The Shadow Box(57)

“This is the starboard bypass fuel feed. And here’s the port,” Matthew said, and Tom examined a clear photo. “When Benson turned the key, gas flowed through the manifold to the port engine. But see this gap here? The starboard feed was left open—the line is disconnected from the carburetor.”

“And fuel dripped into the bilge,” Tom said.

“Right. From that point on, the voyage was doomed.”

“One spark,” Tom said.

“That’s all it took.”

“So if the engine was in good condition, the boat seaworthy, how did this happen?”

“That’s up for grabs,” Matthew said.

“Could it be sabotage?” Tom asked.

“Possibly, but it could also be an accident. Since the boat was just serviced, it’s possible the mechanic forgot to reconnect the line.”

“That would be a pretty significant mistake,” Tom said. “West Wind is a good marina. I can’t see any of their mechanics being that careless.”

“It happens,” Matt said.

Tom knew he was right. Not paying attention was one of the most common causes of boating tragedies. But according to Conor, there had been trouble in the Benson marriage.

“When Gauthier first questioned Benson, she said he was barely conscious, slurring his words, but he told her ‘they got her.’ My brother, Conor, is a detective with the Major Crime Squad, and he wonders if he’d actually said ‘I got her.’”

“And what? He blew up his boat and risked the kids just to kill his wife?”

“That would be crazy,” Tom said. “But some people are.”

“So your brother’s working this case? I thought it was Detective Miano.”

“They work together,” Tom said. “Conor’s on another case that might overlap with ours.”

“Which one?”

“Missing woman. Claire Beaudry Chase. She knew Sallie, and Conor thinks it’s a pretty big coincidence, both of them harmed on the same day.”

“That is pretty weird,” Matt said. “Glad the cops are taking the human side. I’ve got the technical part. I’m going to head over to West Wind and talk to Eli Dean and his yard guys, find out if they screwed up. I’m leaning in the direction of it being an accident. If the boatyard is responsible, Benson will have a nice lawsuit on his hands.”

“Let me know,” Tom said. He thanked Matt, asked him to keep him in the loop. He got into his car and headed toward Shoreline General. When he got to the nursing station on Gwen’s floor, he was glad to see that Mariana Russo was on duty.

“How is she?” Tom asked.

“She’s making progress,” Mariana said. “But then she has setbacks.”

“Is she talking?” he asked.

“Very little,” she said. “The first she spoke was when you brought her dog to see her. Since then, a few words here and there. Mostly ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ simple replies when we ask her if she’s hungry, sleepy, things like that. Nothing to do with the accident.”

“What about the setback?” Tom asked.

“Seeing her father,” Mariana said. “Gwen became almost hysterical the last time he visited, almost as bad as before. And she didn’t speak for hours afterward.”

The nurse led him down the hall to the sunroom, where they found Gwen sitting in a chair, intently writing in a journal.

“Hello, Gwen,” he said.

At the sound of his voice, she looked up and smiled. The thought that crossed Tom’s mind was that she looked hopeful.

“I wanted to visit you,” he said. “To see how you’re doing and tell you Maggie misses you. She’s having lots of adventures at our house—we take her down to the beach, and for such a small dog, she’s a real champ at jumping driftwood logs.”

“She likes to swim,” Gwen said in an almost inaudible voice.

“She does? Well, now that I know that, we’ll take her swimming,” Tom said. He gestured at the chair beside her. “Is it okay if I sit down?”

She nodded.

“I thought you might like to see some pictures of her,” Tom said. He pulled out his phone, scrolled through to a series he had taken of Maggie: out in the garden with Jackie, playing ball, running on the beach, curled up on an armchair in the living room. “She’s really cute, and we’re making her at home, but I can tell she can’t wait to see you.”

“How?” Gwen asked.

“It’s just a look dogs get. Same as people. You know how dogs smile? Their tongues hang out, and their eyes look extra-extra-bright? Well, Maggie does smile, but her eyes are only extra-bright, not extra-extra. But they will be when you get home and you can be together.”

“Together,” Gwen said. “Me and Maggie and Charlie.”

Tom’s heart stopped. Had she still not been told about her brother? He stared at her, at her smile getting wider and wider, and he couldn’t speak.

“You’ll be with your dad,” he said.

“And Maggie and Charlie,” she said. “And Aunt Lydia sometimes.”

“Gwen,” he began. It wasn’t his place to tell her about the search, that they hadn’t found him, that Charlie wouldn’t be going home.