Marianne got up slowly with her hands gripping the edge of the table. She leaned forward close enough that Adele could feel her breath against her face. “We’re done when I say we’re done.”
“Hey, here’s a newsflash for you. Marianne Rocha is an idiot.”
Adele was stunned by the speed and power of the slap that followed that remark. The blow spun her face to the side and caused her eyes to tear up. Before she could recover, both of Marianne’s hands were around her throat and squeezing—hard. She heard Tilda warning Marianne to let her go and Fin yelling for them to break it up.
What followed was instinct. Adele didn’t think about her fist launching into the bottom of Marianne’s chin or her knee smashing into the side of her hip at the very same time.
It just happened.
Marianne’s head rocked backwards as her legs buckled. Adele shoved against the newswoman’s shoulders with both hands, sending her crashing against the wall behind her. Marianne grunted, gasped for breath, and then slid down sideways onto the floor.
Adele jumped forward like a jungle cat moving in for the kill, hardly making a sound as her eyes locked onto the side of Marianne’s exposed cheek. She clenched her fists, flexed her leg, and prepared to kick the newswoman into oblivion.
“What the hell is going on here?” a familiar voice bellowed.
Adele instantly recognized the tone. She had been on the receiving end of it more times than she cared to recall.
Sheriff Lucas Pine had arrived.
5.
“A dele was defending herself,” Tilda said. “The other one started it.”
Lucas stepped in front of Adele, gently pushed her back, and then turned around to look down at Marianne. “Ms. Rocha?”
“Help me up, you idiot,” Marianne seethed.
Lucas pulled her onto her feet. “What happened?”
“What happened?” Marianne pointed at Adele. “What happened is she assaulted me, and I want her arrested—now.”
“No-no,” Fin said. “That one there attacked Adele. She started it just like Ms. Ashland described.”
Lucas turned around and stood face-to-face with Fin. “And who are you?”
“I’m Fin,” he said with a toothy grin.
“Fin who?”
“Fin Kearns.”
“Are you a guest at this hotel?”
Fin shook his head. “Nah, I’m here for Adele.”
“Excuse me?” Lucas said as he tucked his thumbs into the front of his gun belt.
“Yeah, we just met today, but it’s like we’ve been lifelong friends. Two peas from the same pod we are. Isn’t that right, Adele?”
Lucas’s head swiveled slowly toward Adele. “Really?”
“Uh, hello, Mr. Sheriff. Did you forget something? Like arresting the little pony-tailed animal that attacked me.”
“I didn’t forget you, Ms. Rocha,” Lucas replied. “I also didn’t forget there are two other witnesses who state it was you who attacked Ms. Plank first.” He glanced back at Marianne. “Which means I would likely have to arrest you before I arrest her. Is that really what you want?”
“Sheriff Pine, those two aren’t credible witnesses. They’re friends of the accused. Do your job and put her under arrest.”
Lucas turned all the way around and looked down at Marianne. “There are scratches on Ms. Plank’s neck. Did you put them there?”
Marianne avoided the sheriff’s eyes. “I have no idea.”
Lucas sighed. “Ms. Rocha, I don’t wish to call you a liar, but I’m also pretty certain you do know how she got those scratches. I think it’s best you leave the hotel.”
When Marianne went to say something, Lucas wagged his finger in front of her face. “No. Keep quiet and get out before I change my mind and give you a ride to the station in Friday Harbor.”
“Fine,” Marianne said with a nod. “You are a ridiculous man, and this is a ridiculous place. I’m happy to leave. I never should have come here to begin with.”
“Now that you mention it, why are you here, Ms. Rocha?”
“I was attempting to locate Roland.”
Lucas turned his head and coughed loudly into his hand. When he looked up, his forehead was covered in a thick layer of greasy sweat. “I apologize. I can’t seem to shake this cold. Anyways, I think it best that you be on your way.”
Marianne’s gaze lingered on Lucas’s broad-shouldered form for several seconds and then she smiled. “I agree. Until next time, Sheriff.”
“That will be the last time that woman steps foot inside of here,” Tilda said as soon as Marianne was gone.
Fin scratched his chin. “Oh, I don’t know. She wasn’t all bad. In fact, there were a few parts to her I found friendly enough.”
Adele caught Lucas trying not to smile as he watched Tilda roll her eyes and walk away. “Come upstairs with me, Mr. Kearns,” she ordered. “I sense the sheriff would like to have a conversation with Adele in private. And besides, I assume you need a place to stay the night. I’ll let you curl up in the corner at the end of the hall. Might even throw a blanket over you. What do you say?”
Fin cocked his head and looked at Adele. “Eh? You want me to go upstairs?”
Adele nodded. “Yeah, pick a room to stay in—my treat. I’ll be up soon to have a look.”
“You sure?” Fin said. His eyes narrowed as he looked Lucas up and down.
“I’ll be fine. Really. And don’t mind Tilda. She’s mostly bark with just a bit of bite.”
“I heard that,” Tilda called out. “Hurry up, Mr. Kearns. I don’t think you’ll wish to try the sheriff’s patience. He’s already not feeling well.”
Fin’s mad grin returned as he continued to size up Lucas. “Ah, patience isn’t one of your virtues then, is that it?”
Adele, sensing that Fin was getting under Lucas’s skin, quickly intervened before Lucas decided to twist her new Irish friend into a human pretzel. “Time to go, Fin. Wait for me up there. Thank you.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Fin said while walking slowly up the stairs. He stopped and pointed at Lucas. “Don’t you dare try anything with her, Sheriff, or you’ll have to answer to me.”
Adele knew that if Lucas’s eyes were bullets it would have been a massacre. “Let me give you a bit of advice,” he told Fin. “I don’t know you well enough yet to miss you when you’re gone.”
Fin gave Lucas a thumbs up. “That’s a good one, Sheriff. Who would have thought such a manly mouth could also be so smart.”
Tilda yelled down from the second floor. “Mr. Kearns, I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying about not poking a bear? I strongly suggest you take that advice now and stop poking the bear. Especially one who also happens to have a gun hanging off his hip.”
Another coughing fit made Lucas double over. “Is it okay if we sit in front of the fire? I’m freezing.”
“Sure,” Adele replied. After they sat down Lucas put his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. “Ah,” he said. “That’s better.”
“You should be home resting. You look awful.”
Lucas chuckled as he wiped his eyes. “Gee, thanks.” He took a deep breath. “There’s work to be done. That’s why I’m here. It couldn’t wait and I didn’t want to talk about it over the phone.”
Adele leaned forward. “What’s going on?”
Lucas’s eyes moved from side to side as he looked out at the early evening gloom that had fallen over the resort. “I had a conversation this afternoon with my law enforcement contact in Vancouver. They received an Interpol alert regarding Liya Vasa. They’re certain she’s alive and on the move.”
Hearing the name made Adele’s stomach tighten. It had been Liya’s brother Visili who had very nearly killed both Lucas and her last year.
“On the move where?”
Lucas was sweating again. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “They pinged a cell phone linked to her in Mongolia last week.”
“Mongolia?”
�
��Yeah, apparently her father has long-standing connections with some of the more criminally inclined tribal leaders there. Poppy fields, human trafficking, that sort of thing.”
Liya’s father was Vlad Vasa, a Moscow-based crime lord considered to be one of the most ruthless and dangerous men in the world.
“Well, if Liya is hiding out in Mongolia isn’t that a good thing? It means she isn’t here, right?”
Lucas continued to stare outside. “That’s the problem. They no longer believe she’s in Mongolia. That’s why I was notified.”
“Then where is she?”
“They don’t know.”
The tightening in Adele’s stomach was getting worse. She forced herself to remain calm. “Do you think she would actually try to come here?”
“She might. Especially if her father gave her his approval to do so.”
“Approval for what?”
“Get revenge for Visili’s death? Send a message? Who knows?”
“And you think that means coming after me?”
“Most likely all of us. You, me, Roland. Now that I think about it, where is Roland?”
“New York. He’s due back tomorrow.”
“What’s he doing in New York?”
“I don’t know.”
“Roland Soros leaves for New York and doesn’t tell anyone the reason why?”
“I didn’t say he didn’t tell anyone. He just didn’t tell me.”
“Huh,” Lucas grunted.
“Spit it out. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. It seems kind of odd that Roland leaves town around the same time I get word Liya Vasa might be making a move against us.”
“Don’t go there, Lucas. There’s no way Roland would leave us behind if he thought we might be in trouble. Besides, how would he find out something like that before you?”
“It’s Roland we’re talking about. He has ways. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Adele shook her head. “No. Roland would never do that. After everything we’ve been through? He’s our friend. He’s been your friend since you were both kids.”
“Speaking of friends, what’s the deal with Mr. Kearns? He makes quite a first impression and I’m not sure I cared for it.”
“Doesn’t he remind you of someone?”
Lucas frowned. “Should he?”
“C’mon, think. The accent, the voice . . .”
“He’s English? That’s not too uncommon around here.”
“Not English—Irish.”
“Okay, he’s Irish. So?”
“Delroy Hicks. You remember him?”
“Sure,” Lucas said, shrugging. “He passed away right before I became sheriff. You two broke open the Calista Stone case.”
“That’s right.”
“Mr. Hicks was Irish.”
“Uh-huh.”
Lucas arched his brows. “And?”
“Geez, Sheriff. I really hope Liya isn’t actually on her way here because you are definitely off your detective game.”
“They’re both from Ireland. Got it. So, what’s the connection to you?”
“The connection to me is Delroy Hicks.”
Raindrops started to hit the windows. The fire had nearly gone out. Lucas slumped in his chair and sighed.
“I’m sorry, Adele. I have no idea what you’re on about. You know me though. I’ll be looking into who this Fin Kearns is. Where your safety is concerned, I’ll leave no stone unturned.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Fin and Delroy—that’s the connection.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “Wait. Are you saying—?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. They sound so much alike, don’t they?”
“Maybe. I wasn’t around Mr. Hicks all that much even though he was friends with my father. I knew of him, of course. Just about everyone on the island knew of Delroy Hicks. In fact, now that I think of it, wasn’t he gay?”
“He was. Well, sort of. Gay, straight, everything in between, it seems that was Delroy. At least the younger version of him.”
“Okay, just to be clear. You’re telling me the man upstairs with Tilda is the son of Delroy Hicks?”
Adele smiled and nodded. “That’s right.”
“What’s he doing here?”
“He said he wanted to learn more about his father.”
“And how’d he know to look you up?”
“The newspaper. He’s read all my articles.”
Lucas stretched his long legs out in front of him. “They read your stuff over in Ireland?”
“It’s a great big new world out there, Lucas. You should think of joining it some time.”
“Did you just call me ignorant, Ms. Plank?”
“I’d never dream of doing so, Sheriff Pine.”
Lucas’s grin was interrupted by more coughing. “God, I hate being sick,” he said after catching his breath. “I forget how popular the online version of your newspaper has become beyond the islands. You’ve really managed to generate a lot of success, haven’t you?”
“The paper is doing well, yes. I’m very lucky.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it. You’re good at what you do.”
“You mean getting into trouble?”
“Into trouble, out of trouble,” Lucas said. “You manage to do both better than most.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good, that’s what I intended it to be.” Lucas got up and then coughed again. “I should get going. For now, I don’t see any immediate threat from Liya. She’d have to pull off a miracle to get back into Vancouver in order to make her way here. She’s on every law enforcement watch list in the world right now. I wanted to let you know and I wanted to tell you in person. You and me—it’s been a while.”
Adele stood, looked up at Lucas, and then realized how exhausted he really was. “It’s always nice to see you, Lucas. I know I’m repeating myself, but you really do need to get some rest.” She stood on her toes and pecked his cheek. “But don’t be a stranger. I’ll always make time for you.”
“How long will Mr. Kearns be visiting?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say. Oh, and thanks again for the help with Marianne Rocha.”
“You didn’t need my help. If anyone knows how tough you are it’s me. That woman didn’t stand a chance against you.”
“Tough enough to make you go home and get into bed?”
“Sure, if you’re the one tucking me in.” Lucas leaned forward and kissed the top of Adele’s head. “But leave the Irishman here. I don’t play well with others.”
Adele laughed. “That’s exactly the kind of thing Roland would say.”
Lucas scowled, stepped back, and turned to leave. “If I hear anything more regarding Liya I’ll let you know.”
The door closed. Adele watched Lucas walk beneath the resort’s outdoor lights with his hands stuffed into his pockets. The rain was getting worse. His head was down, his back bent, and his shoulders hunched. Adele hated seeing him that way.
He looked small.
He looked weak.
Worst of all, he looked sick.
6.
H e’s easy like Sunday morning.
That’s the line Adele kept repeating in her head as she watched Roland casually amble along the dock toward her sailboat. It wasn’t morning though. It wasn’t even Sunday. That didn’t matter. Every inch of him reflected a man without a care in the world. Adele was a little surprised by how much it annoyed her to see him like that.
Even his hair appeared more relaxed. It was longer these days, hanging down to his neck and covering the tops of his ears while his face was hidden underneath a light-brown beard. Gone were the custom-fit clothes and fashionable footwear, replaced by a denim jacket, white T-shirt, worn jeans with a hole in the knee, and a pair of torn and frayed dark canvas sneakers. In a matter of a few months Roland Soros had gone from island prep chic to borderline bohemian. Adele hadn’t decided yet if she liked
the change or not. For now, it was just different.
“There you are,” Roland said when he spotted her leaning against the bow of her boat. “How’s your day going? It’s warm. I think we might be in for an early summer. What say you?”
“What say me about what?”
Roland stopped, lowered his chin toward his chest, and smiled. “You’re in a mood. Don’t deny it. I know you too well. What did I do this time?”
“Maybe I just don’t feel like talking about the weather. How was New York?”
“Same as the last time I saw it: big, loud, and it always makes me happy to be back home.”
“You never did tell me what you were doing there.”
“No? Huh. Did you ask?”
“I’m asking now.”
“Geez, what’s with the interrogation? I just flew into Friday Harbor no more than an hour ago and you’re the first one I made a point of coming to see. Would you care to know why?”
Adele shrugged. Roland scratched his head. “Because I wanted to,” he said.
“Must be nice to do whatever you want whenever you want.”
Roland’s easy-going shell started to crack as his features tightened. “Hey, I can turn around and go.”
“Sure, run away. Keep all your secrets to yourself while the rest of us who care about you are kept in the dark.”
“C’mon, Adele, what’s going on?”
“How’s business?”
Roland looked up at the sky, closed his eyes, and sighed. “Ah, now I get it. You heard.”
Adele played dumb. “Heard what?”
“Yeah, you heard. I suppose it won’t matter now if I tell you I planned on mentioning it when I returned from New York. That’s the truth.”
“Tell me what, Roland?”
“That’s enough. I don’t care for the negative energy you’re giving off right now. We can sit down and talk, or I can leave. Just tell me what you want.”
“Gee, you’re so generous.”
“Fine, be that way. Call me when you want to see me again. Or not. It’s up to you.”
Roche Harbor Rogue Page 4
