Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO REMEMBERED EVERYTHING
On Saturday morning, Marin arrived at Gus Prior's garage fifteen minutes early.
He was waiting beside the boat.
“You're early.”
“I know.”
“Something happened.”
Marin said nothing.
Gus put down his sandpaper.
“Tell me.”
She told him about Garrett.
About the port contract.
About Pearl.
And about the man in the black car.
Gus listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he sat on the workbench.
“Do you have proof?”
“No.”
“Then don't confuse being observant with being certain.”
“I haven't.”
“Good.”
Marin looked toward the training mat.
“What should I do?”
Gus was quiet for a long moment.
Then he said, “You already did the right thing by warning someone. Now protect yourself and the people around you. Don't go hunting for trouble.”
She nodded.
He studied her.
“You're thinking about your brother.”
Marin looked away.
“I'm thinking about what happens to him if I lose my job.”
Gus softened.
“Marin.”
She looked up.
“You aren't responsible for every bad thing in Baltimore.”
“I know.”
“But you feel responsible for the ones you can see.”
She didn't answer.
Because that was exactly the problem.
That afternoon, Marin visited Dez.
He sat beside the common-room window, holding a small wooden sailboat.
She recognized it immediately.
Gus had made it for him.
Dez turned when she entered.
For several seconds, he stared.
Then smiled.
“Rin.”
Her throat tightened.
“Hey, little brother.”
She sat beside him.
He held out the boat.
“Dad.”
Marin froze.
Their father had died when Dez was fourteen.
The illness that damaged Dez's memory had come years later.
She touched the boat.
“Yeah. Dad loved boats.”
Dez looked toward the window.
“Don't go.”
Marin swallowed.
“I'm not going anywhere yet.”
He shook his head.
“Don't go in the dark.”
She stared.
“What?”
But Dez was already looking at the sailboat again.
Marin sat very still.
Sometimes his words belonged to memories she couldn't access.
Sometimes they belonged to nothing at all.
Still, she held his hand longer than usual.
On Monday, Nell Pro visited the Corrant.
Not as a customer.
She asked Dina for access to the restaurant's security recordings.
Dina refused without appropriate authorization.
Nell accepted the answer and contacted Aurelio's attorney to arrange a lawful request.
Marin watched from the kitchen.
For the first time, she wondered whether the warning had reached someone willing to take it seriously.
Then Pearl approached carrying a stack of clean plates.
“Why's that woman here?”
Marin hesitated.
“Something about security.”
Pearl snorted.
“Security. They should secure the dishwasher. It leaks every Tuesday.”
Marin smiled.
But when Pearl turned away, she noticed something tucked into the older woman's apron.
A white envelope.
The corner showed a printed name.
T. BELL.
May you like
Teddy.
Marin's smile vanished.
