The Secret She Keeps EPB

by HelenKay Dimon

  Connor nodded, looking all serious as if this were a weighty discussion. “Probably the same dog that did the poop-and-run.”

  “But still. Isn’t there a confidentiality thing here?” Well, there was no reason to miss out on a doughnut, so Maddie took the one covered in chocolate.

  “Ben also knows he can count on me to keep quiet and to be on the lookout for new faces around Whitaker.”

  Connor turned down the offer for food. “Maddie has that under control.”

  Maddie stopped right before taking a bite. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

  She almost toppled off the barstool when Paul stepped between her and Connor and sort of pushed her to the side. “Uh, hello?”

  But Paul’s focus centered on the pastries. It took him what felt like forever to pick out the bear claw before turning to Connor. “Thanks for the help the other day. Maybe you can come around next week. I think another porch step is on the fritz.”

  Connor shook his head. “I don’t—”

  “Wednesday, but don’t sleep the whole day away this time. Be there before seven.” Paul snatched the napkin sticking out from under Connor’s arm. And then he was off.

  Connor didn’t try to stop him. He just watched the older man go. “He certainly moves fast after he issues an order.”

  “Did they trick you into walking Winnie’s dog?” Sylvia asked.

  Connor lifted his coffee mug. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Okay. What were we saying before Connor remembered his role in helping a lovely older couple have loud sex?” Sylvia asked.

  Between the look on his face and Sylvia’s obvious amusement, Maddie lost it. She laughed. Just when she got it under control, she burst out a second time. “That will never not be funny.”

  “Anyway.” Connor sounded the exact opposite of amused as he gave his explanation to Sylvia. “Our dear Maddie was supposed to be with Ben this morning and lied to him about running late. Blamed me.”

  “Wait.” Maddie’s amusement dried up. “Lied? That’s a strong word.”

  “What you did is the definition of lying,” Connor pointed out before turning back to Sylvia. “I didn’t know about the lie, so when I dropped her off at Ben’s, she snuck out and went to the ferry.”

  Sylvia nodded. “Right. Her regular check on the ferry passengers.”

  The Whitaker gossip chain was working at full speed and Maddie didn’t like it. “Did Ben tell you about that, too?”

  “Some of the ferry workers did.” Sylvia looked at one of the tickets a waitress handed her and loaded a Danish on a small plate to be delivered to one of the tables. “You’re not exactly subtle.”

  Maddie closed her eyes and wished for this day to end. “Great.”

  “If it helps, on Whitaker that behavior isn’t considered weird.” Sylvia made another run for the coffeepot and refilled Connor’s mug.

  Connor signaled for her to stop when it was half full. “Thanks, but that can’t be true.”

  Maddie didn’t appreciate the shot of sarcasm or the eye roll he sent her way. “You’re the one who caused a scene at the ferry.”

  He scoffed. “How is any of this my fault?”

  Sylvia held up a hand as if trying to referee the ridiculous argument. “Not to worry you, but my guess is she also goes to Stark’s Marina to check on the water taxis.”

  He glared at Maddie. “What water taxis?”

  Sylvia waved to a few newcomers who walked into the dining room, but never missed a beat in the conversation. “The ferry only comes twice a week but there is a taxi service that brings people back and forth—for a steep price—from some of the smaller islands nearby.”

  There were only a few ways on and off Whitaker, and all except for private plane required water. No bridges or tunnels, only boats. That made her job of watching over how people got on the island and how long they stayed much easier. “Dom tells me who is coming and going.”

  Sylvia frowned. “I doubt that. Talk about lying.”

  “What does that mean?” Connor asked.

  “He thinks it’s his job to prevent Whitaker from being overrun by tourists, so he tells tales. He tries to throw people off the truth.” Sylvia lowered her voice as a group of customers walked by . . . very slowly. “He once told me the taxi sank. I found out later that he lied because he thought too many people arrived on the ferry that week and the lie was his form of crowd control.”

  Connor shook his head and his expression said he wanted to comment on the oddities of Whitaker residents. “What would make him act like that?”

  “Rumor is he used to work for NASA. So, I guess the answer is he’s an actual rocket scientist. Maybe they’re cranky by nature.” Sylvia shrugged. “Don’t know.”

  Maddie had been listening and stammering and trying to think of a good way to respond to this new information. She gave up and went with the one response that summed up her thinking. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Sounds consistent with the rest of Whitaker,” Connor said as he took another sip of coffee.

  Sylvia smiled. “Right?”

  They didn’t get it. Maybe no one could. To understand, you had to live the life she led, and lose everything. Because this was not funny. “I depend on Dom’s intel.”

  For the first time since they sat down, Connor smiled. “Intel?”

  “Most of it is probably accurate, but not all,” Sylvia said. “While he’s watching over the island, he’s making sure he’s the only one with the correct information.”

  “All this time . . .” Maddie didn’t even know what to say. She thought she had all of the information she needed, that she was being careful. “I’ve been so sure the person writing the notes lived off island.”

  “Because?” Connor asked.

  “There really isn’t a reason for someone living here to hate me. Until recently, I’ve mostly just been a voice on an answering machine. People didn’t know or see me.”

  “Before you, she kept to herself and never walked into the Lodge and sat down for dinner,” Sylvia said to Connor.

  “Anyway.” Maddie heard the edge to her voice and fought to even out her tone. “I assumed the person came in on the water taxi or ferry, but anything is possible, and it’s all scary.”

  Sylvia nodded. “Now you’re worried the person might already be on Whitaker.”

  “Any chance the threats and not knowing where they’re coming from or who is on the island means you’ll be more careful?”

  She seriously considered ignoring Connor’s question. She would have if she had any control over her thoughts right now, but she didn’t. New worries pummeled her. All these doubts she kept at bay flooded her.

  “I’m watched by you and Ben every single minute of the day.” By the time she got to the end of the sentence she was yelling and everyone in the room stared at her. No one pretended not to notice her now.

  Sylvia’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

  “Wow,” Connor said at the same time.

  Maddie swallowed a few times, struggling to get her firing emotions under control. “I appreciate the concern.”

  “Sure sounds like it.”

  Great, his dripping sarcasm had returned. Lucky her. “You have to be sick of me by now.”

  “I’m getting there, mostly thanks to this conversation.”

  Maddie slid off the barstool. It was time to go. She preferred the idea of sitting in Ben’s windowless, suffocating office to this.

  Sylvia reached across the bar and touched Maddie’s arm. “You can set up here.”

  Connor slammed his mug down on the bar hard enough for it to make a rattling sound. “She’s sleeping at my place.”

  That seemed to get everyone’s attention. They stopped staring at her and looked at him. More than a few of the older ladies smiled.

  Maddie wanted to crawl back into bed . . . Of course, she wasn’t even sleeping in her own bed right now.

  “I meant the answering service. During the day.” Sylvia cleared a
way the mug and dish in front of Maddie. “Instead of being in Ben’s small office, right on top of the investigation into who is leaving the notes, she can be here.”

  “Is that safe?” Connor sounded skeptical. He opened his mouth as if he was going to speak for her and turn down the offer.

  Sylvia stopped him cold. “Do you think I’m going to let anything happen to her on my property?”

  Connor whistled. “No, ma’am.”

  “Good answer. Then it’s settled.” Sylvia’s don’t-mess-with-me expression morphed into a smile as she looked at Maddie again. “At night you’re all Connor’s.”

  She winked at them and headed for a table by the window before they could respond. She had a pad out and was taking the orders of the couple who ran the Yacht Club.

  Maddie liked Sylvia’s style. She also knew more about what happened on Whitaker than most people, which made her a valuable ally and credible source of ongoing information. “She said it that way on purpose.”

  “Of course.”

  He didn’t get it. She spelled it out for him. “She thinks we’re dating.”

  “We kind of are . . .” He tried to take another sip of coffee but his mug was empty. “Without the good parts.”

  That fast, her focus shifted. She switched from worrying and wanting to smack Dom for lying to her to . . . something else. A warm sensation. A hit of interest she’d repressed for a very long time. “Meaning?”

  “The kiss.”

  “Ah, finally.” It took the man more than two days to circle around to this topic. “I thought you’d tiptoe around it or ignore it forever.”

  He traced his finger around the rim of the empty mug. “You made it clear it wasn’t that great.”

  Men. “You can’t be that clueless.”

  She thought about the kiss all the time. When she watched him get onto that lumpy sofa bed. When he scowled at her. When she brushed her teeth. It was a nonstop total annoyance, but she couldn’t fight it. Not when they slept twenty feet and one ladder apart.

  He shifted on his stool to face her. “Really? You want to do it again?”

  “And other stuff.” Before she got the words out, he knocked his mug over. “You okay?”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m listening.”

  Yeah, she could see that. The spark of light in his dark eyes. The way he leaned forward, inching closer to her, and his voice dipped lower than usual.

  She had his full attention now.

  She ran a finger over the back of his hand where it lay on the bar. “But first . . .”

  “Yeah?”

  She lifted her fingers, ending the light touch. “We visit Dom and make him tell me the truth, then I believe you have an appointment with Doc Lela about removing those stitches.”

  Connor continued to lean toward her. “That’s the least sexy thing I’ve ever heard.”

  She was going to kiss the crap out of him later. Forget being careful and smart. She tried to push him away and protect him, but he didn’t want to be left alone. Now he wouldn’t be.

  “You want some sexy times?” She dropped her voice to a soft whisper. “You’ve got to earn them.”

  Their bodies stayed locked in that position. Just inches apart.

  His gaze traveled over her face like a caress. “That’s a valid point.”

  “I’m a smart woman.”

  He held up a finger between them. “You get one conversation with this guy.”

  Honestly, she would agree to anything he said right now. “Yep.”

  “No other stops or detours.”

  He smelled good. She couldn’t name the scent but it was a fresh, clean smell. A scent of soap that seemed to be magnified by his general hotness. “Right.”

  “There are no hidden pieces here, right? Like, he lives four islands away and it will take two days to get there.”

  Why was he still talking? “The errand will take no more than an hour.”

  “Then?”

  She liked that he wanted to be sure on consent. She was more than willing to give it after two days of pretending not to notice each other. “I’m all yours. And so that we’re clear? It’s been a long time, so I am ready.”

  He jumped off the barstool and held out a hand to her. “Let’s go.”

  Dom Clemons shoved the dirty rag he’d been using to clean a wrench into the back pocket of his too-baggy jeans. He glanced up as Connor walked Maddie down the pier to him.

  “You’re back,” Dom said, not sounding particularly excited by the idea.

  Maddie walked a bit faster and ended up standing slightly in front of Connor. “We need to come to an understanding.”

  Dom pointed over her shoulder. “Who’s this?”

  For a second, Connor thought about not answering. Maddie ran this show. Having Dom ignore her to talk to him was pretty annoying. Connor couldn’t imagine how much that sort of thing ticked Maddie off. “Connor Rye.”

  “You related to the other Rye guy who was here over the summer?”

  Looked like they were back to that question. It had been a few days since he had to field it. “Yes.”

  Dom shook his head. “Not good.”

  Sibling protectiveness surged through Connor. He could think Hansen was a pain in the ass sometimes. That didn’t mean he liked anyone else thinking it. “Any specific reason you say that?”

  “He showed up on Whitaker and people died.”

  Yeah, that. Connor couldn’t really argue with that point. Well, not much. “He didn’t actually kill them. He helped solve the case.”

  “Irrelevant.”

  Connor was not a big Dom fan so far. “Is it?”

  With a big sigh, Maddie stepped on Connor’s sneaker and shifted even more in front of him. “You’ve been hiding information from me.”

  Dom shrugged. “Of course.”

  Connor hadn’t expected that response. From Maddie’s stuttering, he didn’t think she did either.

  “You’re not denying it?” she asked, sounding stunned by the idea.

  “I thought you knew.”

  “Why would I . . .” As soon as her voice grew louder, it cut off. After a few noticeable breaths, she started again. “Dom, I need to know who comes on and off the island.”

  “So you’ve said.”

  Since her plan about reasoning with the man wasn’t working, Connor took a shot. “She’s in danger.”

  Maddie stepped down harder on his foot. “Don’t tell him that.”

  But it was too late. Dom had his arms crossed in front of him and his full attention on Maddie now. “From what?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Someone’s threatening her. She needs the intel so that she’s prepared.” Connor swore under his breath. “Now I’m using that stupid word.”

  Intel? Her flair for the dramatic was rubbing off on him. If he didn’t have the promise of more kissing and the potential for some serious touching ahead of him, he’d be tempted to demand answers and generally take over. But he knew she would hate that, understandably, so he refrained. But it took a lot of effort to do it.

  Dom nodded his chin in her general direction. “Who’d you piss off?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Dom made a humming sound, as if he were mentally debating his options. “You don’t think the person lives on Whitaker? Makes sense they would. You’re on everyone’s calls, up in their business. Some people don’t like that.”

  “I run the island’s answering service.”

  Dom snorted. “Why are you telling me things I know?”

  And they had circled back to Dom being short and annoying, so Connor stepped in again. “In the last few months has anyone come onto the island without Maddie knowing?”

  “How do I know what she knows?”

  This guy . . . “Did you tell her about all of the people who came here?”

  Dom touched the brim of his hat, lowering it despite the lack of sun. “About some.”

  “I told you I needed to k
now about everyone, whether they stayed or left the same day.” The words rushed out of Maddie now, raw and uncontrolled.

  “I figured you were nosy. Don’t like nosy people.”

  Her glare matched the lack of patience in her voice. “This is unbelievable.”

  “Only one guy came onto Whitaker and didn’t leave again. Actually, he came here three times. He only left again twice, so I’m thinking he’s still here unless he left on a private boat.”

  “Who is it?” Connor asked.

  Dom shook his head. “I don’t know his name.”

  This time Connor believed him. Whatever game he was playing before, he seemed to get that Maddie needed the information. This wasn’t about being nosy. “Do you know where he is?”

  “No.”

  “What island did he come from?” Maddie asked, sounding a bit calmer now.

  “Arnold. Didn’t get the impression he lived there because he needed directions both times I dropped him back off on Arnold.”

  Every time he ended an answer, Maddie fired a new question at him. She didn’t back away from Dom’s gruff voice or the body language that flashed a keep out sign. “What does he look like?”

  Dom looked Connor up and down. “Kind of like him.”

  For the first time since he got to Whitaker, Connor didn’t mind having his ethnicity pointed out. “He’s Korean? Biracial? How exactly does he look like me?”

  “None of those. I guess he’s nothing like you.”

  Maddie let out a rough growl and turned away to walk back up the pier. “This isn’t helping. Let’s go.”

  “Five-ten. Brown hair.”

  Connor and Maddie both stopped moving and looked at Dom.

  “Was smart enough to wear clothes that made him blend in. Informal. There wasn’t anything memorable about him.”

  Now, that information helped. It at least set some parameters. Connor hoped Ben could work with those. “Did he say why he came to Whitaker?”

  “He said he had a job to do.”

  “Yeah, threaten me.” Maddie’s voice had flattened.