Hothouse Orchid (Holly Barker 6)

“What’s your name?” Holly asked.

“Tim Pooley,” he replied. “I’m the day manager here.”

“Can you tell me who owns this boat?” Holly asked.

“It belongs to the marina,” he said. “We use it for towing or whatever.”

“Are the keys always in it?”

“Pretty much,” Tim said. “I mean, the night guy may lock them up; I don’t know.”

“Is there somebody here all night?”

“No. He shuts the gate at midnight and goes home. There’s a combination lock, so customers can get in if they’ve been out late.”

“What are your working hours?”

“Eight to six.”

“How many of the boats in the marina are based here?”

“Well, we’ve got eighty berths, and sixty-six are rented by the month or the season. We get a few transients just about every night; they’re mostly alongside the outer, long pontoon. Once in a while, if we know a local is away for a few days-out to the Bahamas or something-we’ll rent his berth by the night.”

“How many live-aboards among the locals?” Holly asked.

“Maybe a couple of dozen.”

“Are they grouped together?”

“No. They’re just wherever.”

“Can you give me a list of the names of the boats and owners? Addresses and phone numbers, too.”

“Well, I guess the addresses are right here,” Tim said. “Everybody’s got a cell phone number these days. I’ll go get the list.” He

ambled off toward the little house at the head of the dock.

Lauren snapped her cell phone shut. “He’s on the way back,” she said.

“Do you have some crime-scene tape?”

“No, Hurd took the car; he was going to send somebody back for me.”

“When that guy shows up, you should tape off this boat until Terry is done.”

“Sure.”

“Tim, the day manager, is getting us a list of the live-aboards in the marina,” Holly said.

Tim was ambling back toward them now. He approached and handed them several sheets of paper. “The first page is the live-aboards,” he said. “The rest are just monthly or seasonal renters.”

“We’re going to need the night man’s name and phone number, too,” Holly said.

Tim scribbled the information on one of the sheets.

“Thanks for your help, Tim,” Holly said.

“Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”