Hour Game

"What a life." She squinted against the intense sunlight. "Who's that out there on the sailboat?"

King grabbed his binoculars and zeroed in on the skipper of the other boat. " Sava

"What are you doing?"

"Going fishing."

They drew close to the sailboat that was little more than a Sunfish. Sava

"Great minds think alike," called out King.

Sava

"The water's amazing," she said.

"Sean won't go in until it hits bathwater status," said Michelle.

"Don't know what you're missing, Mr. King," said Sava

"Well, I could be tempted if you two were to join me."

They each took a minute to drop their anchors, and then first Sava

"What are you doing, Sean?" said Michelle.

"I said I could be tempted, not that I'd actually do it."

Michelle and Sava

"Oh, no, you-," began King. Whatever else he was about to say was lost as he was pulled into the lake and immediately went under. He came up spitting water and cursing loudly.

"These aren't swim trunks!" he shouted.

"They are now," replied Sava

After a half hour in the water they navigated their boats to the dock and sat in the gazebo drinking beers that Sava

Michelle looked around at the mountain and water vistas. "Quite a view."

"This is really my favorite part of the whole place," said Sava

King eyed the Battles' collection of boats. "I've been out on the big Sea Ray cruiser, but I don't remember that Formula 353 FasTech. It's a beauty."

"Daddy had just bought it last winter. The marina folks came and prepped it for summer. We haven't even put any hours on the engine yet. Eddie's the real boater in the family. I just like to ride on them and catch some sun and drink beer. Eddie said he'd take it out soon and break it in. I understand it's really fast, got some monster engines."

King said, "I'll say, twin five-hundred-horsepower Merc EFIs; a top speed north of seventy and a cruising speed at right about double nickels. Tell Eddie I'd be glad to help him break it in."

"My, my," Sava

"It's clearly a guy thing, Sava

"It's easy to be when you can't afford them."

There was a bit of silence, and King slowly put down his beer and looked at the youngest Battle with a serious expression.

"You didn't come here just to admire me in my bikini and lust over our boats, did you?" she asked, returning his gaze with a hopeful look that held out the possibility that that indeed was all he was interested in.

"We do have some questions to ask you."

Sava

"Among other things."

"That's one reason I came down here to go sailing, to get away from it." She shook her head. "I'll never get that out of my head. Never. It was so awful, Sean, so awful."

He put his hand over hers and squeezed for a moment before letting go. "But it only gets worse if we don't catch the person who did it."

"I told Todd and Agent Bailey everything I know. I didn't even know Sally was in the stables until…"

"And then you ran to your brother's home?" said Michelle. Sava

"I don't really remember. I was hysterical. I remember her going to get Eddie, but then she couldn't wake him. Then all hell broke loose. I just stood over by the door the whole time. I was afraid to move. When they came and got Eddie, I ran back to my room and pulled the covers over my head." She put her drink down and went over and sat on the dock, her feet in the water.

King stared at her curiously. What the hell was gnawing at his brain, begging him to decipher it? He finally shook his head in frustration. It just wasn't coming.

"Is your mother home?" he asked.

"No, she went out. Something to do with the lawyers and probate."

"Would you mind if we took another look at the closets in your parents' bedrooms?"

She swiveled around on her bottom to look at him. "I thought you already did that."

"Never hurts to check a second time. It might help."

They climbed in the golf cart Sava

"I keep telling Mama that if she's going to stay here, she needs to have an elevator put in."

"Climbing stairs is good exercise," said Michelle.

"Don't listen to her," said King. "Get the elevator."

Sava

King moved past her and looked at Mason suspiciously.

The butler gazed back at them unperturbed. "Just tidying up your mother's room, Sava

"Um," began Sava

"You're dripping on the rug," Mason pointed out.

"We were swimming in the lake," explained Michelle.

"Nice day for it." He continued to stare at them questioningly.

"We're here to take another look at Remmy's closet, Mason," said King. "As part of the investigation."

"But I thought because Mr. Deaver is dead that there's no longer an investigation to pursue."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you, but that's not actually the case," said King politely.

Mason turned to Sava

King answered, "She took us through it once before, Mason. I can't imagine she'd have a problem with a second time."

"I always like to make sure of these things, Sean."

"You see, because we know Junior didn't do it and Remmy is now friends with his widow, it's up to us to find out who did take those things. It's in Remmy's interest of course to see that happens. But if you want to call her and bother her while she's with the probate lawyers, that's fine. We'll just wait right here."

King could see Mason working through all this in his head. Finally, he shrugged. "I can't see that it will hurt anything. Just try and keep things neat. Mrs. Battle is very particular."

"Yes, she is," said King.

Mason left, and they went immediately into Remmy's closet and accessed the hidden drawer, examining it minutely but finding nothing.

"Maybe you'll have better luck in Daddy's room," said Sava

As they were leaving the closet, King stopped to look at some photos on the shelf across from Remmy's bed. Sava

"That's me when I was twelve, fat and ugly. God, I can still feel those braces on my teeth."

King held up another photo, an old one, with two babies in it.

Sava