Baked Alaska (19 page)

The desk clerk made a phone call, and a minute later, a security guard met them. Sadie stepped forward and pretended to read the day’s itinerary posted on the customer service desk about ten feet away from them. Pete had moved to the other side of the officers and pulled out his cell phone as though checking a text message. If the officers were worried about being overheard, they would likely have moved away, but that didn’t seem to be a concern.

“Thank you for coming,” the security officer said. Sadie didn’t recognize him from the other interactions she’d had with security so far. The three men exchanged handshakes.

“Where is he?” one of the officers said.

He?
Were they talking about the unfortunate heart attack victim?

“We’ve had his steward keeping an eye on his room. He hasn’t left yet.”

Not the dead guy then.

“It’s good you had us come. We wouldn’t want him to get off the ship without us.”

The security guard agreed, and Sadie tried to catch Pete’s eye. They really needed to see those e-mails as soon as possible, preferably before they had to confront Shawn about not having sent them. And yet Pete was still intently listening, though seemingly focused on his phone.

“Certainly,” the security officer said. “I’ll escort you. It’s room 749.”

Sadie gasped. Pete’s gaze snapped to hers in an instant. Room 749—
Shawn’s room?

Chapter 21

Sadie headed for the closest stairway. She didn’t know how long it took her to push past other passengers and run down the stairs to deck seven, but she was out of breath by the time she banged on Shawn’s door. She scanned both ends of the hallway but the officers didn’t appear.

She heard Shawn’s doorknob turn, and as soon as he pulled the door open an inch, she pushed her way through, forcing Shawn to walk backward until his legs hit the double bed in the middle of the room and he was forced to sit. Sadie shut the door behind her.

“What was in those e-mails?”

“Wh-what?” Shawn said, standing up. He didn’t have a shirt on, so Sadie grabbed one out of the closet and threw it at him.

“Those e-mails. What did you say? Did you threaten Lorraina? Did you tell her you’d call the police on her or worse?”

“Mom,” Shawn said, looking completely shocked and just offended enough that Sadie felt some relief. He pulled the T-shirt over his head, his puffy hair springing back after being pushed though the neck hole. “What are you talking about?”

Her brain was moving too fast for her to keep up with his questions. If she didn’t know two police officers were on their way to his room right now, she’d have backed off. “Why didn’t you send those e-mails to Pete last night?”

“The onboard Internet wasn’t working.”

“Shawn, don’t you dare lie to me.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not lying,” he said, sounding angry. “I went to the computer center and the Internet was down.”

“So, then, what did you do? Did you go to your room?”

“No, I went back to the Lamplighter. Are you going to chew me out for that, too? They had that magician guy doing the grown-up magic show.”

Sadie wasn’t sure she wanted to know what happened at a grown-up magic show. “You went alone?”

“Yes, alone. I waited for the Internet to get fixed, but when I went back to the computer center, it was closed. I figured I’d use Bre’s laptop this morning. What’s your deal?”

“My deal is that two police officers from Skagway are on the ship and coming to
your
room. Maggie showed Breanna the e-mails Lorraina forwarded to her, and in
those
e-mails you threatened her if she didn’t leave you alone. I think the police are going to arrest you!”

“What?” Shawn said, his eyebrows going up and his eyes going wide. He shook his head. “I didn’t threaten her—I swear I didn’t—and the computers were down, Mom. Let’s get Bre’s laptop right now and—”

A knock at the door silenced him, and Sadie spun around to face the door, the only thing separating them from the police officers. She turned back to Shawn. “Okay,” she said, making a calming motion with her hands as she took a step toward him. “We need to handle this the right way, okay?”

Another knock. Sadie closed her eyes. What was the right way to handle this?

“Mr. Hoffmiller?” a voice called from the hallway. “Please open the door.”

Sadie opened her eyes, feeling the tears rising as she looked up at the scared expression on Shawn’s face. She put a hand on his arm. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. “Just do what they say. We’ll follow you to the police station and get this figured out.”

“Mr. Hoffmiller,” the voice said again. “This is Officer Wells from the Skagway Police Department. If you don’t come out of your room, your steward has been given permission to let us in.”

“I’m coming,” Shawn said. He pulled Sadie into a bear hug that lifted her off the floor, held her tight for a second, then turned and put her down in front of the bed, placing him between her and the door. He grabbed his wallet off the counter beneath the TV and put it in his pocket.

“Shawn,” Sadie said in a shaky voice, though she had nothing to add.

He looked over his shoulder at her for one grim moment before opening the door and looking down at the officers. They moved back half a step, likely because they realized that if he wanted to, he could make this situation very difficult. He was bigger than both of them combined.

Sadie told herself to be calm, but watching Shawn step into the hall was too much for her, and a moment later, she ran after the officers. “Don’t say anything without an attorney,” she shouted in a panic. Shawn turned to look at her in surprise. “And don’t—”

“Sadie,” Pete said, taking her arm and pulling her away from the officers. Where had Pete come from? Where were the officers taking Shawn?

Chapter 22

“Let go,” Sadie said, trying to twist out of Pete’s grip, but he knew her tricks and had anticipated them, so his hold remained strong. He backed her up against the wall between two cabin doors and took her face in both of his hands, forcing her to look up at him. She tried to see where Shawn was going, but Pete held her head in place.

“Sadie,” he said, quietly, calmly, and with tender understanding that made tears spring up in her eyes. “It’s going to be okay.”

She tried to shake her head, but then he said her name again, and when the first tear started running down her cheek, he wiped it away with his thumb. “Get Breanna,” Pete said, his voice calm and even. “Meet us at the police station. They’ve agreed to let me go with him.”

“Why you and not me?”

“I’m cooperating,” he said with a slight smile. “And not telling Shawn to act like a criminal. Get Breanna. Meet us at the police station. I’m sure someone in town can point it out to you.”

She swallowed and nodded. Pete leaned in, kissed her once, then turned and started walking down the hallway after Shawn. Sadie stayed right where she was, pressed against the wall, and taking deep breaths until she had counted to one hundred. She was afraid that if she moved, she’d chase Shawn down and go bonkers all over again. When she was certain she had control over herself, she hurried to her cabin. Breanna was still asleep, but Sadie flipped on the lights and told her to get up. She tried to give her a coherent version of what had happened, but the story was disconnected and rushed. Sadie had to stop and breathe again before she managed to relay all the information.

It was nearly forty minutes before the doors of the ship were opened to allow passengers to disembark. Breanna and Sadie were the very first ones down the gangplank. Pete had texted Sadie the address for the police station, and though she’d replied with a request for an update, he hadn’t responded.

The port was right next to the town of Skagway, and a helpful dockworker pointed them toward the police station, which was just a few blocks from the pier. Even though the wait to get off the boat had been excruciating, it had helped Sadie feel more centered. Now was the time for a plan. She’d already rehearsed how she’d demand—as kindly as possible—that a computer forensics crew determine if the e-mails had been compromised after Shawn originally sent them. They could do that, right? It seemed like the right place to start.

At the police station, they checked in with the officer sitting behind a glass panel and were told to take a seat in the waiting room. Ten minutes later, Sadie’s center was fading when Breanna received a text message from Liam.

“I need to talk to him,” Breanna said, making an apologetic face. “Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Sadie said. “I’ll come get you once they’re ready for us.” A few minutes after Breanna stepped outside, Pete came through the door at the other end of the room. Sadie was on her feet in an instant and felt her calm focus abandon her.

“What’s happening? Is Shawn all right? Can I see him?”

“He’s talking to the police,” Pete said as he approached her. He took her hands and guided her back into her chair. “Things are going as well as can be expected.”

“Are they arresting him? Do we need to get an attorney? Is the FBI involved? Do they know what was showing up in Lorraina’s tox screen yet?”

“Sadie,” Pete said, “take a breath.” He watched her until she obeyed, then gave her a smile that would have been patronizing if it had come from anyone else. “It’s going to be okay. Shawn has done nothing wrong.”

“They didn’t bring him in for questioning because they think he’s innocent.”

“They brought him in for questioning because they have in their possession several threatening e-mails addressed to a woman who is in a coma under suspicious circumstances. I also understand that it’s the cruise line that’s making a big deal about this. They asked a bunch of questions about if he’s been on other cruises and which ones. That makes me think they’re fishing for something, but I don’t know what. I’m hoping they’ll reveal more information as the day goes on. But the police are doing their job, and Shawn is cooperating, which is exactly what he should do. You freaking out makes it look as though he has something to hide.”

“I’m his mother. I think freaking out because my son was escorted off a cruise ship and taken to the police station is completely acceptable.”

“Acceptable, yes. Helpful, no.”

“Um, Mom?”

Sadie turned to see Breanna standing not far away, holding up her cell phone. “Maggie’s wondering if we’re still meeting for breakfast. I guess she’s been waiting at the Tiara Room.”

Maggie.
Sadie wasn’t sure she could focus on her right now. However, she connected some possible dots in Sadie’s mind as well. “Did she send the e-mails to the police?” she asked, then looked at Pete. “Could Maggie be the reason all of this happened? Is she trying to get Shawn in trouble?” She’d no sooner said it than she saw it all laid out in front of her. “Maybe Shawn’s concern that Maggie was a part of Lorraina’s whole scheme was spot-on. Maybe
Maggie
was out to make Shawn into the bad guy, which meant she might have something to hide!”

“Slow down,” Pete said, lowering his voice, which reminded Sadie to lower hers as well. He let go of Sadie’s hands and stood, taking two steps toward Breanna, who was still standing a few feet inside the waiting area. “Ask Maggie if she wouldn’t mind coming to town for breakfast instead.” He looked around the waiting area thoughtfully. “I heard the officers talking about a café on Broadway—Sweet Tooth, I think? Have her meet me there.”

“Why you and not us?” Sadie asked.

“’Cause you’re a basket case,” Breanna said while texting on her phone. “You need to chill.”

“Chill?” Sadie repeated, throwing her arms up in exasperation. This was ridiculous. Her son was in jail! “Chill? And
where
am I supposed to
chill?
Here? In this waiting room while the police interrogate my little boy and—”

“Okay,” Pete said, taking Sadie by the shoulders and turning her around so she faced the doors. “Breanna, will you get her out of here? Take her on a walk, or back to the ship, or something. I’ll meet Maggie at Sweet Tooth, and we’ll move forward from there. I’ll update you guys when I have something to tell you.”