Chapter 64 - TELLING GRAM

The Fifth of July broke clear and sunny. At the bottom of the tide the north wind fell away to nothing, and in the stillness the smells of coastal marsh and wrack and brine rose up in a heady mix. Sounds carried forever. The mewling of gulls and the guttural voices of lobsterboats spiraling through their gear wafted in Grammy Jones' kitchen window on the warm air. Sonny was having morning coffee and some baked good with the old woman, trying not to tell her too much, without avoiding her questions.

"They ovahauled ya good, huh?" she asked.

"Yeh." The Coast Guard and the DEA agents, for that's what they turned out to be, had gone over SUZY-Q with a magnifying glass. But there was nothing to be found. No trace of blood or coke was in evidence. Any possible scarring from the shootout blended right in with the scrapes of normal use. "Din't fine nawthin," Sonny reported.

"They took the Eye-talian off to the lockup?" Gram asked, delighted.

"Yeh," Sonny answered, " but I 'magin the fancy lawyers'll git him off."

"Gonna come back onya?"

"Mebbe," Sonny shrugged. "Might even wanna do more business."

Gram laughed. "Take's a thief, huh?"

"Yeh."

"What about the gunnahs? Rosie saw three of 'em in the big cah."

"Yeah? Well.. Rosie's eyes're as big as her butt," Sonny deflected Gram's question.

The old woman wasn't to be sidestepped. "They was more'n just the little fat man," Gram insisted.

"So you say, Gram."

She snorted. "An what's happen to Bustah?" Gram went on.

"Maybe you know more'n me bout that, Gram," Sonny said, archly.

"I heard he got roughed up a lil, an give a whahnin," Gram admitted, "but where's he at?" Sonny remained silent for a long minute.

"I see," Gram commented dryly.

"Too damn well," Sonny thought.

"Dunky's OK, though?"

"Young Dunk's in love up to his waist," Sonny reported, figuring that would help fill Gram's bushel.

"With the shell heap diggah," Gram came back, as if it were old news. "And Sumner and them?"

"They's all home n dry," Sonny wondered if the old girl was going to ask about every dog, cat, and pickup in Smithport.

"But you're a lil shaht crew, ain't cha?" With Jumbo wounded and Buster disappeared, all Sonny had left as crew was Sum, and he wasn't so sure Liz would stand for Sum fishing with him again.

"Mmm," Sonny was non-committal.

"An you nevah made nawthin, didja?" Gram pressed him. Sonny stayed mute.

"Jes like Tink," Gram muttered. "More fun leadin John Law the long chase than it was puttin down a wintah's fish." Then she laughed. "An it WAS fun, too, Jesus wept."

"Where'm I gonna fine a girl like you, Gram?" Sonny asked, not just in flattery.

"You best staht looking to home, Sonny," Gram answered seriously. "Cause you ain't nevah gonna fine one a them fromaways gonna stan for such foolishness."

"Why'd you evah?" Sonny wanted to know.

"Nevah knew any bettah.." Gram paused. "No that's not so. I knew jus what I was gettin with Tink, but I couldn say no to him. Jus the same, if I'd nevah had Ma and my sistahs I couldn't a stood it. You fine a local one, Sonny, who's got a fleet a womenfolk to back her up while you're off .. Tinkin.. an she might keep you're bed whahm to home." Gram nodded to herself with finality.

Sonny laughed. "Mebbe so, Gram. Mebbe so. Them college girls is jes too smaht for me."

"Tain't a mattah a smaht, Mr. Fast an Easy," Gram snapped. "Lot's a Maine girls ah jes as smaht. Only it's a diffrent smaht. It's a smaht bout stayin an makin a place home, and keepin a famly, an backin theyah damnfool menfolk, who doane know any bettah."

Sonny saw he wasn't going to win any more points today, so he just sat quietly, sipping the last of his coffee.

"Whadda bout them saylahs?" Gram changed the subject.

Sonny chuckled. "Seems like theyah boat sunk."

"Yowah doin?" Gram questioned.

"No.. no.. I b'leve they diddit themselves," Sonny said with amusement.

"Like they had somethin t' hide," Gram observed. "They gonna haul up the boat?"

"That's a good question, Gram," Sonny said thoughtfully. "Seems like one a them got real special treatment when they come ashore."

Sonny had still been at the Coast Guard Station putting SUZY-Q back together and answering the DEA agents' questions, when the POINT HANON had docked. The word about BALI's sinking was already common knowledge around the Station, and around town, of course.

Meanwhile another shiny unmarked had pulled in with an older official in the back. Sonny had rarely seen so much heel-clicking and saluting, or what passed for it among plainsclothed operatives. Obviously the new arrival was some big brass in DEA operations.

When the three sailors were marched down the ramp, the high muckamuck had been standing on the dock. He'd gone up to the agents who had the trio in custody, and they genuflected, and pointed to Walker.

Sonny couldn't hear what was said, but he gathered later from those who could, that Mr. Bigwig had been real polite to "Mr. Gonzales," maybe even apologetic. Then he'd commandeered the helicopter, and flown off real buddy-buddy with the big cowboy.

After his departure nobody seemed to know quite what to do. Sonny had been sent on his way, and he couldn't tell if the other two sailors were going to be questioned, or what. Someone reported they'd been quickly driven out of town in one of the DEA vehicles.

So Sonny wondered if the Coast Guard was actually going to put divers on the sunken sailboat to search for evidence, or simply sweep the whole thing under the rug. Wouldn't be the first time. When that FB-111 exploded right over Carver's Island, they'd hustled the salvaged pieces off in a rush, under wraps, and not a word in the papers. Same with the Traveler III which went unsalvaged after the mini-sub operator contracted to raise her had been threatened, and disappeared from town. The officials had a way of making bad news disappear downeast, and that suited the locals just fine, too.

"Sonny?" Gram broke into his reverie.

"Uh.. no. No, Gram.. I doan think they'll haul it."

"Leaves you in the cleah, doan it?"

"Spose so," Sonny agreed.

"Have some more ah that poun cake," Gram said. "I made it special."