The Corpse Without a Country Read Online Free

thirteen, a scrawny-legged brat who hung around her father’s fishboats.
    But now she was twenty-five or -six and she was no brat, and certainly not scrawny-legged. She was all woman, though small and dark, taking after her mother rather than Arne. Still there was a hint of him in the set of her jaw, in her startling gray eyes, and in the fine, warm cut of her mouth.
    She was wearing a yellow play suit affair with a halter that molded to her breasts, and shorts, cut very short. Over them she wore a yellow button-down-the-front skirt, open from the waist. She was something to watch, all right.
    Jodi fixed a bandage carefully over the cut on Tom’s head. “That is a nasty one!” she murmured. She had a bright voice, like a clear bell. She looked at me, her head cocked slightly to one side. “But you look almost as done in, Peter.”
    I said awkwardly, “I’m fine. It’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were home, but I’m glad.” I was trying to thank her for helping with Tom, but as usual I was gauche. I always felt that way around women, especially small, attractive ones. I had the idea they were fragile and that I might fall over them and break something.
    She gave me a wicked glance from those large gray eyes. “Glad to see or because I can help Tom?”
    I could feel myself flushing. I said, “How is his breathing?”
    “Not too bad. He should be all right. We can make the Island hospital in less than an hour.”
    The Island hospital was in the San Juans, due south of our present position. I never could have made the run that fast in the outboard, but from the feel of the deck beneath my feet, Reese wasn’t going to have any trouble. Unless, I thought gloomily, the twin screws sucked in a log and knocked themselves cockeyed.
    I stood and shivered with chill and tried not to think about hitting a log. Jodi went to the galley. I could hear her making coffee there. I climbed to the wheelhouse and watched Fuller. Whatever I might think of him as a person, I had to admit he could handle a boat. I told him so.
    He said grudgingly, “There’s a shower in the forward head, Durham, and some dry clothes in my locker.”
    It galled me to accept more of his hospitality, but I was too cold to turn it down. I took the shower and got into the clothes. By the time I was dressed, Jodi had coffee well slugged with bourbon ready for me. She took her coffee and sat on the top step of the three leading to the wheelhouse. I parked on the edge of the bunk, near Tom. We sipped coffee and looked at one another.
    Jodi said, “Whatever happened?”
    “I wish I knew,” I said. I explained briefly about Tom coming up to investigate the fire, taking out a charter boat, and not coming back. I looked at my watch. It was past nine o’clock. I went on, “So I hustled out and found him. Then I came to you for help.”
    Reese Fuller called down nastily, “Why would he go out to Boundary? Did he think the Rock set the fires?”
    I ignored that. I said, “Speaking of fires, Arne wants you to do something about the
Flyer.”
    “A tug’s already on its way,” he said. “And what’s Arne doing up here? This is
my
end of the business.”
    I had been wondering the same thing about Arne, but I wasn’t going to give Fuller any satisfaction by agreeing with him. Instead I started asking questions.
    But I didn’t get many answers. Although Corning Island is close to Boundary and Jodi’s place was on the northeast corner, neither of them had heard or seen anything unusual. They hadn’t even heard the high-powered outboard that had buzzed me. And the blonde who was driving it was news to both of them. I gave up and asked for more coffee.
    When we neared the Island hospital, Fuller radioed to have an ambulance waiting. It was there at the dock when we arrived. A pair of stretcher bearers came aboard and took Tom off. I told them what I’d do if they didn’t handle him carefully. They treated him as if he might be a crate of antique