seats, although Ruben had not thought that it would be precisely these types of clients who would be interested in his best vessel. He bought a longboat with the expectation that it would be rented on some holidays and birthdays, which is why he selected a ship with the most spacious deck possible, in which there would be room to spread out.
Over the years, Ruben Hustler became more and more attached to the boat station. After one of the two administrators quit, he did not look for a new one, but preferred to work half the time on his own. Spending time on the beach in the sun with a newspaper and cold lemonade is everything you need to ensure that old age is not wasted. At least that’s what Ruben thought. Even in his youth, he treated material possessions with trepidation. More than his property, Ruben valued only his friends, who did not allow him to become completely lonely in his old age. This was what he feared most. Ruben was literally obsessed with not inconveniencing anyone, being as helpful as possible, and never refusing to help anyone. In this regard, he succeeded greatly and was still far from having stopped finding a common language with people one or two generations younger than him. Despite being engaged in commerce, hardly anyone could call him greedy. On the day he received a call from New York and was told that his daughter had given birth to a grandson, Ruben posted an ad that all rowing boats and catamarans were available for rent for free for three days. He wanted to see happy people, because he himself felt warm in his soul, and it didn’t matter for what reason others were happy. All that matters is that they all had a good time. Ruben began to value such moments especially strongly after he was widowed at forty-nine.
Early in the morning he drove up to the office in his pickup truck. Ruben pulled over in front of the entrance to get out and open the gate. But he only managed to get out of the car, after which his mouth could no longer close, and his knees began to give way. In front of his eyes the body of a girl hung on the gate in a crucified position. Her hands were impaled on the sharpened pins that covered the top of the lattice fence, and fixed in a horizontal position, and her head hung down, her chin buried in her chest.
– Yes, you are here with the trunks and this is your town. I already understood – Spencer spoke through the bars of his cell after spending the night in the cell. – That’s it, come on, let me out.
– Shut your mouth! – Harry shouted.
– There is no authority over you – Spencer barked displeasedly, after which he headed towards the couch at the opposite end of the cell.
The phone rang in the office. After the third ring, Harry arrived and picked up the phone:
– Sheriff’s office. How can I help?
– …
– Didn’t understand
– …
– Mr. Hustler, try to calm down. Let’s do it again, as slowly as possible.
Nothing is as annoying as the phone ringing at half past seven in the morning, and even being on the nightstand right next to the bed.
– Hello? – Sheriff Poe said in a sleepy voice, rubbing his closed eyelids with his thumb and forefinger.
The conversation lasted two minutes, after which, patiently waiting for Desmond to hang up, Rhonda said languidly:
– Well, what could happen there at this time? You could lie around for another hour.
– Believe me, darling, maybe – Desmond said, yawning widely.
Forty minutes later, the sheriff, Jenna, and fifty-five-year-old pathologist Larry Green, who worked part-time as a medical examiner, arrived at the boat station. He and Desmond were bosom friends, so even if not a single dead man was found in Heartstone in ten years, they still found a reason to meet.
– Oh my God – said Larry, taking off his cap to take a better look. – Under other circumstances, I would have thought that a movie was being filmed here.
Desmond came up and looked at the hanging head with his narrowed eyes. It was difficult to see anything because of the hanging hair that covered the face.
While Jenna was calming Ruben, Larry came to the gate, wearing latex gloves. He carefully pulled back the victim’s hair to examine her face.
– Dana Host – Desmond said affirmatively.
– Yes, that’s her. Eh, she was a cute girl.
– And she chose an unsafe occupation – Desmond added, continuing to examine the corpse from under the visor of his straw hat, with his hands busily placed on his belt.
– Do you think one of her casual friends?
– So many lustful men flock to Gomorrah every evening. I wouldn’t be surprised if among them suddenly there’s at least one preoccupied psycho with a sick imagination. It is quite possible that this time she was simply unlucky in choosing her next lover. She had a loud reputation and she says that so many travelers and truckers taxi into Gomorrah that she always found herself some kind of male for half an hour. Imagine how many of them she had and who was not among them. – After a short pause, the sheriff added: – As soon as they bring it to the morgue, check immediately for the presence of biomaterial. If this is rape, then at least the motives will be clear.
Sheriff Poe then thought for a moment, imagining various options. He thought that he would need to get the addresses of all the waitresses and dancers working at Gomorrah in order to interview them. He also thought it would be a good idea to talk to Luther too.
Meanwhile, a van was arriving, from which a stretcher and a black plastic bag with a zipper were already being taken out.
Having calmed Ruben a little, who was sitting on the edge of the back seat of the patrol car, Jenna heard the creaking of the radio. She came up, answered, and half a minute later went to the sheriff.
– Chief, Harry reports that some tourists found Norman’s patrol car at the foot of the cliff, not far from the eastern entrance.
– And Norman? – Desmond asked anxiously.
After a painful pause, Jenna still said:
– He burned. Apparently he drove off the road, and after the fall the tank exploded.
Desmond covered his face with both hands, and when he scratched his skin with them, he took a deep breath, as if he was about to say something, but then changed his mind. A few seconds later he turned to Jenna:
– Call the transport company. Order a tow truck and a crane. Tell them to meet us at the eastern exit. And I will inform the hospital so that they can send a second car.
After waiting for Larry to finish examining the corpse of Dana Host, the sheriff said:
– Let’s move on.
Having reached the foot of the cliff, where he had to walk for several minutes, Desmond could not contain his emotions, although they were not so violent:
– Norman. How did you even manage to…
The closer Desmond got to his assistant’s burnt-out car, the clearer the image of the burnt body became.
Jenna
