Murder With Puffins by Donna Andrews

Author:Donna Andrews [Andrews, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780312978860
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2001-05-31T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

East of Puffins

"Interrogate Fu Manchu?" Michael said. "You're not serious."

"I think the old guy meant the Asian man we saw quarreling with Resnick yesterday," I said.

"The one too well dressed for a birder?"

"Exactly. And if I'm not mistaken, that's him right now."

I pointed across the street to the front porch of the Island Inn, where the Asian man was stamping his feet and shaking himself. He had a brightly colored bag with the name of the other, upscale grocery on it. With a bottle of wine inside, from the shape of it.

"You could be right," Michael said:

"I'm positive," I said. "If we had to find a middle-aged Caucasian woman with binoculars, we wouldn't have a chance in the world of figuring out which birder it was. But Monhegan in flyover season isn't exactly a hotbed of ethnic diversity."

The Asian man had disappeared by the time we entered the hotel lobby, but the desk clerk looked up.

"Good grief, he's fast," I said. "Sorry, but you know the man who just came back into the lobby?"

"Mr. Takahashi?" the owner said.

"Yes," I said. "He forgot to mention which room he's in, and we need to give him back something."

I pointed vaguely back at my knapsack.

"He's in room twenty-three," the clerk said. "You want me to call him?"

"We can just take it up, if that's all right," I said. "Won't be a minute."

Mr. Takahashi looked surprised when he opened his room door and saw Michael and me.

"Yes?" he said. I had to look up to see his face. He was young--thirty-five at most--and taller than I expected--he nearly matched Michael's six four.

"Mr. Takahashi, I hate to bother you, but it's very important," I said. "Yesterday, you were overheard in… well, in a rather heated discussion with--"

"Oh, good God," Takahashi said. "Just tell the bastard to lay off, will you? I won't harass him, I'll do my damnedest not to even see him, but I can't very well leave the island until this damned hurricane blows over."

I was surprised to notice that he had a faint southern accent. And obviously he had mistaken us for someone official. I decided not to enlighten him.

"I assume you're talking about Victor Resnick?" I asked.

"Well, who else?" Takahashi said. "You don't mean someone else has filed a complaint about me? If they have, I guarantee you Resnick's behind it."

"Just what is the nature of the relationship between you and Mr. Resnick?" I said.

"Relationship? We don't have a relationship; I came to see him on business."

"What's the nature of your business relationship, then?" I persisted.

Takahashi looked at me with exasperation. He glanced behind me at Michael, who tried to look stern and official while dripping audibly on the floor. Michael seemed to rattle him a little. Men Takahashi's size don't often ran into people taller than they are.

Takahashi sighed and turned to pick up something from the bedside table. A card case. He handed each of us a business card. Very nice cards, engraved on heavy off-white textured paper so thick, it was almost cardboard.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.