Death Among the Mangroves by Stephen Morrill Read Free Book Online

high school.” On the television there was a movie playing, a western. Troy stood in front of the screen and Duell craned his neck to look around him at the movie.
    “That would seem inappropriate were the call about town council business or even police business,” Troy said. “At school you should be focused on school business.” Duell always irritated him, and, obviously, vice versa. In fact Duell had opposed hiring Troy and hadn’t changed his mind in the months since. Troy told himself to stay calm.
    “I decide what’s appropriate or not,” Duell said. Troy had been staring at Duell’s clothes and finally it occurred to him that Duell was wearing a smoking jacket. Troy wasn’t sure if he had ever seen a smoking jacket before and Duell did not appear to smoke anyway. Maybe Duell just liked to dress up to watch old movies.
    Behind his back Troy heard Clint Eastwood telling some bad men that it wasn’t nice to insult his mule. A lot of shooting broke out and Duell’s lips tightened. “Get out of my way,” he said.
    “I can’t wait for tomorrow, Duell. Look at this photo. Do you recognize this man? He was probably one of your students, though he’s clearly older now.”
    Duell glanced at the photo and back at the television. “I’m sure I don’t recall past students,” he said. “I have better things to do than amuse you this afternoon.”
    “The movie is only an Italian remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo ,” Troy said. “Eastwood gets all the money and the two clans kill each other off. Walter Hill and Bruce Willis did it again in Last Man Standing .”
    “I don’t need your critique of the damn movie. I just need to watch the movie. Now get out of my house.”
    Patience , Troy thought. “All right then. So who would be able to tell me if this was a former student? I bet he’s in your yearbooks.”
    “The yearbooks are in the school library. Why don’t you go bother the school counselor. She keeps track of individual students. I’m much too busy running the entire operation.”
    “Sure. What’s her name and home phone number?”
    “Her name is Christine Daniels. I certainly don’t have her home number. Why don’t you call on her tomorrow, during business hours?”
    “Jesus H. Christ,” Troy said. “A young woman is missing, probably in serious danger. Half the town is out looking for her. Her parents are sitting by the phone terrified, waiting for any word whatever. And you won’t shut off the television and get off your goddamn ass to so much as look at a photo of a suspect? What the hell sort of degenerate human being are you?”
    Duell stood up. “This conversation is over. Get out of my house. You’re fired.”
    “Duell, if you could fire me by yourself, you would have done it long ago,” Troy said. “I don’t understand people like you. It’s as if something is just…missing.”
    Outside, Troy sat in his car in front of Duell’s home, mostly because he knew Duell would be peeking out the window and that would annoy him.
    That certainly went well, he thought. I’m a professional policeman, so why do I let jerks like that get to me?
    He sighed, dug out his department cell phone, and called 4-1-1 to get Christine Daniels’ number. He called her. She lived a few blocks away and told him to come on over. In a few minutes he was in her kitchen, sitting at a table and drinking coffee with Christine and Toby Daniels.
    Christine was a thin, tall woman wearing jeans and a loose-fitting white tee shirt with a pocket. She pulled out a pair of glasses from the pocket and looked at the picture Troy laid on the table.
    “That’s Mark Stider,” she said instantly.
    “Are you sure? Take your time. Doctor Duell didn’t recognize the man at all.”
    Toby Daniels snorted. He was an obese man wearing a plaid shirt and the largest pair of Dockers he could find. Troy felt that plaid was a poor choice; Toby looked like a quilt. But he seemed willing to talk.
    “Duell couldn’t find