Vineyard Stalker by Philip R. Craig Page B

have to deal with the police.”
    Chadwick pursed his lips. “What do you suppose is your principal’s real reason? Do you know?”
    I made a small gesture with one hand. “My advice was to call the police, but my principal said no.”
    He rubbed his chin. “Curious. Dealing with the police would seem to be much preferable to dealing with the vandals.” He eyed me. “But we all have secrets, I suppose.”
    â€œI have a couple,” I said. “Have you had any vandalism here at your place?”
    â€œYou’ve seen my stone wall.”
    â€œYou don’t have a front gate.”
    â€œI have a motion light out there. Anyone coming in at night would set it off.”
    â€œBabs Carson has a wall and a gate. Do people need that much security up here in the wilds of West Tisbury?”
    â€œProbably not, but crime is hardly unknown here on the island, and I happen to be a wealthy man so my house would be a temptation to an enterprising thief. Ergo, the wall and the motion light. I also have a security system here in the house.” He arched a brow and smiled. “You aren’t actually casing the place, are you?”
    â€œNo,” I said. “Not many college professors are wealthy. How did you manage it?”
    â€œI did it the old-fashioned American way: I inherited my fortune. A good thing, too, because I’m really not very good at handling money. Fortunately, I have bankers to do that for me. That allowed me to do what I really liked: teaching history. I’m retired now, but I had a fine time for forty years. I’ve noticed that you’ve been eyeing my books. Are you an academic yourself?”
    â€œI’m a fisherman. Can you think of anyone who would have reason to hire people to vandalize Nunes’s property?”
    He nodded. “The two most obvious people are Babs and myself. We’re both interested in buying the land, but Roland Nunes won’t move off it. If we could frighten him into moving, it would be to our benefit. Is that why you’re here, Mr. Jackson? To ask me if I employed the men who shot you last night?”
    I felt a smile on my face. “I wasn’t going to be quite that straightforward, but now that you mention it, did you?”
    â€œOf course not. But I’d say that anyway, wouldn’t I?” He returned my smile. “The fact of the matter is that I wouldn’t know where to look for a vandal if I wanted one. I dare say I could find one if I set my mind to it, because I’m a wealthy man and wealth opens many doors, but to date I’ve never done that.”
    â€œCan you think of anyone else who might have hired the two men? Anyone who might have a grudge against Nunes?”
    He spread his big hands. “They call it an ivory tower, and it is. I know more about books than about the real lives most people lead. Even though Nunes has been my neighbor for years, I know almost nothing about him except that he seems to be a very gentle man who lives an incredibly simple life. He appears to be the least likely of men to have enemies.”
    â€œIs it possible that your ex-wife might know something that you don’t know?”
    He gave a short, ironic laugh. “Joanna knows more about a lot of things than I do, including how to become wealthy by marrying and then divorcing, but I can’t imagine her knowing or caring about anything having to do with Roland Nunes. She always had her sights set higher on the social and economic food chain. I’m told she’s in Cannes now, with her little prince, so I don’t think you’ll have an opportunity to question her. Even if she were here I think you could scratch her off of your list of suspects.”
    â€œWhat do you know about Melissa Carson?”
    His eyes widened for a second. “Ah, Melissa. She’s certainly a woman who knows what she likes. I’m actually very fond of her, if you want the truth. In a