it and stepped onto the