Page 46 of Honeybees and Sexy Tees
“Who called you, and how did they know you were his contact?”
“The Coast Guard called when they pulled the boat up. Since I reported him missing, they wanted me to ID the body. They also found my card and information in a lockbox on the boat.”
A shiver ran through him, and I suspected it was the adrenaline draining away and reality setting in. I grasped his face in my hands and held his gaze. “I know you’re stressed. It’s okay to take a deep breath.”
His chest rose and fell at my words, and his eyes went closed. “I haven’t taken a deep breath since that phone call came in this afternoon.”
The look in his eyes when I gazed into them told me he was as vulnerable as he’d ever been, so I dropped my hands rather than tempt him into doing something he’d regret in the morning.
“They towed the boat to Duluth, where I had to deal with the cops and the Coast Guard. I was the last person to see him alive, at least that they could locate, and I was questioned extensively by the police.”
I gasped, my hand going to my mouth. “Wait. The boat didn’t sink by accident?”
He took my hand down and held it lovingly. “I had no idea what was going on, but considering the way the police were acting, I decided it was smart to have legal representation with me.”
“Did they arrest you?” I asked, confused. “Do they know when he died?”
“No, they didn’t arrest me, but they weren’t cooperative about letting me use the phone.” He leaned back on the couch and rested his head on the cushions. “The boat was less than four hours from Duluth, but they don’t know if he was coming or going. I think he was coming, since he was on his way back from Florida. The medical examiner called the police back after doing some complicated equation of body decomposition from the cold water. He estimated Milas had been dead about a month, give or take a week. I reported him missing about seven weeks ago.”
“Which fits the timeline of when he should have left Florida.” I paused. “Or wherever he was for the winter. Do the police suspect foul play?”
“I don’t think so, but they’re waiting for a more detailed report from the medical examiner and the crime scene tech on the boat. The ME said that Milas died by drowning, but he had a large hematoma on his brain due to a head injury. He couldn’t define how the head injury occurred, which meant he couldn’t rule out foul play.”
“How did the boat sink? The Survivor was big.”
“Swamped by a wave, at least according to the Coast Guard. If that’s the case, it’s easy to imagine that he was taken by surprise by a storm, hit his head, and died before he could get help.” His eyes closed, and he swallowed. “Here’s where it gets weirder, at least concerning his business. Inside his lockbox was a manila envelope for me. He made me executor of his business estate.”
“Wait. What?” I asked in shock. “Without telling you?”
“Apparently. I had no idea.”
“Wouldn’t a lawyer make a better choice for that?”
“Well, yes, but not to Milas, I guess. The whole situation is a bit, shall we say, sketchy?”
“Explain,” I ordered, tucking one leg under me to get closer to him. I sensed he needed human contact tonight more than he ever had before. There was something about the way he held himself that said he was sad but also freaked out and confused.
“In the envelope was a piece of paper telling me that he has a storage unit here in town.”
I tipped my head to the right. “Why?”
“I don’t know, but something feels off.”
“The cops were okay with you taking the letter?”
“They made a copy, but it was written in Danish. I translated it to them, but since they can’t prove his death wasn’t accidental, they can’t stop me from dealing with his business holdings.”
“What about his family? Are his parents still alive?”
He shook his head. “No, they passed a few years ago, right after I met him. They died in an accident together. The police did notify his brother in Denmark that he was found deceased. I’ll contact him tomorrow and see if he’ll check out Milas’s office over there. The first thing I need to do is find the name of his lawyer. Once I know that, I’ll have a better idea of how to proceed.”
I trailed my finger down his cheek tenderly several times while I held his gaze. “You know you’re going to Denmark, right?” My tone was aimed for joking, but it came off flat.
“I have no intention of going to Denmark. Something about the way Milas was found, and the simple letter he left me, feels all kinds of wrong. I will know more once I open that storage unit and see what’s inside. If it’s the slightest bit questionable, I’m calling the cops immediately. Milas was my friend, but there was a lot I didn’t know about his business. The fact that he chose me as his executor feels wrong on multiple different levels.”
“The whole situation is weird. I’ll give you that,” I agreed.
“That’s why I want to figure this out as quickly as possible and proceed with dispersing his business holdings.”
