Page 74 of Death at the Deep Dive

Ellery’s heart seemed to deep dive into the pit of his stomach.

Washe? Both of his hands were under the table.

Ellery said with a calm he didn’t feel, “If you shoot me in the middle of a room full of people, you’re going to jail forever.”

“I’m going to jail forever anyway if you go blabbing your mouth. This way, I can claim that the gun I carry for self-defense went off accidentally. Maybe I’ll get away with it. It’s definitely worth of a try.”

It was tempting to say,Go right ahead!But what if James went right ahead?

Maybe James was bluffing. But maybe he wasn’t. He had killed at least one person and maybe as many as three, including (Ellery was pretty sure) his own father.

Ellery’s gaze flicked once more to Jack’s empty barstool.

Seriously?

Of all the times and all the places.

“Stand up, walk past my chair, and go down that hall to the exit. I’ll be right behind you.”

Ellery rose. He glanced at the table in the center of the room where the Silver Sleuths were— He did a double take.

The Silver Sleuths were so busy toasting each other and sharing bites of potato skins and onion rings, they hadn’t even noticed he and James were leaving the pub!

He stepped past James, who also rose, and sticking close enough to Ellery to breathe down his neck, jammed something hard in the small of his back. Ellery flinched.

Maybe that gun wasn’t real. But it surefeltreal.

“Keep walking,” James said. “You’re doing great.”

Ellery walked as slowly as possible down the short hall, James panting down his collar every step of the way. They reached the emergency exit, and Ellery shuffled to a stop.

“Go on. Don’t stop now.”

Ellery inhaled carefully, rested his hands on the crash bar, and pushed.

The door swung open, and sweet-salty night air rushed in. Ellery stepped outside.

A large fist fastened on the back of his jacket, and he was half swung, half hurled aside. He landed against the grainy wall of the pub, unhurt but confused.

He had missed the action happening behind him, but James’s gasp was followed by anoofand the alarmingclangof metal hitting concrete. James landed against the wall next to Ellery.

Jack, stony-faced and slit-eyed in the jaundiced glow of the security lights, yanked James’s arms behind his back.

“James Franklin, you’re under arrest for the murder of Tucker Shandy.”

James opened his eyes, met Ellery’s wide gaze, and started to laugh.

Chapter Twenty

“Tackle Shandy? That’sit? That’s a little disappointing,” Ellery said.

Jack gave him a pained look.

“I only mean, Tackle Shandy was simply the most recent victim.”

“I know, and we’ll continue building the case against him for Vernon’s murder, but fifty-nine years later and without a body, it’s a little more complicated. However, if we can get him for Tackle, we have a much better shot at getting him for Vernon.”

“Because his motive for getting rid of Tackle was Tackle’s attempt to blackmail him over murdering Vernon?”

---