Dusted. No dirty dishes in the sink. Or clothes strewn about.
“You run a tight ship,” Harv said.
“A man’s home is a reflection of how he sees the world.”
“Then you must see the world in a positive way.”
Stiegler popped a Corona. “I do.”
An awkward silence ensued.
“You guys want to know why I’m so positive someone stole my boat and returned it.”
“Yeah, we do,” Nathan said.
“It’s simple. I always tie my mooring rope to the cleat in a special way. Whoever took my boat nearly got it right. It was the same kind of knot, but tied differently. I go left over right on the last part, not right over left.” He waved a hand. “Hell, I know what I know.”
“How easy is it to hot-wire one of these things?”
“I couldn’t say, but they didn’t need to. I’m sure they found my spare key. I keep it on a hook inside the cabinet over the sink. They put it back on the hook backwards.”
“You don’t keep your doors locked?”
“Nope. Despite a few rowdy kids now and then, this is an honest community.”
“Don’t you live on your boat full-time?” Harv asked.
“I do, but I was staying with a cousin in Banning for a few days. But here’s the clincher. I found this under my sofa, just out of sight.” Stiegler pulled a ziplock Baggie from his pocket and handed it to Jeremy. Inside was a piece of dull, silver wire with an offset 90-degree bend on one side. It looked to be about 1/8 of an inch thick. “I’m willing to bet my boat that came from galvanized chain-link fencing. I’ve worked with it before.”
Nathan exchanged a glance with Jeremy. Arthur Kramer’s body had been wrapped in chain link before it went into the water.
“I may not be the brightest bulb in the ceiling, but I’m also willing to bet this has something to do with that body they found a few days ago.”
“This is an important find. Jeremy, can your forensic people magnify the cut edge and try to match it against the fencing found on the body?”
“Yes. It’s like a ballistic signature.”
“I knew it,” Stiegler said. “Pisses me off they used my boat.”
Jeremy tucked the Baggie into his pocket. “Thanks for giving this to us.”
“I wasn’t going to. That lousy park ranger. Do I look like a vagrant to you guys?”
“He called you a vagrant?” Harv asked.
“The jackass. Don’t get me wrong, I like the federal park rangers and think they do a great job, but this particular turd has it out for me. He’s constantly harassing me.”
Harv smiled. “Maybe he doesn’t like the Oakland Raiders. He wouldn’t be the only one.”
“Hey, watch it.”
“Is there anything else unusual or out of the ordinary that’s happened around here lately?” Nathan asked.
“Except all the commotion a few days ago, not really. It’s a fairly quiet place expect for a few partying college students now and then. I don’t mind too much, lots of T and A in the narrows.”
Nathan stood. “I think we’ve taken enough of your time, Lars.”
“Y’all are stand-up guys. I’m sorry I made you chase me down.” He turned toward Jeremy. “If you talk to that park ranger again, will you let him know I cooperated? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already on his way. You raised quite a ruckus landing in here.”
“I will,” Jeremy said. “Thanks for talking to us.”
Leaving offered less of a challenge. From a hover, Nathan executed a vertical takeoff, cleared the canyon walls, and headed back toward the marina. Stiegler waved from his sundeck.
“That went better than I expected,” Jeremy said. “He seemed like a pretty decent guy.”
“He told me he flew Hueys in Vietnam.”
“Professional courtesy?” Harv asked.
“Probably.” Nathan’s cell interrupted them.
Harv patched it through. “It’s Thorny,” Harv said.
“Hi, General.”
“
“We just left our rendezvous with the houseboat owner. We’re flying back to the marina.”
“
“Our contact left the marina. We had to track him down by air.”
“
Nathan filled him in.
“General, we’re not alone. We have an FBI special agent with us.”
“
“I’ll… ah… remove my headset,” Jeremy said.
Nathan nodded his thanks. With all the engine and slipstream noise, Jeremy wouldn’t be able to hear them, especially from the rear seats.
“Okay, it’s just Harv and me now.”
“
“Don’t worry about it, General. We’ll handle things from here. We’ll be fine. I understand your situation. If the roles were reversed, I’d do exactly the same thing.”
“
Thorny was right. He felt a pang of guilt for not doing it sooner. “I’ll call him.”
“
“Will do. We’ll call you later this afternoon.” Nathan ended the call.
“While Jeremy’s unplugged,” Harv said, “we should call Holly and see if she’s got anything new.”
Holly answered right away.
“
Nathan looked at Harv. “That could be our crime scene.”
“
“Yes,” Harv said, and wrote it on the edge of his chart. “We’ll check it out as soon as we land.”
“
“That sudden shutdown of his firm could be significant,” Nathan said. “We should find out all we can about Energy Solutions, Inc.”
“
“Yes and no. His boss just ordered him to back off, in person. He also told us there are people in high places