Fever Dream

Pendergast reached inside the case and—slowly, slowly—grasped the cold metal of the double barrel. He broke the action and began cleaning the weapon, wiping off dust from the long drive. “What was lunch?” “Sandwiches. What does a naked woman have to do with anything?” Pendergast merely opened his white hands in a gesture of mystery, and D’Agosta could see the frustration in his eyes. The burning boat finally sank, the slick of burning gasoline rapidly dying out, leaving the swamp in a cool quasi-darkness.