“So that seems to rule out simple explanations. If we can eliminate the obvious, then it becomes more likely there’s something wrong. I assume it was just accidental that you found the fish?”
“Pretty much. I often head out in the evening when the traffic quiets down and the lake becomes calm. Kind of like it is now. But closer to sunset, it gets even quieter. Anyway, I went out to the north end of the lake and was starting to turn, following the shore, when I noticed some objects near the shore. I slowed and circled back. Once I got to within fifty feet or so, I saw what had to be a couple hundred dead fish, most of them on the shore. I took some pictures that eventually made their way to you.”
“And then what?”
“I hustled back to the marina and called my dad. I told him I’d found a lot of dead fish, but he didn’t believe me right away.”
“Did he think you were exaggerating?”
“Nah. I figured he was just too lazy to take a look. But when I told him there were hundreds, he took me seriously.”
“So he agreed to take a look?”
“Yep. But he did more than take a look.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I told him what I saw and where to go. The next day, the fish were gone. Every single one of them.”
“Are you sure he got rid of them? No one else knew? Maybe some animals ate the fish?”
Derek snickered. “Do you know how many animals it would take to eat all those fish in a day? And to leave no trace? I don’t think so. Besides, sometime during that night, my dad went out. I didn’t think much of it, but that must have been when he did it.”
“That sounds possible. You’re sure no one else could have removed the fish?”
“No way. But my dad must have had help. There were a lot of fish, and my dad isn’t the kind of guy who loves manual labor.”
“It’s true he’s also the police chief?”
Derek sighed. “Yeah, he’s the chief. But that’s only because no one else wants to challenge him. I don’t think he enjoys the job anymore.”
“Why would he remove the fish like that?”
Derek shook his head. “I have no damn idea. Maybe he just didn’t want it to get out. It might look bad for the town.”
“It would be good to know why he did it, assuming it was him. Did he also tell you not to tell anyone?”
“Yeah. Makes me think he really wants to keep this quiet. I don’t get it.”
“For now, I also think we should keep this quiet. Since just you and Kasey know, let’s keep it that way. It will make it easier to figure out what’s going on if we don’t create some sort of circus.”
“Makes sense.”
Jordan hadn’t been paying attention to the drive, but the slowing of the boat signaled they must be getting close. Derek eased the throttle back to neutral, letting the boat glide in slowly, softly touching the rocks on the shoreline. Derek grabbed a rope and tied it to a cleat on the bow. He hopped off the bow and pulled the boat to shore, tying it off on a tree.
Jordan hopped out as well, mindful of the slippery rocks she needed to step on. “This is the place?”
“Sure is. As you can see, there’s no trace of any dead fish.”
“You’re right. But maybe your dad thought he was just doing his job, cleaning up the fish before they started to decay.”
Derek scoffed at that. “You don’t know my dad. He wouldn’t give a shit if some dead fish were stinking up the lake. He sure as hell wouldn’t think it was his job to clean them up.”
“OK, then. Why would he clean them up?”
“I don’t have a good explanation. He cares about the town and its livelihood. After all, if the town suffers, he suffers. But that doesn’t seem like enough to get my dad out here in the middle of the night.”
“Fair enough. So we assume your dad dealt with the dead fish. Let’s set aside his motive for now.”
“Motive? You make him sound like a criminal.”
“Sorry. Just a habit. In every story I investigate, people take action. Some are good and some are bad, but there’s a reason for each one. A motive. I didn’t mean to imply your dad is doing something wrong. Just that there had to be a reason he cleaned up the fish.”
“No problem. I just hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“Do you mind if I look around a bit?”
“Go ahead. That’s why we’re here.”
Jordan explored the immediate area as best she could, given the rocky nature of the shore. If there was a sign of what killed those fish, it wasn’t obvious.
From her spot on the shore, Jordan stopped and looked farther out over the lake. The sky was clear, and the shadows cast from the opposite shore on the calm water made for a beautiful view. Jordan expected to see more homes or cottages, but this portion of the lake seemed completely unpopulated.
“Why is it uninhabited up here?” Jordan said. “It seems like great lakefront property.”
“As far as I know, much of the land isn’t available.”
“What does that mean?”
“A lot of the land up around the northern half of the lake is state owned, with some habitat protection in place. Much of the rest is private. It’s designated for either forestry or farming. I guess the owners have little interest in the lake.”
“Too bad for them. So, apart from some forestry and farming, there aren’t many businesses up here?”
“Nothing that would explain what killed the fish.”
“It’s too bad there’s no evidence other than the pictures you took.”
Jordan noticed a broad smile on Derek’s face.
“What’s the smile for?” Jordan said.
“That’s not exactly true.”
“Really? There’s other evidence?”
“You could say that. In my freezer. I’ve got two of the dead fish.”
Jordan’s draw dropped. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me before?”
“I wanted to see if you were really interested in helping. Plus, I didn’t see the right opportunity.”
“Does your dad know?”
“That I kept two fish? No. I almost told him, but his reaction to the whole dead fish thing seemed weird to me. I figured I could tell him the next day, but when I saw that he’d gotten rid of the evidence, I decided to keep quiet.”
“It looks like that was a smart move.”
“I think so too. Should we head back?”
Jordan took a quick look around. “I guess so. There’s nothing else to see here.”
7
As Derek navigated the R7 back to its slip, the view of the marina in the fading evening light captivated Jordan. The main lodge centered the property, its shingled gable perfectly dividing it. Broad windows highlighted the vast interior while overlooking the outdoor dining area and bar. Carefully located lights graced the property, ensuring evening boaters could see well enough to dock their boats and make their way up from the docks. Most of the slips were occupied, and Jordan could see a nice crowd at the bar and on the patio.
Derek aligned the boat with its slip, turned off the motor, and let the boat glide over the last few feet of calm water. He jumped onto the dock to stop the boat and began to tie it off. Jordan watched him tie the first line and then hopped off to help, tying off two of the portside lines before Derek came over to tie off the last two. By the time he’d finished tying the boat off, one of the dock staff had come over to put on the boat cover, allowing Jordan and Derek to leave.