by Lucy Quinn
Cookie’s eyes widened with surprise she wasn’t completely feeling. She’d be lying if she said thoughts of marrying Dylan weren’t part of her current fantasies. But she hadn’t dared speak her dreams out loud. She took a sip of her wine to buy some time as she thought about how to reply. While Cookie was sure she’d never loved a man more than Dylan, was marriage really a good idea? Lord knew trouble followed her like a seagull after a French fry, and she was sure Dylan didn’t need that kind of burden in his life. Was it really fair to the man to make him tromp around the island with her investigating one murder after the next?
Cookie sighed, and Scarlett asked, “What’s wrong? Did I hit on a sensitive subject?”
“No. It’s just…”
“If you’re about to say he hasn’t asked yet, then don’t make me explain how that goes both ways.”
“It’s not that. It’s—” Cookie stared at her hands. “I’m not the easiest woman to be around.”
“Tell me about it. You can’t swing a cat without hitting a criminal, and then there’s your mother.” Scarlett chuckled.
“That’s my point. Who would want my brand of chaos in their life forever?”
“Oh, honey.” Scarlett took Cookie’s hand. “My dear, sweet friend. You know who wants you? A man who likes your stormy seas as much as your sunny skies. A man who finds your wild hair and temper to match exciting and sexy as hell. A man who thanks god every day you shook up his mundane existence to make him glow with the kind of love that lasts forever. Dylan Creed can’t imagine a life without you, Cookie. And it’s time you did something about that.”
Is it really? thought Cookie. She wasn’t sure, but now that Scarlett had planted the seed for her to take action, it was a thought she was going to cultivate. And maybe it would grow.
Chapter 19
The next morning when Cookie woke, she reached over to the other side of her bed out of habit, one she hadn’t realized she’d adopted until her hand met with the chill of the sheets from a place that hadn’t been slept in. Longing for Dylan tugged at her heart before she remembered he’d had a guys’ night with Cade while she’d spent time with Scarlett. It was time well spent for both of them, she was sure, but it didn’t stop her from missing the man she loved.
The creak of her door opening slowly made Cookie bolt up in bed and reach for the gun on her nightstand before she caught a glimpse of the man sneaking into her room. Warmth that could melt the polar ice caps filled Cookie’s heart. “Hey, stranger.”
Dylan kicked off his shoes, set down two paper cups of coffee on her nightstand, and walked over to his side of the bed to tug the covers down. “Push over, bed hog, and let me in.”
Cookie giggled as Dylan slipped in between the sheets with his jeans and t-shirt still on. The faint scent of bacon was on him, and she sniffed his shirt dramatically. “You cheated on me, Dylan Creed.”
“I know,” he sighed. “Sorry. Cade made me do it. But I brought you coffee.”
“Hmpf.” She twined her warm, bare legs around his cool, jean-clad ones and slid her hand under his shirt to slide it up his chest. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
Dylan sighed. “I missed you last night.”
“Me too. What did you guys end up doing?”
“Would you believe me if I said wine, facemasks, and a rom com?”
Cookie chuckled. “Scarlett and I drank beer, belched, and then watched a boxing match.”
“I knew it. We’re rubbing off on each other.”
“Right?” She snuggled in a little closer to Dylan’s embrace and let out a sigh. While she was cuddled up with the man she loved, her mother was starting her day in a jail cell that no matter how comfortable the good folks of Secret Seal Isle had tried to make for Rain was still imprisonment of an innocent woman. She sat up, feeling guilty about her happiness. “I need to check on Rain. The longer she’s under June’s care the more worried I get.”
Dylan sat up too. “While you get ready, I’ll make you a breakfast sandwich to go. Should I make Rain one too?”
“Yes, please.” Cookie smiled at the most considerate man she knew. “Do you have any idea how lucky I feel?”
“I think I do.” He leaned in and kissed her quickly before he stood up to go. When he got to the door, Dylan paused.
Cookie, who was climbing out of the bed, frowned slightly. “What is it?
He gave her a serious look and said, “I love you, Cookie James.”
Her heart stopped as emotions filled her to the point she could feel tears burn in her eyes. She thought about the conversation she’d had with Scarlett the night before about marrying Dylan, and that seed Scarlett planted burst. She knew in that moment she was going to marry Dylan Creed, whether it was she who asked him or not. She gave him the biggest, goofiest smile imaginable. “I love you, too.”
After Cookie showered and drank her coffee, she proceeded downstairs where Dylan handed her a tortilla partially wrapped in tinfoil and told her it was filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, tomato, onion and cheese. She took a bite as they stepped outside to a light drizzle of rain, and she reveled in the burst of flavors in her mouth. “Wow. That’s good. Rain’s going to be impressed.”
“Glad you like it. I figure after we check in on your mom, we should hit the town hall to check out zoning permits and get more information on the zombie bunker.”
Cookie chuckled as she recalled River’s rant about the apocalypse, but she agreed with Dylan’s course of action. “Sounds like a plan,” she said as they approached the sheriff’s office.
After they entered the building, they walked by June’s office, and Cookie glanced in to see more items on the deputy sheriff’s desk. She let out a small groan but decided to ignore the newest haul for now so she could focus on Rain. The moment she saw her mother, she knew her concerns were warranted.
“Oh, mom,” Cookie said with distress. Rain was sitting on her bed with a rat’s nest of hair matted on one side of her head. Her shirt had a dribble of jelly on the chest, and there was a half-eaten box of donuts on her lap.
Rain’s gaze was glued to her TV where Cookie recognized a women’s prison show playing. Her mother lifted a donut to her mouth and chomped on it, and powdered sugar sputtered from her lips as she said., “I’m gonna need a girlfriend, Cookie.”
“Mom?” When her mother didn’t respond, Cookie barked out an order. “Mother. Look at me!”
Rain turned her red-rimmed eyes toward Dylan and Cookie. “I need protection. I’m an old woman. You know what they did to Red? Her precious flock, they deserted her! They’ll do that to me, Cookie. Don’t you doubt it for one minute.”
Cookie had no idea what her mother was talking about, but it sounded like the rambling of a sleep-deprived woman. “Mom, when was the last time you slept?”
Rain shrugged. “Sometime after season two and before season four.”
“What season are you on, Rain?” asked Dylan.
“Seven.”
“Uh-huh.” He held out her breakfast sandwich. “Put the donut down, Rain. You need some protein.”
“And no more coffee,” Cookie added. “It’s time to switch to water. Okay?”
Rain unwrapped her burrito and took a bite of the tortilla. Egg dribbled on her chin as she chewed with her mouth open and stared at them in a daze.
“My god,” Cookie whispered, “We’ve got to get her out of here. I’m not sure I can go to the town hall yet.” She looked at Dylan, who had his phone to his ear.
“Hang on. I’m calling Scarlett to come take care of Rain so you can focus.”
Cookie breathed out a sigh of relief. She was torn between wanting to rescue her mother and getting to the bottom of the case as quickly as possible so she could get Rain out of jail. “Thank you.”
She turned back to her mother, who swiped a hand across her mouth, leaving a trail of cheese and a lump of tomato stuck to her cheek. The bars of Rain’s cell were cold in Cookie’s hands as she gripped them tight, feeling helpless
about the state her mother was in. But she knew Dylan was right. They needed to solve the case, and nobody was better equipped to help her mother than Scarlett. “Mom. Just hold on a little longer. We’re going to get you out of here. Okay?”
Rain nodded and returned her gaze to her show.
Cookie wasn’t sure if her mother was even registering anything she said, but she added, probably more for her sake than Rain’s, “Scarlett’s on her way. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see.”
Chapter 20
Cookie’s heart ached for her mother, but the feeling was quickly replaced with anger and the steely determination of a good investigator when they entered June Loon’s office and saw the latest items on the woman’s desk. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out June had raided Cari’s jewelry studio, which was located in Cari’s kitchen. And Cookie could only imagine what theory June had concocted about the things she’d confiscated. A small hand-held torch, a jewelry saw with its fine blade, small files, coiled silver wire, and lobster picks were laid out.
Metal hangers scraped across a bar as June riffled through outfits on a rack in the corner of her office. She looked up at Dylan and Cookie. “Don’t you even try to explain these things away. I know exactly what they’re for and I’m finally going to crack this case. Without any help from you two, I might add.”
Cookie gritted her teeth as Dylan said softly, “I’ve got this.” He pasted on a sweet smile. “Well, aren’t you clever, Deputy Sheriff Loon?” He reached out and lifted up the small saw. “Help me out. What have we got here?”
June let out a sigh of exasperation and turned to Zeke, who was holding suits in his hand. “Roll out the white board please.”
“Ah…” The officer glanced at the clothing in his hands and then gave her a confused look.
“Put them back on the rack, Zeke,” June said slowly as if he were dense. But Cookie knew he was likely trying to figure out what he could do that wouldn’t set her off. “And then bring the white board in.”
He nodded quickly before doing as she said.
Loon tilted her chin up and strode over to the desk. She swept her hand out over the items and said, “What we have here are the tools of a safe cracker. And…” She paused as wheels in bad need of lubrication squealed when Zeke rolled the white board’s stand into the office. “I’ve also got a few theories as to how the Posse pulled off the barge explosion.”
Dylan snorted into his hand when they got a glimpse of what was on the board. Stick figures, complete with a little anatomy to designate gender, were laid out as a pentagon in the center, and each figure was assigned the name of a Pussycat Posse member. Lines were drawn extending out to lists of the items that had been confiscated from their homes in the various raids June had conducted. More lines were drawn between the items in what appeared to be a drunken spider’s web, apparently correlations. Of what was anyone’s guess, but it must have made sense to June.
“I don’t have time to explain the intricacies of what is on here,” June said. “But suffice it to say, I have a very strong case against the Posse. And this time I will arrest Winter and the rest of your mother’s friends. Expect my press conference later today.” She narrowed her eyes at Cookie. “I do not appreciate you going over my head to Watkins about my arrest warrants. Do it again, and I might assume you were in on the explosion.”
Cookie’s mouth fell open at the reckless accusation. “You can’t really believe that.”
“No. You’re too… by the book for something like that. But don’t interfere again, got it?”
“Loud and clear.” Cookie was steaming mad, and she had plenty she wanted to tell June about how wrong the entire situation was, but she knew it would be a waste of her time. Precious time better spent on finding out who the real killer was.
Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from reaching over and grabbing one of the lobster picks. She held it up a little too close to June’s face to be polite. “This!” She paused to blow out a long breath and compose herself. “This is a lobster pick. It is not used to pick locks, or even noses. It is used to get meat out of claws.” She slammed it back down on the desk, hardly satisfied by the tiny thud the small tool made, and then turned on her heel to leave with Dylan right behind her.
Once they were outside, Cookie looked up to the sky and let out a scream. It wasn’t long, although a few seagulls cleared out of the area in fear, but it was enough to relieve the anger that threatened to explode from her. She looked at Dylan. “That woman…”
“Is why Secret Seal Isle is lucky to have you,” Dylan said. He tilted his head toward the town office, knowing what Cookie needed right now to get past the likes of June Loon was some good old-fashioned detective work. “Shall we?”
Cookie gave him a curt nod back before she began to move.
Chapter 21
The town hall, where most records were kept, was an old building painted white with dark blue shutters, and the granite steps were worn smooth from over one hundred years of people climbing them to enter the structure. When Dylan and Cookie got inside, they were both surprised to see Stone Harris sitting behind the desk. A woman known as Dede Sharp usually manned the desk, guarding the shelves of records. Nobody was allowed back there, much to Rain’s distress when they’d first moved to the island, and one had to ask Dede for the documents they’d like to see.
To find Stone had been entrusted with the care of the town’s records was quite a shock. Cookie had gotten to know the young man during her first case on the island. At the time, he’d been involved in illegal activities, dealing a now-legal substance. But for his cooperation on the case, he’d been given a slap on the wrist and community service. The judge believed Stone was the kind of man who could be rehabilitated, and he’d been right. Stone had worked diligently at a few different small businesses over the last two years, and most recently was having a lot of success with his Holey Donut food truck.
“Hey, there, Cookie and Dylan!” Stone cried out. He stood up and came out to greet them. “What can I do you for? Need a dog license? Register your car? How about pay your property taxes? Wait.” He leaned in as if he was a snake-oil salesman confiding in his latest victim. “You might want to do a title search on your property. Those lines aren’t always as clear cut as you’d think.”
Cookie chuckled. “No. We’re here to look at some zoning permits.” She frowned at Stone, wondering where Dede was. “What happened to the food truck?”
He blew out a breath of air and shook his head. “Nothing. It’s doing better than I could have ever predicted.”
“Then why aren’t you there?” Dylan asked.
Stone reached out and grabbed Dylan’s arm as if he was drowning. “It was too much, man. All those people wanting things, yelling stuff at me when I ran out of their favorite flavor. I’m just not cut out for the fast pace of being a hot commodity. Why, even Pam Stevens was nasty to me the other day when Julie got all the maple and Brussel sprout donut holes before she could.”
“Brussel sprout?” Dylan muttered and wrinkled his nose.
“Yeah, man,” Stone said enthusiastically. “Add bacon and they are insane. You have no idea.”
“Pam Stevens?” Cookie asked, trying to imagine the school teacher being upset about anything. Then she remembered the woman’s feud with Julie over a man a while back. “That may not have been about you.”
“Doesn’t matter. I needed a break, so when Dede complained about how boring it is here, I asked if she’d like to job swap.”
“You can do that?” Cookie asked, sure there had to be a few kinks in their plan considering the town hall position must have requirements Stone might not be able to meet.
“Sure! It’s only for a few days, and don’t you worry about a thing. Dede has a binder full of directions on how to do things.” He lifted up a red plastic binder that had a sticker that read. “If I Die.”
“Handy,” Dylan said.
“I know. Oh!” Stone reached across the coun
ter and grabbed a glass jar that had become a staple in every town business. “Before we go any further, let me draw your attention to the Free Rain jar.” Stone held the jar out on the palm of his hand and let out a dramatic sigh. “One of our dearest residents is currently being held for a crime she did not commit because she can’t meet bail. Would you kindly consider donating a few dollars to set her free?”
Cookie snickered softly before she managed to control herself. “Ah, Stone? You realize Rain is my mother, right? And it’s not that she can’t meet bail—”
Cookie stopped herself, because the truth behind those jars didn’t matter. The fact the entire town was in Rain’s corner was such a testament to the way her mother was loved that Cookie didn’t see any need to ruin their belief they could help. The way the town embraced Rain touched Cookie, so she reached in her pocket. “I’d love to,” she said as she shoved a couple of ones in the container. Dylan donated a few bills too.
“Now about those zoning permits,” Dylan said. “Any chance we can take a look at the building documents for the condo development out by the artist colony?”
“Public record, right?” Stone flipped open the binder.
“Yes. They are.” Cookie confirmed.
“L, M, N, O, P, for permits!” Stone ran his finger down a piece of paper. “Purple, C, twenty-two.” He looked at Cookie and Dylan. “Be right back.” And the man walked away chanting the words, “Purple, C, twenty-two,” as he moved.
“That’s quite the system,” Dylan said to Cookie.
“Scarlett would be impressed.”
A minute later, Stone returned with a purple folder. “Here we go. Everything for the building site is right here.” He opened the folder and laid it out for Cookie and Dylan to read. “The rule is I can’t let it leave this counter. Got it?”
“We understand,” Dylan said in a serious tone.
