Stuart Woods - Unnatural acts

Dink fell past Herbie and went straight down.

Herbie was still looking up, and Marshall Brennan filled his vision. Marshall had a hand reaching for him.

“Grab it,” Marshall said, and Herbie did, then he heard a dull, crunching thud from below.

Showing surprising strength, Marshall hauled him upward until he could get both hands on the railing and a foot on the edge of the building. In a second, he was lying, panting, on the deck, and then Marshall was helping him up, aided by Stone, who had come onto the deck.

Herbie stood there trembling, leaning against Stone, who put a glass into his hand. “Take a big swig of this,” Stone said, and Herbie did so.

Dino and Mike Freeman joined them. “What happened?” he asked.

Marshall Brennan turned toward him. “An unnatural act,” he replied.

Later, Herbie sat on a sofa and talked to a police detective, remembering the things that Dino had told him and Marshall.

“Just tell me in your own words what happened,” the detective said.

“I was on the deck outside the master bedroom, then all of a sudden, Dink Brennan was there. He was standing very close to me, and somehow I went over the railing, but I caught hold of a drainpipe that held my weight. Dink was trying to help me, then so was Marshall, but somehow Dink lost his footing and came over the railing and fell past me. Marshall was trying to hold on to him but couldn’t. That’s it.”

“Were you having some sort of quarrel with Dink Brennan?”

“No, I just turned, and he was there. I tried to push him back, but he’s a big guy, and I think I must have just pushed myself over the railing.”

The detective closed his notebook, turned toward Dino, who was standing to one side. “We got a partial view from a security camera that backs everybody’s story,” he said, then he walked away.

Dino came over to Herbie. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” Herbie replied, “but I’m not sure about Marshall.”

“Stone is with him. He just needs a drink.”

“Did you hear what he said?”

“Yes, he said ‘an unnatural act.’”

“What did he mean?”

“It’s an unnatural act when a man kills his son.”

“I see.”

“And we won’t talk about this anymore,” Dino said, “not with Marshall, and not with anybody else.”

Stone and Marshall came over. “I think we’ve done enough for this party, and we should go,” he said. “Do you and Marshall need a ride, Herb?”

“No,” Herbie replied, getting to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. “We’re in my car.”

A few minutes later they were headed uptown.

“I’m sorry, Marshall,” Herbie said.

“Don’t be. If it hadn’t ended this way, it might have been much worse.”

“You could be right,” Herbie said.