Gladly the Cross-Eyed Bear (A Matthew Hope Mystery) by McBain Ed

Author:McBain, Ed [McBain, Ed]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2013-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

7

* * *

HE KEPT remembering what Amberjack had told him about keeping an eye on the weather. Warren didn’t want to get caught out here on a small craft some thirty miles from shore in case any storm was on the way. Not much traffic out here, just your occasional fishing boat and now and then a big motor cruiser passing by in the distance. But the way he figured it, all of these boat people knew more about weather than he did, so as long as there was anybody out here, he didn’t feel foolhardy. Minute he saw any boats heading in, he’d be right behind them. Meanwhile, if there was any danger he expected he’d begin hearing Coast Guard advisories on the weather channels.

A big storm was already raging belowdecks, however, and her name was Toots, who’d come past being irritable and jumpy and quivery, all of which he’d expected in the twenty-four to thirty-six hours following her last hit on the pipe, whenever that had been. The symptoms always outlasted the initial big crash every crackhead experienced sooner or later, one time or another. So she’d come past the inconceivable craving during the first three days, and she’d also come past the insomnia and fatigue and now he could hear her below, crying hysterically again, today was going to be one fine clambake, Clyde. This was now Tuesday morning, so assuming she’d scored Thursday night sometime, it was now Crash-Plus-Four-Days and… what? Ten, twelve hours? He’d tried giving her some breakfast ten minutes ago, she’d knocked the tray out of his hands, spattered eggs and coffee all over Amberjack’s spanking-clean bulkheads and deck. She’d been like this since late last night, these crazy mood swings, fine one minute, screaming and yelling the next.

Made a man want to start smoking again.

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