Bucket of Fish Read online

  Chapter 21

  GB stopped over at my house after his paper route. We sat in my bedroom. Gus was working at “Fish-ON! He’d told me earlier those guys always had lunch every Tuesday and Friday and always took the same booth. The waitress, Susie, didn’t mind cause they were pretty good tippers, especially the one named Curly D.

  “Yeah, he tipped me pretty good too,” GB said, “I’m going to try and shine his shoes tomorrow. We should try to think of a good question to ask him.”

  “Like, “Can you dig a hole OK with those nice shoes on?”

  “No, like, “How long are you going to be here on the Island? Can I still shine your shoes after school starts?”

  “That’s a good one.” I said. It’s probably better than, “Do you own a big knife?”

  “ You know Walt, tonight, when I get home, I’m going to write that letter to Max Wales and tell him everything we know. I’m thure he’ll be able to help us with these guys.”

  “Well, I sure hope you’re doing the right thing. I mean, I know Max is a good guy and everything, but what if he just decides to call Officer Hollis and see if he knows what’s going on.”

  “Don’t worry, Max would never do that.”

  I like GB. He’s my best friend and everything, but I just had a feeling that we were getting in way over our head on this whole thing. Plus, I couldn’t stop wondering where my bucket with the WJ on the bottom was, and when somebody was going to turn that bucket over, and see my initials.

  “I saw Carl driving the ice truck on my way home,” I said, “ I waved at him but he didn’t wave back, maybe he didn’t see me.”

  “Well, he’s got a lot on his mind these days,” GB said, “ after all, he did have a dead man in that truck just a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Do you think Elmer had anything to do with it? I mean the body was in his ice house and everything.”

  “Gosh, I hope not – he’s always so nice.”

  This deal is getting as complicated as “The Thin Man,” I thought, at least we don’t have a lawyer in the case – yet.

  After GB left, I just laid in my bed, looking across at the pictures by Gus’s bed. Gus was in a white dinner jacket and a black tie with his girlfriend Lynn at the Prom, and a picture of Gus on the pier holding up his own string of corbina. I noticed the fish in his picture were mostly bigger than in mine. It was hot, there was a slight breeze blowing the window curtain, I thought about Sally, my bucket and, of course, that foot in the dirt.

  Chapter 22

  We stood outside the Dew Drop Inn. GB had hidden his shoeshine kit around the corner. We were waiting to see if Curley D came in the lobby. GB didn’t want to take any chances that he’d get another customer like the last time. We waited forever but never saw him. When we finally gave up, GB began to tell me his latest brainstorm for cracking the case.

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Tharon and I think it will work, Walt.”

  “Then you’re both crazy.”

  “Look, they’ll never suspect anything. Tharon will take her little brother Bobby with her -- he’s seven and wears glasses – looks like a little professor.” GB said as he tossed the paper into the cardboard box. “They’ll sit in the booth right next to the guys. Tharon will sit in the seat closest to them so she can hear everything. She said she’d even put her hair up in pigtails so she looks younger. They’ll think she’s ten years old. She’ll bring a pen and write down anything good that she hears. She took a shorthand course and everything.”

  “I don’t think writing everything down is such a good idea.” I said

  “Yeah, maybe just highlight the most important stuff.”

  “Or just remember it.”

  “Better write it for evidence,” GB said. “How can we make sure they get that booth? Is Gus working that Tuesday?”

  “I don’t know,” I tossed one and missed, “why Tuesday?”

  “It will less be less crowded than Friday-- that’s Labor Day weekend. They’ll be lots of people in town. “Fish-On!” will be packed. Tharon thought if she got there a little early--the booth would be open. Maybe we could ask Gus if he’d just be sure to hold it open for them. Hollis and those guys get there right at 12:00.”

  “What’ll I tell Gus?”

  “Just say she’s my girlfriend,” GB blushed, “and I promised her a good booth – like I’m trying to impress her.”

  “She’s going to be dressed like a eight-year-old. When she comes in Gus will probably turn you in to Officer Hollis as some kind of pervert.” I laughed.

  “Oh great.”

  We talked about it some more. There was a park bench across from “Fish-ON!” It was on Oceanfront with a good view of the inside of the restaurant. We thought about staking out the place when Sharon and her brother were in there, but decided against it. Officer Hollis might come out and arrest us if he saw us hanging around again. It wouldn’t matter – there was no way they’d suspect a little girl in pigtails and her baby brother of anything.

  “What if her brother gets antsy and wants to leave before she’s heard everything. Maybe she should just go in with Sally.”

  “Now you’re the one that’s crazy-- those guys won’t take their eye off of her – heck she almost looks like she could be Tharon’s mom. Her brother William is a bookworm kind of kid. He’ll just sit there real polite and not say a thing – he’s not like you Walt.”

  He sounded a lot like GB to me.

  I had to admit, Sharon and GB were pretty smart. Gosh, Sharon almost looked 10 anyway. It will be just like we tapped their phone, only better. The only thing they might do is watch their language a little with young kids in the next booth, but that’s about it. I was excited – we might get a chance to find out exactly what they’re up to. I still didn’t know what we would do if we found out everything. GB had sent the letter to Max over a week ago and we hadn’t heard anything yet. Maybe he never got it. You never know with the mail. Mom says the service isn’t any better since they raised the price.

  GB went to deliver his papers. I promised I’d see if Gus could save the booth for Sharon and her brother.

  Chapter 23

  We waited in the alley behind GB’s house -- it was Tuesday at 11:25AM. Sharon and her brother William came walking down the street. At first, I couldn’t even believe it was Sharon. She had on this plaid dress with real puffy sleeves, big white buttons in the front, a white collar and black “Mary Jane” shoes with white sox. Her hair was in pigtails with ribbons that matched her dress. She was carrying a rag doll that had on the same outfit.

  “Gosh Sharon – don’t you think the doll might be overdoing it,” I said.

  She sort of pouted, them smiled, and said in a little girl voice, “Oh, do you think so, but I really like Annie -- Uncle Wally.”

  GB, of course, thought it was perfect. William looked at him through ¼ inch wire rim round glasses that sort of made his eyes bug out. GB gave Sharon a dollar bill and suggested she just order one hamburger and a coke, and split it.

  “I want my own hamburger.” William said.

  “I thought you said he was quiet,” GB said, “Anyway, that’s enough for two hamburgers.”

  We went over everything -- Sharon had a little stub pencil hidden in the doll’s dress. At 11:45, she and William walked down the alley towards Oceanfront. We waited, then circled around in front and went down towards town using another street.

  We got down on Oceanfront and watched from behind a palm tree as Sharon and her brother came towards us, stopping in front of the “Fish-On!”

  “Jeez, does she have to skip like that—we told to look her ten, not seven.”

  “I think she looks great.” GB said.

  We’d agreed to meet in GB’s garage after their lunch for the full report.

  “Let’s just walk by and see if they got the booth.”

  “Let’s not both go, it’ll look like a damn parade – only one of us should look,” I said.

  We flipped a coin -- I
won, so GB walked by. I walked down the alley behind the “Fish-On!” and met him at the other corner.

  “It’s just perfect,” he said, “they’re all in the back booth-- Curly D, Officer Hollis,

  Carl and even the fat guy. Tharon was sitting right next to them and even winked at me.”

  “Did anybody see you?”

  “Only Gus, he was pouring Tharon and William some water. He looked at me and shook his head, like he was disgusted.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll tell him they were going to a costume party or something.”

  We walked up to the garage and waited forever for them to come back.

  We watched as Sharon and William came up the alley hand in hand.

  “God, now they’re both skipping.” I said.

  When we got in the garage, I moved a hammer and some nails out of the way, and sat on the workbench. GB sat on his bike, and Sharon sat down in the only chair. She looked like she was waiting for Sunday school to begin. William just wandered around the garage.

  “Sit down over there William!”

  William looked at his sister, and sat down where he was told, Sharon pulled out some napkins with all sorts of strange writing on them – like hieroglyphics or something and began:

  “When we got there, I saw the table was open, so William and I walked back to the booth. The busboy came up and said that the booth was reserved. I whispered, ‘I’m Sharon,” he looked at me real strange – then went to get us some water. When he came back, that’s when you walked by, GB. I looked at the menu and couldn’t decide weather I wanted a BLT or that hamburger and finally decided on the hamburger ---.”

  “Gosh Tharon, we don’t care what you ate.”

  She looked at GB like your math teacher does when you give the wrong answer.

  “Well, after we ordered, I took out my pencil and got the napkin ready. They were ordering too. Officer Hollis had a BLT with French Fries,” Sharon looked up proudly from her notes then back again, “Curly D asked if they had any corbina ----

  “Corbina, he wanted corbina --- I’m dead.” I said.

  “------And finally the fat man wanted a chili size and a hamburger.”

  “No wonder he’s fat.” George Bailey said.

  “Well they mostly talked about the news and stuff for a little bit but then, Carl said something about going back to get his shovel.”

  “His shovel!”

  “Yes, it’s right here, ‘I went to get my shovel and somebody moved it.’ Then someone asked if he was sure. I couldn’t tell who that was. Carl said he saw footprints –some small and some bigger near the spot. Officer Hollis said, ‘Probably kid’s –damn kids anyway.”

  “Oh god,” I said.

  “Well then they talked about other stuff. Carl wanted to know when Curly D was leaving. He said he had “another job” in two weeks on the mainland and that he’d sure enjoyed his little vacation here on the island. Curly D said his new shoes were getting broken in pretty good and they all laughed. The fat man said ‘We have one more job for you.’ Curly D asked ‘Who’ Carl said, Sharon turned to another napkin, ‘That jerk owns the Samoa’ --- ‘When’ – ‘He’ll be cleaning up the place on Tuesday, after Labor Day’- Officer Hollis said.”

  “Wow, they’re going to take care of him too.” GB said, careful not to upset William.

  “What else did they say?” I asked.

  “They asked Curley D some stuff about girls,” she said embarrassed, “ just silly stuff and then Curley D wanted to know what size shoes the Samoa Bar guy wore. Then they all laughed real hard. Officer Hollis said he might take a look out at the spot and check on the footprints.”

  “Oh great,” I said, looking at my shoes

  “Carl said that Elmer was getting suspicious about the ‘back space,’ whatever that meant. They laughed and said they might have another job for Curly D. He said something about his price would have to go up. It was hard cause I was writing as fast as I could. The waitress came by and asked if I was an artist ‘cause I had all these marks on the napkin. I just laughed it off and put the napkin away. William was making me crazy – he ate his hamburger real fast – I had to keep feeding him part of mine to keep him quiet. The fat man said he wanted to try to make it through one more season – he had a full warehouse. He knew sooner or later it wouldn’t work anymore.

  “That’s just what I thought Tharon,” George Bailey said, “anything else?”

  “Only one other thing.”

  “What?”

  “When my bill came, Curly D paid it and asked me what my doll’s name was?”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Annie, of course,” she said holding up her doll.

  Chapter 24

  “Hey Mom, I gotta get some new shoes for school.”

  “Why, aren’t those good enough for a couple more months.”

  “Nah, they’re way too tight. GB’s gonna get some new ones too, and his are newer than mine.”

  “Well, if I was a dentist, I’d get you a new pair too. Let me look at those.”

  “I don’t know why you hang around that GB,” Gus said, “His girlfriend is a little kid who still plays with dolls.”

  “What?” Mom said.

  “Oh --- she was just dressed like that cause she was going to a costume party with her brother.”

  “ I suppose now you’re going to tell me that her brother’s 19.”

  “No, he’s only 7.”

  “Well, she looked like his girlfriend.”

  “What in the world are you boys talking about – OK, I’ll give you some money for a new pair of shoes, but you can’t wear them ‘til school starts.”

  That settled it -- I was going barefoot till school started. I was afraid Officer Hollis would try to match up our shoes to the footprints by the grave. It had been a couple of weeks, but there hadn’t been any rain. GB and I were probably giving Officer Hollis to much credit as an investigator, but we weren’t going to take any chances. As soon as GB got his new pair, he threw his old ones in the trash. I had to watch myself though and look for shady places to cross the street. I was really hot and the asphalt burned my feet.

  We sure had a lot of information from Sharon’s undercover work at the “Fish-On!” It sounded like Elmer wasn’t involved. We couldn’t figure out what the “back space” meant. GB thought maybe it was a place way back in the icehouse where Carl had hidden the beer distributor’s body. Curly D. was some sort of paid assassin who had killed the beer distributor and was going to kill the owner of the Samoa Bar next Monday. We were all trying to figure out how we could save the man’s life without getting caught.

  “Why don’t we just tell him?” GB said.

  “Like –‘Oh hi – my girlfriend, who’s seven, says that some guy who bought her lunch is going to kill you next Tuesday --- that’ll work great.”

  “Walt, sometimes you are just a bit too sarcastic you know,” Sharon said.

  “That’s right – I agree with Tharon.”

  OK, I’ll admit it, maybe I am a little bit hard on GB, and after all he is pretty smart. He figured out the whole case and Sharon is a damn genius. I think I was just amazed by both of them to be honest. It was like sparks were flying out of their brains or something.

  “Look, I mean, what the heck can we tell him – we don’t want another person to get killed. We can’t tell the only policeman on the island. Who else can we tell?”

  “How about a lifeguard?” Sharon said.

  “A lifeguard?” I said, thinking maybe this Sharon wasn’t as smart as I thought. I was going to ask if we should see if the lifeguard had anything for a jellyfish sting at the same time. No sense in making them mad – at least they were trying.

  Chapter 25

  “Hey kid, how come you haven’t come around to shine my shoes?”

  “Oh, sorry, I had to start getting ready for thcool. It starts next week – the day after Labor day.”

  We sat on the wall on Oceanfront when Curley D. came up
to GB. I noticed a little bead of sweat on GB’s upper lip. I think I felt some on mine too – my heart was sure pounding.

  “Who’s your pal here?”

  “Walter J ah Quentin.”

  “Nice to meet you Walter J.”

  I was hoping he didn’t notice my wet handshake. Walter J.!

  “I can do them tomorrow morning if that’s OK,” GB said.

  “Nah, forget it kid, there’s a guy out by the steamship terminal – I got to go out and book my trip --- I’m leaving next Wednesday. Say, it looks like you got yourself a new pair of shoes too.”

  “Yeah, thure did --- for thchool.”

  “You going to school barefoot Walter J?”

  “Nah—I’m getting some new ones too.”

  “See ya boys.”

  “Bye.”

  I watched Curly D. walk down the street looking long at a pretty girl walking past him.

  “Walter J. Quentin. That does it. I am officially resigning from this case—I’m going to go home and hide under my covers until that steamship leaves on Wednesday.”

  “I’m sorry, I thought about using a different last name after I’d already said “J,” GB said, “It won’t do you any good to go hide under the covers. The rest of the guys will still be here and Officer Hollis is probably out looking at the footprints right now.”

  “If you are trying to make me feel better – it ain’t workin.”

  “We’ve got to think of something, Walt, we can’t just let those guys kill Mr. Trenton on Tuesday.”

  “I know, I know,” I said, “but what can we do? We can’t exactly go and tell him.”

  I sure didn’t want somebody else to get killed if I could figure out a way to prevent it. But what could we do? I noticed GB had that look in his eye again.

  “I’ve got an idea.”

  “Oh no --- please!”

  “We need to go find Tharon and see what she thinks.”

  “It doesn’t involve that stupid doll again I hope.”