Murder by the Seaside (22 page)

“The sheriff looked pretty mad.”

Sebastian nodded. “Well, from his position, it looks like you swept into town pulling a truckload of trouble along with you. Until the day you came back, there hadn’t been a crime larger than jaywalking or truancy in three years.”

“I should do something nice for him.”

That earned me a loud and hearty laugh. “I think we’d better get back to your apartment. You need to get some sleep.”

“What about you? You saved me. Again. Can I do something nice for you?” We moved into the front room, and I said a silent good-bye to the most delightful office I’d ever owned. I planned a trip back as soon as possible to add personal touches and write thank-yous to everyone who loved me enough to brave car bombings and drive-bys to do this for me.

“I like to spoon.”

“What?” I giggled, trying to remember what I’d said last. “Shut up.” I shoved him through the front door and followed him to the Range Rover, wondering if what he said was true and imagining how much I’d enjoy it if it was.

“Looks like the storm’s passed.” The engine purred to life.

I hoped he was right. And not just the rain.

Chapter Twenty-Two

A chill crept over my back, alerting me to a new day. I slept easily with Sebastian. The first night back in my bedroom had a great memory attached now. He lay fully dressed, one arm protectively over my side all night. Turned out, he did like to spoon. A smile crept over my face. I slid from bed, checked the closet for creepers and locked up on my way out of the room. Sundress in hand, I knew what I needed to do. I spent a minute in the bathroom getting presentable and felt more confident than I had in some time. Onward to face the day.

The quiet island had transformed into the annual tourist trap. Cars lined the streets, bumper to bumper. The briny air teemed with kettle corn and cotton candy. After days of preparation, the big finale was only twelve hours away. Cowboys from all over would show off their rodeo chops all afternoon at the fairgrounds. Vendors selling inflatable ponies, cowboy gear and food served on paper plates stood at the ready.

Something about the growing crowd made me smile. The familiar scene, complete with honking horns and screaming babies, erased years from my mind. My worries dissipated and blew away with the wind. I’d eaten my weight in corn dogs and funnel cakes at this event over the years. Sebastian would love the quirky island tradition. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to it.

Coffee in hand, I bounced down the front steps and headed straight for the police station. I had reports to complete. Claims to file. The sheriff rolled his eyes when I walked in and excused himself to his office. A first time for anything. I guessed, considering the day, he had bigger things to grouch about than the sight of me.

“Good morning.” I focused my attention on the receptionist. “I need to fill out a police report.”

She stifled a grin and handed me a file folder. Inside, I found several reports, all completed to the point of my commentary. She’d filled in my name and contact information, the location of the crime and who was called. All I needed to do was write down my account. She and I would be great friends.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to. My job was pretty boring before you arrived.” She gasped as if she’d inadvertently insulted me. “I mean, no one blames you for these things. They aren’t your fault. I just...” She covered her mouth. “It’s been interesting.” The words were muffled behind her fingers.

I stretched my hand to her. “We haven’t officially been introduced. I’m Patience Price. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Frankie Dimmer.”

“Are you going to the pony auction today?” I still hadn’t decided if I planned to attend the auction portion of the events. Watching cowboys herd up wild ponies and force them across the marsh to be auctioned made me sad. As much as I avoided the ponies, I didn’t like the idea of herding them. Anyway, I wanted to see my parents and then sit in my new office a while before Sebastian came back. He promised to take me to the fireworks after drinks with my parents. I had all day to spend as I chose. The day ahead was certain to make up for the day before.

“How long have you and the FBI guy been dating?” Frankie’s cheeks turned rosy against her milk white skin. The dash of freckles on her cheeks became instantly more pronounced. “You don’t have to answer that.”

Girl talk. I missed girl talk. “We aren’t dating. We met at the FBI and he’s helping me sort things out here.”

She shook her head at me. Long platinum locks fell over her shoulder. “I see the way he looks at you, and it’s not like a coworker.”

“Ha!” I covered my eyes with one hand. “What? No. He’s intense. That’s all.” I went back to the reports on my lap. “I’ll introduce you sometime. He’s an incredible guy.”

I forced my concentration to focus on details that eluded me. Unfortunately, Frankie threw off my groove, and too much time had passed for me to remember everything other than the night before. I peeked at Frankie. Obviously Sebastian wasn’t as smitten as I was, but could he like me enough to give people that impression? No. I was too intuitive to miss something so huge. Wasn’t I? I did have plenty on my mind these days. Our kiss took over my thoughts, and my fingers moved to touch my lips. The tips of my fingers tingled with the memory. Frankie smiled. It was my turn to blush.

“I think this is everything.” I handed her the file. “Can I see Adrian before I go?”

“Sure. I’ll walk you back.”

To my surprise, Sheriff Murray didn’t come in yelling that I had only ten minutes to visit. Adrian roused when he saw us. Frankie smiled and shut the door behind her on the way out. I appreciated the privacy, but I had no idea what to say to Adrian.

“Coffee?” I slid the cup between his bars.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet, it’s not from Mrs. Tucker. When do you get out? Have you talked to your attorney?” I expected him to be released on bail until the trial. The fact he remained incarcerated broke my heart.

“Tomorrow, I think. Turns out the entire island is involved in something. Offices everywhere are closed.”

“Yeah, what is everyone up to?”

His eyes drooped. “You know this is the first pony auction I’ve missed in my life. And I’m right here.”

“Really?” I hadn’t been back more than a handful of days since I left for college. I chose holidays and avoided pony week as best I could.

He chuckled darkly. “Yeah. I love this island, traditions and all. Some of my best memories are wrapped around the auction.”

I blushed. “Are they being nice to you here?”

“Frankie’s nice. She brings me things and keeps me company when the sheriff’s out. Lucky for me that’s more and more with all the chaos going on out there. Your parents come by, too. Your dad plays cards with me.”

A tear pricked my eye. I summoned my inner calm. Adrian needed me to be positive, not emotional. I hated seeing him behind bars.

“I think this will be over soon. Turns out, Brady’s partner is dead now, too. The two of them were involved in gun smuggling. Can you believe it? Just when you think it can’t get more bizarre. I’m certain the investigation will show they were murdered at the hands of the same man. Not you. You’ll be free in no time.” I feigned bravery.

He probably saw through me, but he smiled. “Thanks.”

Stupid tears sprung up again, blurring my vision. “Besides, you need to get back on the campaign trail. I don’t want to have to move again.”

That earned me a smile.

“I can’t live here if Beau Thompson is mayor,” I told him. “Do you know Karen Holsten called herself the First Lady of Chincoteague?”

We laughed together like old times, at Karen’s expense. It was true. Things would be all right. All the facts were out. Sebastian knew firsthand the traffickers were under investigation. Now he knew the drop site and the droppers were in custody. I could assure Adrian from experience, when cases got to this point with the bureau, they wrapped up quickly.

“I’m not sure how this town will feel about an ex-con as mayor.” The twinkle in his eye said he was being cute. The set of his jaw told me it was a legitimate concern.

“Nope. This island loves you. You’re a shoe-in.” The faint fishy smell crawled into my brain. I couldn’t fight it any longer. I wondered if Adrian could smell it anymore, after being here so long. Probably I was oversensitive. I glanced at my watch. “I hate to go so soon, but I had an incident last night and I need to stop over at The Pony. My parents are probably ready to pack me up and send me back to the mainland where nothing remotely dangerous ever happened to me.”

“Go.” He waved me off, propping his feet dramatically on the bench beside him and sipping coffee. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”

“Sure. I’ll let you know.”

“Tell 007 to step up his game, would you?”

“Get out and tell him yourself.” I blew Adrian a kiss and called for Frankie to let me out. Frankie walked me back to the front and waved good-bye before facing the small crowd, fielding a throng of tourist complaints. The scent of stale coffee was relief after being in the cell with Adrian. Sheriff Murray’s office was dark and his cruiser was gone. His day was sure to be busier than mine.

I didn’t have to go far to find my parents. They’d set up a booth on the corner of Main Street and First. Half their merchandise was displayed on racks around their table. Mom looked the part of a circus mystic, and Dad talked fishing with a couple men on the sidewalk.

“I hear you had an interesting night.” Mom looked at me through huge white sunglasses, her eyes hidden behind the blackened lenses. “Do I need to send you away to boarding school or something?”

“I have no intention of getting into trouble ever again.” I crossed my heart and flashed two fingers. “Girl Scout’s honor.”

“That’s the Boy Scout sign.” Dad slipped back into his fishing talk without missing an unnecessary beat. Nothing got past him.

I shifted my fingers into an “okay” sign and smiled.

“You said the same thing the last time I saw you,” Mom said. “You want to tell me what happened last night? The scuttlebutt around town is pretty bad.”

“You shouldn’t listen to scuttlebutt.”

We stood facing each other for an infinite length of time. How could two people who looked so much alike be so different? I envied her carefree life. The woman stopped to watch butterflies, for crying out loud. She found joy everywhere. It drove me nuts.

“Sebastian took me to the boathouse.”

“Hey! Did you like it?” Dad interrupted his talk again to wait for an answer. “It looks great, right? Hank and I have some ideas for remodeling the dock portion. It’s a boathouse. You don’t want to lose the dock. We can seal it up and make it real nice.”

“Claire did the shopping. She knew what you liked.” Mom smiled a little.

“Thank you.” I leaned down to hug her in her lawn chair. “I love it.”

Her lips pulled to the side. “Are you taking Sebastian to the festivities tonight?”

“That’s the plan. He’s going to try to get back here in time for dinner. He’ll have paperwork, but I promised to help him as much as I can. We’re hoping to meet you two for drinks since we had to cancel on you last night. Maybe we can watch the fireworks together after the auction?”

“Sounds lovely. I bet he’ll enjoy the cowboys, too.”

“Maybe. As soon as he gets back, I’ll ask if he wants to go watch them. I’m going over to the boathouse now...I mean, to my new office.” My smile was huge. It took effort not to run to get there faster.

“See you tonight.” Mom patted my hand. Dad pulled me into a hug on my way past, leaving the scent of licorice in my nose. I kissed his cheek and moved against the crowd down Main Street.

Considering everything, I felt good. Though the sight of the pony paraphernalia everywhere reminded me of the tragedy in the forest. I was careful not to look at the pony last night, but my mind had created its own images. The unquenchable curiosity in me wondered how Perkins went out. Had it been at the hand of the man in the black SUV following him home when I left? Was it violent? What happened to Killer? If I’d called the police, would it have saved him?

If Perkins wasn’t at the bottom of this, who was? His death didn’t mean he was innocent of Brady’s murder. I got that, but it seemed more likely one killer was eliminating the evidence than a number of killers coexisted in one crime circle, each with their own motivation.

I opened the door to my office, admiring the easy swing of the door. Thank you, Hank. I walked into the tiny kitchen area and plugged in a new red Keurig. Claire must’ve shopped for this. Adrian was enjoying my coffee. Time to make more. The cupboard brimmed with granola, dried fruit and oatmeal—Mom had done the grocery shopping. A pint-sized refrigerator held bottles of water. A creamer carousel sat beside the coffeemaker. I imagined long nights, completing files at my new desk, enjoying a cup of tea and a pinch of granola. The stove was clean but clearly a hundred years old. I hoped I’d never have a reason to use a stove at the office.

I struggled to remember the boathouse from my childhood. I had no recollection of it. I wondered if anyone in the community had photographs from earlier years I could frame and add to newer ones on my waiting room walls. My waiting room. A zing of anticipation shot through me. No one would willingly sit there in front of the giant glass windows. Too risky. Some neighbor might pass by, see them and think their life wasn’t perfect. The subtle scent of vanilla drifted through the room. Would it be enough to put people at ease? The fragrance must’ve been Claire’s idea. Every detail was perfect. Vanilla was calming. Mom would’ve opted for burning incense.

Ding!
An e-mail from the insurance company lit my borrowed phone. They’d received the reports from Frankie and had begun processing my claims. Excellent.

I stretched out in my desk chair and ran fingertips across the giant calendar in front of me. I wanted to savor the moment, but a tiny flick in my brain intruded on my peace. Like the lightning in the forest, an idea illuminated and vanished before I had a full understanding of what was before me.

The man who shot the horse never hesitated. He thought it was a person and pulled the trigger without making certain who he might kill. The dumpers shot my kayak, and if I’d been drowned, they wouldn’t care. No one came to check. Someone wanted Perkins, Mrs. McGee and Brady dead. They died. All these facts were a direct contrast to the other thing. Someone bombed my empty car, shot up the boathouse from afar and broke into my apartment to warn me. Sebastian worried the killer might know him. I worried the killer might know me. Why else would I still be alive?

And then, like a massive set of dominoes connecting one at a time, the flicker came faster and faster until I saw what I’d been missing.

The sheriff’s anger at my intrusion. His irritation with Sebastian at my side. The way he didn’t explode at the idea of dumpers polluting our stretch of national seashore. How his face paled in the streetlight when I told him about the guns.

He knew.

I dialed Sebastian before the idea finished working itself out. No answer. The call went straight to voice mail. I began to text it all.

Sherriff Murray is in the perfect position to allow the trafficking.
He runs the island.
He could make a ton of money by looking the other way.
No harm.
No foul.