Page 82 of The Pretender

When Damon didn’t say anything else, Harris rolled his eyes. “Okay. And?”

Any other morning Harris might appreciate the added drama, not today. He and Gabby had been on this never-ending frenetic ride. Great sex, devastating admissions, danger. It was a whirlwind and most parts of it weren’t that great, except the one that was truly exceptional.

He’d been struggling to find his equilibrium and conquer his guilt. The emotion was uncomfortable for him. He rarely felt bad about his work because he picked his target artwork with care. But guilt moved through him nonstop these days. The closer he got to Gabby, the more he cared for her and the heavier his secret became.

He kept finding excuses to put off telling her. At first he’d been determined never to tell her. He thought he’d be able to hide his part in being there that morning with Tabitha and destroying valuable evidence. Just help Gabby out then move on without anyone really knowing anything about him. Then he met her, got to know her and vowed to tell her the truth after they got a lead. After they slept together he shifted his priorities again and decided he’d disclose after they narrowed down the list of suspects. Now he wanted to put it off until they caught the killer, a task that felt impossible most days.

He didn’t regret much in his life. He regretted coming to the island that day... but part of him couldn’t even apologize for that. Without the painting and Tabitha, he wouldn’t have met Gabby. It was selfish and sick. He hated to think he benefitted from something so devastating for her.

Damon tucked the paperwork in the inside pocket of his jacket. “We have a morning appointment for a boat ride.”

She frowned at him. “What?”

“I haven’t had coffee yet.” A fact Harris found highly relevant to his willingness to do anything.

“Hurry up. We’re late.”

Damon’s cryptic comment didn’t make that much more sense a half hour later, but at least Harris now knew what they had to rush off to do. Go boating.

Damon, Gabby and Harris had filed onto Craig’s boat. He had more than one. This one, a speedboat, was built to impress. They sat on the cushioned seats behind Craig. He handled the boat with ease, guiding it across the waves and moving them out farther from the land.

The storm clouds had given way to a clear morning. The water shined in a deep crystal blue as they ventured out on the Bay, heading toward the mouth where it dumped into the ocean.

“Why today?” Craig spared them a quick glance as he steered. “For a pleasure ride, I mean. Don’t get me wrong. I love being out here, but you two guys don’t exactly look like you’re on a vacation right now.”

Harris glanced at Damon before answering. “We needed a break from the paperwork.”

“That does sound pretty boring.” Craig nodded as he adjusted his sunglasses. “Paperwork overload gave me the kick I needed to leave the financial field and get back to something that put me outside.”

Damon sat alone across from Gabby and Harris. He stretched his arm across the top of the empty cushions next to him. It was a practiced move that looked relaxed and almost disinterested.

Harris knew better.

“Did you ever take Tabitha out on the boat?” Damon asked.

The question told Harris what he needed to know. In the rush to get to the dock this morning to meet their sailing time, Damon gave them only partial information. He said it would all become clear as they rode along. Now Harris got it. Damon found something in the documents that connected Craig to Tabitha on a more-than-casual-friends level. Since the paperwork in his pocket showed chat room transcripts, Harris knew it all started and ended with Tabitha’s true crime obsession.

Craig nodded. “Actually, yes.”

“Wait a second.” Gabby stopped watching the water and looked at Craig again. “What?”

The engine’s roar softened as the boat slowed and Craig turned around to face them. “She liked the feeling of the air on her face.” He pointed at the outline of an island to their right in the distance. “She also liked to ride around and check out other houses. I joked that she was nosy, but I think she was trying to figure out if she liked another island better than hers.”

Craig and Tabitha had been very familiar with each other. Casual and chatty. That was the one piece Harris hadn’t expected. He assumed with her lifestyle Tabitha’s relationships were more peripheral and informal. The warmth in Craig’s voice suggested otherwise. They had been real friends and not sometime acquaintances.

“But she rarely left the island,” Gabby said.

“We circled it. Sometimes she’d let me go out farther, but not too far.” Craig’s smile didn’t reach his eyes and sadness lingered there.

Harris shifted in his seat. The other two seemed fine, but the lumpy cushion made it hard for him to sit still. He thought about switching to Gabby’s other side until he realized this likely was a boat-wide problem.

Trying to keep his mind in the game, he threw out a question. “How often did you see her?”

Craig shrugged. “When I dropped supplies off, so pretty regular intervals.”

“Intervals?” Damon asked.

The usual smile faded from Craig’s face. His personality seemed to be stuck in perpetual friendly mode. He kept his anger hidden and did his job. For Ted and Kramer, Craig stepped up often. Harris didn’t operate that way and didn’t exactly understand people who did, but Craig struck him as decent and genuine. Or he did until the boat ride started. Damon was onto something and Harris didn’t know what.

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