Russell sat in the cockpit and watched the marina come awake as he ate breakfast. Perry had been first up. Stopped by the boat to give Nutcase a good morning scritch before heading off without a word—though the old man had been smiling at him like a crazy leprechaun. Whatever the joke was, he was keeping it to himself.
He spotted Dave and Betsy farther down the pier, sipping coffee in their own cockpit. They waved him over, but he was too lazily comfortable where he was so he casually waved back. The sun was reaching over the high bluff which made the west end of Ballard one of the best places to live in Seattle. The views from up there were incredible. But the lifestyle down here among the boats was the best.
The sun was splashing down on Shilshole Marina. Hundreds of masts etched their
