Part 3 (1/2)

”Man, Im going to be able to hire you on as an apprentice, you keep this up. Lucky because instead of pooling near and rotting the floor joists ”Whats a joist?

”Same thing as a truss, only under the floor instead of the roof. Gary reflected. ”Well. Sort of. Same principle, anyway, supporting the structure. So, the water from the leak migrated down and only ruined the Sheetrock in the downstairs bathroom.

”So what did you do?

”I gutted it right down to the studs, renewed all the plumbing. I closed off the door to the hallway, made it a master bath. I put the window back inI love gla.s.s brickand took out the wall-hung toilet and replaced it with a floor-mounted one. I built new cabinetsmaple slab, looks great, if I sez it who shouldntand laid down new linoleum. Now it looks about twice as big and feels ten times as light as it did before, and everythings new and done right. That bathrooms good for thirty years. His grin was not modest. He cut another piece of steak and inserted it into his mouth as if he were receiving the Years Best Contractor award.

”You like doing that?

Gary chewed while he thought. ”Yeah, he said, swallowing. ”Its fun to take something thats messed up and straighten it out, make it right again. You should have seen this woman; youd have thought I was some kind of magician. She acted like she hadnt had to pay for it, like Id given her a gift. Like I said, its fun. Except Im allergic to mahogany, he added, shaking his head, ”and I sneezed all the way through the remodel. But other than that. It was fun.

”Whats your next project?

Gary let his gaze drift ever so slowly toward Wy. ”Im between projects at the moment.

Wy felt heat rise up into her face. Tim looked from one to the other with a gathering frown. Jo grinned, and if shed been part Yupik and forty years older youd have sworn she was Moses Alakuyaks twin sister.

At this auspicious moment, Liam walked in.

He didnt see them at first, walking straight to the bar and pulling off the ball cap that seemed suddenly too tight for his head. ”I need a warrant.

”Ill give you a warrant, Bill said, ”if youll move this lush out of my bar.

Liam craned his head. ”Oh. Eric.

”Yes. Again.

”Poor old b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

”What is it with you guys, Bill said, disgusted.

”Im sorry?

”Never mind. Whos the warrant for?

”Im not sure, exactly.

”Arrest?

”Yes. At least I think so.

”For what?

”Im not sure about that, either.

”Youre not helping me much here, Liam.

”I know. Im sorry. The d.a.m.nedest thing.

”What?

”I got something I need you to keep in your freezer until I can get it on a plane to the lab. Liam opened up the white plastic garbage bag hed carried into the bar with him.

Bill peered inside. ”Sweet Jesus! she yelled, turning heads all over the bar, which was when Wy saw Liam for the first time. ”What the Sam Hill h.e.l.l is that!

Since Bill didnt seem to be in any hurry to take custody of the bag, Liam, who was even less thrilled to be carrying it around, set it on the floor at his feet. ”Its exactly what you think it is.

”Where the h.e.l.l did you get it?

”I first saw it coming out of John Kvichaks house on a fly pitch that nearly brained me. He shook his head. ”At first I thought it was a prosthetic. That clenched fist looked like somebodyd forgotten to throw the switch on the circuits.

Bills face began to regain some of its natural color. ”For crissake. Where the h.e.l.l did he find that? I mean, I know John and Teddy are scavengers, but... Her hands were shaking a little when she poured out two fingers of Glen-morangie, neat. She frowned down at them and they steadied as she put the gla.s.s on the bar. ”Oh. I forgot. You on or off?

Liam sat down next to Eric Mollberg, who stirred and moaned a little, and turned his face to Liam in a preliminary attempt to surface from the sea of alcohol in which he had been submersed for going on three months. ”I, said Liam, ”dont give a d.a.m.n if Im on duty or off at the moment. He drank and felt the heat and flavor of the single-malt seep straight into his bloodstream. Comfort food, he thought, and finished it. Bill held up the bottle. He shook his head. ”No. That did it. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You wouldnt believe the day Ive had.

Bill cast a surrept.i.tious glance over his shoulder at the group in the booth, one of whom was staring back with an undeniably guilty look all over her face, and thought, And its not over yet. Because she was a woman, too, and had her own men problemsfor starters the Alaska old fart sitting in the corner knocking back enough beer to fell Paul Bunyon and whooping it up with his palsshe bought Wy some time. ”Whered it come from?

”Youll love this.

Bill ran a couple more margaritas down to the end of the bar for Moccasin Man, who was putting the moves on Susie Akiachak. Susie was a smart girl and knew better, but her defenses had been weakened by a nasty breakup with Jimmy Koliganek, and Evan Gray was first and foremost an opportunist. On the way back up the bar Bill hooked her foot beneath the bottom rung of the bartenders stool and sent it sliding into place across from Liam. ”Okay, she said, settling in for the duration, ”lets hear it.

”John Kvichak and Teddy Engebretsen were hunting.

”Theyre always hunting when they get into trouble. When theyre not in town and getting into trouble. Or out fis.h.i.+ng and getting into trouble.

”All too true. Liam rolled the gla.s.s between his hands as if the heat of his palms would evaporate anything left of the scotch and he could inhale the fumes. ”So they were hunting, up around Bear Glacier, and they found it.

”Found what?

”A plane wreck.

”What? What plane wreck? Did somebody go down?

”Evidently.

”I havent heard a thing.

”Neither have I, and neither has anybody at the airport. I called Anchorage Flight Service to see if anybody had gone missing and they said not to their knowledge. I called Elmendorf, to see if the air force was missing a mission. Nope. They checked with Eilson. Still nothing. So then I ask Teddy and John what are they talking about a plane wreck. And they say it was a plane wreck they found, and they found thathe jerked his head at the bag, on the floor between him and Eric”in the wreckage. So I take another look at it.

Bill repressed a shudder. ”And?

”And its old.

”Old? What do you mean, old? You mean like from an old man? How can you tell?

”No, I mean like desiccated old. I mean like from an old plane wreck, years and years old.