Free Vengeance is Mine - A Benjamin Tucker Mystery by Harry James Krebs Page B

disease.”
     Marcus laughed, “Have you ever played golf,” he asked.
    “No.”
    “Well, don’t give the sport a bad rap until you’ve tried it. Tell you what, next spring let’s you and I go out together and kill us some snakes. What do ya say?”
    I thought about it, and decided to give it a try. “All right, but if you turn me into an asshole, I’m not going to be happy.”
    He laughed again and pointed to my glass.
    “Refill?”
    “No. Thanks,” I said.
    “Here’s your credit card,” Marcus said. “It has a hundred thousand dollar limit. There will also be ten thousand dollars in spending money put into your personal bank account each month.” He handed me a bank signature card and an ATM card. “You’ll need to sign that signature card and drop it off at the bank. You’ll also need to set up your ATM pin number.”
    “Ten thousand dollars … every month? What the hell am I going to do with it?”
    Marcus smiled. “And the final piece of business is this: Margaret has tasked me with acquiring your wedding gift.”
    I looked at him, astonished. “You’re going to buy my wedding gift? How romantic.”
    “I know. Margaret is a very busy woman, but she wants to give you something special. I have explicit orders to get you something ‘profound’.”
    “How profound?” I asked.
    “Very profound—as in, money is no object kind of profound.” He leaned back in his chair, and looked at me. “So what’ll it be … a race car? An airplane?”
    “I don’t fly.”
    “You could learn.”
    I shook my head. “No. That’s not for me.”
    “How ‘bout a yacht? You could berth it at Nags Head or on Hatteras Island by Larkspur.”
    “Larkspur?”
    Marcus was enjoying this. “Yes, Larkspur. That’s the name of the beach house on Hatteras Island owned by the Marshak family. It’s right on the ocean—fantastic place. You should try to get Margaret to take some time off and go there. Like on a honeymoon maybe?
    “Anyway, about the wedding gift,” he said. “What’s it gonna be?”
    I hated talking about money and material things. “Marcus, I really don’t want anything. I’m just happy that Maggie has agreed to be my wife.”
    But he wouldn’t give up. “C’mon, there must be something … something you’ve always wanted but couldn’t have.” He watched me as my wheels turned. “Aha! You’ve thought of something. I can see it on your face. What is it?”
    “Actually, Marcus, I’ve always wanted one of those little wiener dogs.” Marcus put his elbows on the edge of his desk, and put his face in his hands.
    Three days later, the Jaguar was delivered—with a fancy set of golf clubs in the trunk. The week after, Maggie, Julie, and I went to the animal shelter and adopted Oscar. It was the first thing we’d done together as a family.
     
     

CHAPTER 13
     
     
    I spent the afternoon reviewing the crime scene photos I’d taken at the Clancy house. I magnified them and studied each one, room by room, but saw nothing that provided any clue as to how Jack Plum gained access to the residence if he’d not been let in.
    After examining them several times, I walked outside around the pool to give my eyes a rest. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something—some little detail that looked insignificant but held the key to the puzzle. The shimmering clear turquoise water in the pool hypnotized me as I racked my brain trying to figure out how Plum got in. I went back inside and reviewed the photos one more time. Still nothing.
    It was almost five thirty when I turned off my computer. Tonight was my turn to man the tip hotline, and I needed to get ready. I changed my clothes, making certain they were all from Marshak’s. I didn’t want to hear about that again.
    After stopping at McDonalds for a quick bite to eat, I arrived at the Cary Police Department at six fifteen, well ahead of my shift, which started at seven o’clock.
    The police dispatch supervisor gave me a tip