A Fishy End

Chapter 31

Ryan put up his propane torch and looked at the results. He had created nearly two dozen ingots, exactly like the YouTube video Rick had shown him. Nothing to it.

The act. He paused. There had been something to that. It's for my family, he told himself grimly. They had all grown too accustomed to the money he made in the Guard, active duty, and combat pay. His job as a construction worker couldn't compare. They were a couple months behind on the mortgage, and the credit card debts were piling up.

The money he made in the Guard couldn't begin to compare to this, he told himself. And the Guard paid him to kill people too. The line was a small one, really.

It had been up to him to do the actual act. He should have expected as much. Rick wasn't built for physical confrontation. He was the only one who could recite the lines properly anyway. Kyle, he was just a kid. He'd found out about the mentally ill, shut-in guy for them, and that was enough. But it had been up to Ryan to hold his head under the water in the bathtub while Rick performed the ritual.

Ryan shuddered and pushed the memory out of his mind. It didn't bear thinking about. Think about the good stuff. Think about the gold ingots. Think about paying off the mortgage, bringing home gifts for the kids.

He touched the ingots. They were cool. He was wearing his army fatigues, and he pushed several ingots into the side pockets. They hung there, heavier than he would have imagined. He hid the rest in an ammo box and shoved it deep underneath his tool bench.

When he opened the garage door into the house, Maggie startled and looked at him. The kids were up, at the table, eating cereal. Off-brand cereal, he noticed. Won't be eating that for long. It was a pleasant thought.

"You didn't go to work?" Maggie asked.

"Called in today," he said. "Didn't sleep well last night." That was true, actually.

"Can we afford—"

"We can," he interrupted. He felt the weight of the gold in his pocket. He leaned against the fridge. "Got some errands I need to run anyway."

"Can I—" Ethan started.

"Not this time, squirt." He started to turn to leave, but stopped. "Oh, by the way," he lied. "There was this fish they had on the island. I can't ever remember what it was called. Anyway Rick knows." Maggie scowled at the name. She didn't like the Harrishes. "He said they sell it sometimes at the Indian grocery. Said he'd pick some up for me. Happened to be there this morning. It's in the fridge. I'll do it on the grill later today, okay?"

"Okay," Maggie said uncertainly.

"I'd better get going," he said, heading for the door.

During the drive, he was so lost in thought about the things he'd buy, that he didn't see the cat as he turned the corner—not until too late. "Crap," he muttered, looking up in his rearview mirror. He hoped he'd missed it, but it was splayed on the side of the road. It was black and white. Not Esther's Snowball, he prayed. She'd be devastated.

Should he go back and check? Maybe it was better not to know. The kids were already on edge because Maggie kept fighting him. Now this. Best not to know.

Looking in the rearview mirror again, he noticed another person climbing out of a car. She was tall and blond, Dr. West. Had she seen him hit the cat? He drove on, keeping an eye on his rearview.

He saw the doctor crouched by the edge of the road. Crap. She had noticed. Should he turn around and take responsibility? She probably didn't know one truck from another, and even if it was Snowball, and she had seen him hit the cat, the odds that she would connect the crime to Ryan was remote.

And dammit, I can buy the kid a new cat.

The pawnshop advertised cash for gold. Still, they looked Ryan over suspiciously when he presented the gold ingot. Probably thought he was some petty thief hawking stolen goods. Ryan gave the man an even look, as if to challenge him to say something. The pawnshop owner didn't, turning instead to inspect the ingot.

He put it on the scale and whistled softly to himself. He used a small file to remove a few shavings and tested them for purity. He whistled again. "Can't do cash, not for this much," he said. "Could do a cashier's check."

Wondering if this was a final test of his integrity, Ryan shrugged. "Works for me. I've got to run by the bank next anyway."

Ryan knew gold was valuable, but he was still shocked when he saw the number on the check.

"Reasonable offer," the man assured him.

Ryan nodded and pocketed the check. He still had five more ingots. He'd thought he would have to hit that many pawnshops and sell off that many ingots to get this amount. "It'll do," he replied. "I'll take that too." He nodded toward a small crucifix necklace. He paid cash and tucked it away—a gift for Maggie.

At the bank he put half of the money toward the mortgage and took the rest in cash. For lunch he treated himself to Hooters. You can get your appetite anywhere you want, he thought as he watched a cute waitress walk away from his table, as long as you eat at home.

He spent the better part of the afternoon at an outdoor store. He picked up some things he needed for the boat, some choice bits of new tackle, and a BB gun for Ethan. About time I taught the boy to shoot. Ryan hadn't been hunting in years; he hadn't been able to afford a decent gun or the time off. But things were different now. He stopped by Toys R Us on the way home and got a couple of stuffed animals for the girls.

He arrived at home late in the afternoon. He'd completely forgotten about the incident with the cat until Esther rushed toward him, tears in her eyes. "Snowball has been missing all day," she cried. "I've looked everywhere. I can't find her."

He held her while she cried. Part of him felt terrible. He nearly confessed. Another part said the cat must have crawled off into hiding. Maybe it was for the best. It would be easier for her to just think Snowball ran away or that someone took her.

"We'll put up signs and stuff," he told her. "And if she doesn't come back, I will get you a new cat, okay?"

"I don't want a new cat. I want snowball," Esther insisted.

The furor over the missing cat completely overshadowed his gifts for the kids. When he took them out, Maggie gave him a suspicious look.

"I got special pay from the military," he lied. "We're celebrating."

"Celebrating?" she asked, her eyes arched.

"Yeah, paid the mortgage up to date. Even had enough left for these things."

Only Ethan was as excited about his gift as Ryan had imagined. The girls continued to talk about the missing cat, hugging their new toys tearfully. Maggie just looked back and forth between the necklace and him, as though not sure what to think.

They had just finished eating supper when there was a knock at the door. It was Dr. West. She was holding something cradled in a towel.

"Are you guys missing a cat?"

"Yes!" Esther cried, springing up and running to the door.

"I found her this morning," the doctor said, opening the towel and setting Snowball delicately in Esther's waiting arms. "Seems to have had a close call with a truck. I checked her over. Think she'll be fine in a few days." She gave Ryan a sidelong look as she spoke, but didn't say anything to indicate she knew whose truck it had been.

"What do you say?" Ryan prompted his sister.

"Thank you, Miss," Esther said, cradling the cat and crying again.

"Yes, thank you!" Ruth added.

As he shut the door behind Dr. West, Ryan searched his mind for the incident of the morning. Was there any chance he had only clipped the cat? That it had survived? He wasn't sure suddenly, and it bothered him more than he could say.