Page 122 of The Session

“People did that all the time here. Kevin was a pretty generous guy,” Sweeting replied.

“There was also something about bottles, right, Mark?” Morris asked.

Mark nodded. “There are six beer bottle caps in the house and three bottles. Three are missing. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but was anything found like that around here?”

“There was nothing in the report,” Rolle replied.

Sweeting pointed toward the bay. “I hate to tell you this, but not every bottle that was consumed ended up back in the trash. Sometimes we liked to see who could throw one the farthest.”

“That’s some helpful context. I appreciate you two taking the time to come out here,” Morris said.

“No problem. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mark,” Sweeting replied.

Mark couldn’t tell if he was being gaslighted by the men or if he had jumped to a radical conclusion based upon flimsy evidence.

“We don’t want to keep you any longer,” Morris said.

“Just one more question. Constable Rolle, what was the cause of death?” Mark asked.

“Accidental drowning.”

“Was there an autopsy done?”

“Dr. Moss did the medical examination,” Rolle explained.

“The district medical officer?” Mark asked.

“Yes,” Sweeting replied.

“Actually, he’s the contracted medical officer,” said Rolle. “He’s a visiting physician on contract.”

Mark recalled his first trip to the island with Tru. “Does he work at Family Medical Services?”

“Yes, do you know him?” Rolle asked.

“No, just curious.”

“I hope we were able to answer some of your questions,” Sweeting said.

“Well, no. The report said that he drowned, but everybody seems to think that he died of a drug overdose,” Mark told him.

“Who is everybody?” Sweeting asked.

“It’s okay.” Morris patted Mark on the shoulder. “We can talk about that part later. Unless you have any specific questions, I think we’ve kept them long enough.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. I wish I had the chance to meet Kevin,” Rolle said.

“You never met him?” Mark asked.

“No, he died before I got assigned here,” Rolle answered.

“Thank you, gentlemen,” Morris said.

After the two men left, Morris turned to Mark. “Son, you have to learn the way things are done out here. We put them into an uncomfortable position.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Mark replied.

“Kevin died of a drug overdose, but we didn’t want that made public. It would have devastated your father and Marnie for that to be widely known. And it really would have been bad for the organization, to be blunt,” Morris said.