Chapter 28 #2
Abruptly, Gabe heard the beginning chords of Smooth Operator playing from the bedroom.
He’d turned the volume up so he could hear his phone while he showered in case someone needed him asap what with all The Fuckery going on.
If it turned out to be Casey right now, he was going to reconsider violent retribution.
“Back to the very recently deceased Roy Wilson.” Gabe’s brain was working overtime, filling in some connections and guessing at other parts.
Fortunately, he had found that he could always depend on villains to offer up confirmations as needed.
“Were you the silent partner in the professional relationship between you and Roy?” He had a case of the heebie-jeebies.
“Did Roy foolishly think he was an equal and learn the hard way that he was not?”
Mikal didn’t say anything, but a muscle in his cheek twitched. Gabe’s unease did not fade.
Regardless, he was encouraged by the slight break in Petyr’s demeanor and continued.
“I found out a few hours ago that Wilson offered to help someone get away. Was that the mistake he made?” Privately, Gabe thought that Roy Wilson hadn’t planned to help Nicole and her daughter at all unless it was into another untenable situation where she would have owed him and he could have a never-ending invoice to collect on.
“Roy made… many mistakes.”
“The other was about money, I’m sure. It always is.
I imagine that, as the pastor of a church, Wilson’s members trusted him.
Maybe he helped some of them find creative ways to invest their savings, got a little too big for his britches in the Petyr family scheme of things? Only one can wear the big pants?”
Petyr’s cheek twitched again.
Gabe remembered the real estate pamphlets spread out on the table at Heron’s Roost. He’d thought Roy was using the place because the church was being remodeled, but what if that was where he sold “investments” to foolish people with money to burn?
Admittedly, he couldn’t really fault Roy for taking advantage of foolish people and their money.
Not that Gabe did that any longer.
“How does Nicole from the Geoduck Inn fit into this? You know that she discovered Roy’s body before I did. Was killing Roy a message? Somehow you found out she would be at Heron’s Roost to speak with Roy?” From Spurring? The Magic 8 Ball said: Probably.
Mikal displayed no emotion, but Gabe had the sense he was getting tired of Gabe talking.
Wouldn’t be the first person, Chance.
Except that Roy Wilson’s murder had been messy—which was a serious understatement.
Had it been planned that way or had Mikal lost control and flown into a rage?
His own family member had betrayed him, after all.
It made sense if you were a psychopath, and Nicole had commented that Mikal Petyr didn’t let family go.
Could Gabe keep pushing him? “Nicole is family, and you can’t stand the thought of her out of your sphere of influence, is that it?”
Mikal stared at him, his flat shark-eyes giving nothing away.
“But Wilson wasn’t really going to help Nicole leave anyway, was he? Roy had other plans, maybe. You were just protecting Nicole, in your own sick way.”
Harking back to the conversations with Knute and Elton about Wilson, Gabe was even more convinced that Roy’s plan for Nicole and Calliope had had nothing to do with starting a new life. This was, however, mere speculation on Gabe’s part, his mouth moving before his brain caught up.
“So many fucking questions.” Mikal steadied the gun. “He took a great deal of money that ultimately belongs to me, as does my family. I do not want to talk about this.”
“He’s dead now, so you aren’t getting any money from him. Blood from a stone or something like that.”
“You are still talking? Why are you still talking? You are going to help me get off this forsaken rock.”
It’s like the man only just met you, Chance.
“Nah, I don’t think I’m going to help you,” Gabe stated.
He shot a sideways glance at Elton and Knute. Were their hands free, or had Petyr tied them to the chairs? He couldn’t tell. He was scrambling to come up with a way they’d all get out of this without anyone—with the exception of Petyr—getting hurt.
Petyr didn’t respond to his jibe. Didn’t flick an eye.
Nothing told Gabe what would happen next.
Then, like some kind of bird of prey, Mikal pounced on Elton and grabbed his arm, lifting the slighter man with ease, his chair falling backward with a thunk.
The question about their hands being tied was answered. They were not.
Knute roared and lunged toward Petyr and Elton. His guttural protest reverberated around the room. Gabe felt his anguish in the center of his chest, making it hard to breathe. The sheer force of the cry had Gabe’s own heart breaking.
“What the fuck!?”
“Don’t—” Elton started.
Knute grabbed at Elton’s other arm, but Mikal pulled Elton further away from the table, out of his reach. Elton hadn’t been a big man when he was young; at eighty-ish, he was a size Mikal was easily able to handle, and he pressed his weapon into Elton’s side.
“If you won’t help me to my boat, Cox will. Do not try and stop me. You will regret it if you do.”
There was nothing they could do that wouldn’t make the situation exponentially worse.
If either of them went for Mikal’s gun, who knew what would happen?
Other than a one hundred percent chance that someone would get hurt and that person would be Elton.
Just thinking of Elton shot—or worse—had him breaking out in a cold sweat.
Smooth Operator began playing again, adding another second or third level of absurdity to the situation.
“What the fuck is that?” Mikal exploded.
“Uh, Sade?” Gabe answered.
Shaking his head, Mikal didn’t waste any more time. He lifted Elton all the way to his feet and pushed him to the open front door, the gun barrel still firmly pressed into Elton’s ribs.
“If you follow me, I will kill him. If I see you in the rearview mirror, he is dead.”
What Gabe understood was he is dead.
Not gonna happen.
They heard the uneven thuds of them descending the stairs.
Mikal had to be basically dragging Elton; no way could the old man keep up with him.
A minute later, there was the slam of one car door followed by a second, then the crunch of tires on the driveway.
Gabe glanced at Knute. They raced for the door. Gabe got there first.
The Honda was gone.
“He stole my car.”
“He’s got Elton.”