Page 44 of In the Arms of a Hero

Aaron braced in anticipation of Harry’s sharp tongue and felt Sam do the same. But much to his surprise, Harry’s ever-present scowl softened as he looked down at his wife.

She met his smile with a warmer one of her own before she turned to the detectives. “Would you like to come in and sit down?”

“I’m sure they won’t be staying that long,” Harry interjected. He aimed his narrow-eyed glare their way. “Are those renters of mine threatening to break their lease and involving the police?”

“No, Mr. Malroney,” Sam began. “But we do have some questions about the deceased that we need to ask you.”

“Me? What the hell do I have to do with anything?” he blustered, causing Ruthanne to flutter her hands in front of her.

“Harry, if you don’t calm down, your blood pressure will shoot back up again.” She turned to Sam and Aaron. “Detectives, I’m a firm believer that conversations are better when people are comfortable. Let’s go into the den, and you can ask your questions.”

She took Harry’s arm, propelled him around, and led her recalcitrant husband, who became docile in her presence. Sam and Aaron looked surprised as they followed. Once in the den, they settled on the sofa and chairs, again meeting Harry’s unhappy expression.

“The body that was found on the beach by your renters has been identified. We’d like you to look at a photograph,” Aaron began.

As Sam pulled out the copy of William's driver’s license picture, Harry shouted, “Don’t you dare show a picture of a dead man to my wife!”

“Mr. Malroney,” Sam said, keeping his voice calm. “This is a driver's license photo.”

Sam handed the photograph to Harry, and Aaron watched Ruthanne’s expression, knowing that Sam would be keeping his eye on Harry. Both reacted with gasps.

“Oh no! Oh, my goodness, no!” Ruthanne said, her voice still soft but tears filling her eyes.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Harry’s voice was full of his usual bluster, but his tone was no longer strident.

“Can you identify the man in the photograph, Mr. Malroney?” Aaron asked.

“Yes, of course I can. This is Bill Gaston. He’s our financial planner! But this can’t be the man who was on the beach!”

“Why do you say that?” Sam asked.

“Because… that makes no sense!” Harry said. “He doesn’t live here.”

He looked at Ruthanne, but her gaze was still on the photograph. She looked up and shook her head slowly. “I can’t believe it’s Bill.”

“I know we asked you this before, but we want to make sure we understand the sequence of events. When your renter, Jon Matherson, called you to say that he found a body on the beach, you didn’t go over to the rental house, is that right?”

“Absolutely! Why the hell would I have wanted to go over there just to stare at a dead body on the beach? It was a damn fool thing for him to call me in the first place!”

“And you told him to dial 911 and report it, correct?”

“Detective, I know you’re not deaf nor stupid. That’s what I said, and that’s precisely what happened.”

“But you did go over there because you met us at the rental house.”

“Yes, but that was after I thought about it. I wanted to make sure your deputies didn’t mess up the rental property.” He glowered and added, “And I wanted to make sure the Mathersons weren’t going to skedaddle, thinking they could leave, and I’d give them a refund!”

Ruthanne stood quickly and mumbled, “Please, excuse me. I feel… I think I’ll lie down.” She left the room, and Harry stared at her back, his brow lowered and his jaw tight.

Aaron and Sam shared a look and a barely perceptible shake of the head.

“Mr. Malroney, what time was your appointment with William Gaston?”

Swinging his head back around, Harry slid his bluster back into place. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Your appointment. What time did you see Mr. Gaston when he came to visit you?”

“Detective, you’re not making any sense! I haven’t seen Bill Gaston since Ruthanne and I last visited him at his office in Richmond last summer. We talked at the time that he might come to the Eastern Shore for one of our next financial planning meetings, but nothing had been finalized.”

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