Rip Tide (A Ripple Effect Cozy Mystery, Book 2) (32 page)

"You probably didn't ask," the white-haired spitfire replied, while the entire crowd watched the door hit me in the rear end as I was storming out.

Chapter 19

"Yikes!" I hollered out when I opened the driver's side door of the truck and saw a large body in the passenger seat. I'd used the public bathroom before I'd left the building, delaying my departure. I certainly hadn't expected a low-resonating voice to say, "Hurry up and get in," when I opened the drivers-side door. I was relieved, and I'll admit, a bit terrified when I realized it was Royce Chrisman in the passenger seat.

"What the—" I screeched.

"I haven't got much time, lady," Royce said, cutting me off. "I told my boss I felt nauseated from the Novocain I'd been injected with this morning and needed to use the restroom. I don't want her to find me out here talking to you. I had to beg to use the restroom as it was."

"How'd you get in my truck?"

His raised eyebrows clearly indicated I should have already known he could break into Fort Knox if he so chose.

"Okay. Whatever. Why did you sneak out here to talk to me? Not that I'm not happy that you did."

"Because I knew you would dog me until I did. That's why!" he exclaimed, before exhaling in a heavy extended sigh. "You're an exasperatingly determined woman, Rapella."

I merely nodded, knowing there was no way I could dispute his assessment of me. I was surprised when he called me Rapella. I'd begun to think Royce thought my actual given name was "lady."

"So, listen, lady." Royce looked around anxiously, clearly uneasy about being seen in my truck. "I realize your husband is the former sheriff. And I know Cooper Claypool was your son-in-law's best friend and co-owner of MC Hammerheads. So I understand why you want to find out who killed the guy. But if you think I had anything to do with his death, you are barking up the wrong tree."

"I assume that's the same wrong tree my husband keeps accusing me of barking up."

"Huh?" He asked, clearly confused by my remark.

"Never mind. Go on with what you wanted to tell me."

"Okay, look. Cooper and I were classmates in high school like I told you earlier. And, of course, Milo, too. They were a lot tighter back then than I think they've been lately."

I wondered at his last statement. Did he have reason to believe they were at odds enough for Milo to want Cooper dead? Was Royce aware of MC Hammerhead's financial situation and the rift it had caused between the two long-time friends? I would have dug deeper, but I didn't want to interrupt Royce while he was on a roll.

"As I was telling you, the three of us had a rather contentious relationship after Cooper started sniffing around my high school sweetheart while I was confined at home for two weeks with a highly infectious case of mono."

"Did your girlfriend cheat on you with Cooper, then?" I asked.

"No. And she and I broke up a month later over a totally different issue. But that's not the point!" He spoke indignantly as he explained. "Cooper never scored with her, or anything. But, it's the principle of the thing, you see."

"Oh, yes," I replied, nodding my head. "That dreaded old 'principle of the thing'. More feuds have been ignited by that pesky 'principle' thing than anything else. So, how does this tie into Cooper's death?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, lady. It doesn't!"

"Huh?" Now it was my turn to be confused.

"Cooper and I have pretty much avoided each other in the years following high school. We'd see each other around on occasion. But we never approached or spoke to one another. I've had very little contact with Milo since high school, either."

"What's all this got to do with you using an alias? I was beginning to think you also went by the nickname, Captain Hook."

"Captain Hook? What in the world are you talking about?" He'd used a very explicit word in place of "world" which I won't repeat. "Excuse my language, ma'am, but I don't have a clue where you got that name."

As if a light bulb flicked on in his mind, he suddenly looked down at his left arm, and asked, "Is this what you're talking about? The metal-claw prosthetic I used on the boat yesterday?"

"No, not exactly. Long story, but I'll try to be brief. Someone who calls himself Captain Hook had been making threatening calls to Cooper regarding some money he owed a loan shark. And, I'm not proud to admit this, but I thought someone might have nicknamed you that because of the hook attachment on your other prosthetic."

I was afraid I'd tick the guy off so was taken aback when he laughed loudly. "I have to say, Captain Hook would have been preferable to some of the names I was called back in my school years. Kids can be brutal, you know."

"Do you mind sharing with me how you lost it?" Royce shook his head, so I asked, "Was it a birth defect?"

"I wish. I was in a helicopter accident when I was young." His eyes misted over and I knew it was an emotional subject for him. "I'm lucky my arm is all I lost."

"I'm so sorry, Royce. So, have you any idea who this Captain Hook might be?"

"I can't say for certain, but my guess is Paulie Winterkorn who works in some capacity for a loan shark down in El Paso. I'd bet he's the dude who'd been hounding Cooper."

"Yes, I agree. Milo told me he thought Captain Hook's boss lived in El Paso. Is this man, Paulie Winterkorn, as dangerous and scary as he sounds? I'm a little afraid for my entire family's sake."

Royce laughed again. "Hardly. That weasel-faced little dweeb might sound threatening on the phone, but in person he looks less Hulk Hogan, and more Pee-wee Herman's crazy uncle after a sex change operation gone bad. Trust me. He couldn't whip a girl scout selling thin mint cookies on his front porch."

I chuckled along with Royce at his depiction of the man he believed was dubbed Captain Hook. "That's really funny, and quite a relief, I might add."

"I'm sure it is. And, by the way, Pinto doesn't know my real name is Royce Chrisman. I didn't want him to mention my real name to Cooper or Milo, who I knew were good friends of his. You see, I really need the extra cash I earn working on his boat on the side, and I didn't want to give him a reason for not hiring me, or firing me after he'd spoken to Cooper and/or Milo about me. I'm trying to save up to buy myself a small house. I'm tired of renting and want to settle down and have a family one of these days."

"I'd never mention your real name to Pinto. The man doesn't seem to have an inquisitive bone in his body."

Royce laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. He's never asked me one thing about my personal life. Not even how I lost my arm."

"So, what does Pinto think your name is?"

"I introduced myself to him as Bob Valentine."

"Valentine?" I asked, in amusement. "With a zillion and seven surnames to choose from, you of all people picked Valentine?"

"Hey, I'm a romantic. What can I say?" Unexpectedly, Royce's demeanor relaxed and he looked at me with a broad smile. He was quite handsome with the temporary teeth Dr. Shaft had given him.
Maybe the dentist is worth his salt, after all
. I thought. However, I remained silent because I wanted to hear all Royce had to say but not get him in trouble with his boss.

"So, anyway, I have to make this quick so I can get back to my station before 'Ballbusteria' comes looking for me. You met the cantankerous old broad, so you ought to be able to relate."

"Absolutely! Please continue." I smiled back at Royce, amused at the unflattering, but fitting, moniker he'd created for his boss.

"The weekend before Cooper's death, I ran into him at the boat launch at Cove Harbor Marina. When he recognized me, he cut right in front of me with his boat trailer so he could utilize the only available boat ramp before I did. Naturally, I insulted his mother."

"You insulted his mother?"

"I called him a son-of-a—"

"Got it. Carry on."

"I got out of my truck and walked over to the ramp and like I told you earlier, the big prick sucker-punched me in the mouth after I told him Avery was crazy to want to hang out with a guy like him."

"Sounds to me like you were intentionally trying to provoke him into a fight."

"Well, I wasn't, although I can see now why it might have appeared that way to him, too. But, truly, I had no intention of getting into a physical confrontation with him. Just wanted to ask him why he was in such a hellfire hurry to launch his boat that he had to cut me off the way he did."

"Aha!" I said as something dawned on me. "That explains your missing teeth, and the abrasions on Cooper's knuckles that were already beginning to heal over when we found his body."

"Yeah," Royce agreed, hanging his head. I sensed a touch of humiliation in his response. I'm sure it was because he was embarrassed his opponent had gotten the better of him, despite the fact he outweighed Cooper by a good fifty pounds. Then as if my last comment had just registered in his mind, he asked, "You and Sheriff Ripple found Cooper's body? Holy crap! I had no idea."

"
Former
Sheriff Ripple. And yes, my husband and I were out on a fishing excursion with Milo when we found him dead and floating on top of the water."

"With a spear in his chest, I heard."

"Yeah. Awful, isn't it?"

Royce nodded in agreement and said, "I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. Cooper always was an impulsive, reckless kind of guy. No telling who he ticked off."

"So you weren't questioned by the police, huh?" I asked, Royce's last remarks echoing in my head. Everyone seemed to have formed the same impression of the victim: reckless and impetuous. What kind of situation had Cooper Claypool's risky and impulsive behavior gotten him involved in? Obviously it was something that had placed him in grave danger.

"No, the police never contacted me. Cooper and I were the only two in the vicinity when that incident at the boat launch occurred. No one witnessed the confrontation, so no one had any reason to suspect me of committing the murder," Royce explained. "And, believe me, ma'am. I would never kill another human being no matter how big the temptation. I just don't have it in me to take another person's life."

"I believe you, Royce." And I truly did. "That explains why you didn't want to admit you even knew him when we mentioned him on Pinto's boat. You didn't want to give anyone the idea you might be a likely suspect when you had nothing to do with the victim's death. And you feared if you willingly waltzed into the police station to offer a statement about the boat launch episode, you'd suddenly be relegated to the investigating team's radar, guilty or not, and put under intense scrutiny as a potential suspect. Am I correct? "

Royce nodded his head. "Exactly. I don't need that complication in my life right now."

"Yes. I totally see your point." I knew instinctively Royce Chrisman was telling me the truth, and I could understand his reluctance to get involved in the investigation in any way. I actually felt sorry for the guy and didn't want to be the person responsible for bringing the wrath of God down on his head when he didn't deserve it. I was getting ready to tell him I wouldn't repeat a word of what he'd told me, but Royce was not finished explaining his circumstances. Now that I'd tapped the well, it didn't want to stop flowing. And, as you could probably guess by now, that was just fine by me!

"I was afraid I might lose my job even though I was not responsible for the guy's death. And I didn't want my reputation tarnished by being a suspect for a murder I didn't commit. Even after an accused person is exonerated, the negative vibes hang over them like a fog that never seems to dissipate."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I said in agreement. "It's like a teacher who is falsely accused of molesting a student. Rip and I were just discussing that very subject. Even after being proven innocent, their careers are adversely affected, along with their personal lives, for the rest of their existence. Definitely not fair to the wrongly accused individual, but reality just the same. I can understand why you'd want to avoid that at any cost."

"Worst of all, Rapella, I didn't want my grandmother to think I might have done something that unchristian-like. I'm not scared of much, but I'm terrified of Grammy Webb. Grammy's four-foot-nine and one-hundred pounds of pure badass when she's teed off. I walk the chalk when I'm around her, let me tell you."