Page 62 of Nightshade

“TheEmerald Sea.”

“Like what?”

“An anchor, for one.”

“What else?”

“Somebody fucked around with the sails. Dumped one of them out of its bag and then I couldn’t find the bag.”

“Anything else?”

“Nah, I think that was all.”

“Where was the anchor taken from?”

“It was a spare that was kept in a locker with the stern anchor.”

“Did you notice the missing anchor and sail bag or did Colbrink?”

“On Monday when we got the boat back to MDR, I cleaned it up and opened up the lockers because of mold. I always let everything air out—Mr. Colbrink has a big thing about mold on the boat. So I opened the hatches and I saw stuff was missing or fucked with.”

“What did you do about it?”

“Well, Mr. Colbrink has an account at the ship’s store over there. I went over and got replacements.”

“What’s the name of the store?”

“Topsail Chandlery. Mr. Colbrink lets me sign on the account for supplies and stuff.”

“Did you tell him about the anchor and the sail bag?”

“Not yet. I actually kind of forgot. I left my phone at Two Harbors that day, so I was going to call him when I got back, but then I forgot. Anyway, he doesn’t really care about that stuff. He just wants the boat to be ready and clean for the next time he goes out, and he wants no sign that anybody else has been on it.”

“Meaning what?”

“Like in case his wife checks the boat out. He doesn’t want any lipstick on the glasses in the galley, extra toothbrushes in the head. Like that.”

Stilwell nodded. Forbes was helping things fall into place in the investigation, but the information didn’t move Stilwell any closer to figuring out who the man on the skiff was or who had used the anchor and sail bag from theEmerald Seato submerge the body of a young woman.

“All right, Duncan,” he said. “I want you to think hard. Was there anything else missing or unusual about the boat when you went through it to clean?”

Forbes slowly shook his head.

“No, man,” he said. “I can’t think of anything.”

“Okay, let’s back up for a second,” Stilwell said. “Think about when you were cleaning the boat. Where did you start?”

“I always start inside—the forward cabins—and then I back my way out, you know? I do the deck and wipe all of the topside stainless last.”

“Okay, start with the cabins. Nothing unusual or out of place?”

“Not that I remember.”

“No toothbrush to get rid of?”

“Nah, not this time.”

“Then what, the salon? Is that what you call it?”

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