Island Secrets

by R. T. Wolfe

  Waves crashed next to them in the quick wind. The bubbly water threatened, lifted, then threw itself down before sending an inch of warm salt water up the sand to seep over their toes.

  "I promised Matt," she confessed randomly. Had it been eating at her?

  It was probably a good thing the dude's name no longer made him want to break something. "Promised?"

  "He suspected something when he interviewed me."

  "You're a rotten liar."

  "It's true. I promised him I would share what I knew when I could."

  "You should tell him."

  She stopped and rotated her head, pointing innocent eyes to him that shone green in the night. "You're defending Detective Osborne?"

  They hadn't changed from their dress clothes. He still wore his pants, rolled up to mid-calf, but had ditched the jacket and tie. She wore a coral dress that left her shoulders bare. The color mixed with the green, making her look like treasure.

  "I plan to, once Miriam has a chance to get away," she said. "I can't begin to understand what she's been through. When the letters mentioned a powerful man, I hadn't imagined she meant a powerful man who had the connections to trace her every move. Her plan is genius, you have to admit."

  "Miriam seemed as suspicious as Matt," she added as an afterthought.

  He let his head fall back as he laughed. "Not many who point a gun at a woman after breaking and entering expect the victim to help them skip town."

  With his back to the water, the angle of the beach made their height difference less pronounced.

  "It feels right. I feel right." Turning, she took his other hand. "Thank you for being here through this. You've protected me and set me straight, at all the right times. You're good for me. But I'm keeping you from your life. You haven't been on a treasure hunt in forever or spent a single night at your place."

  He let go of one of her hands, tucking the hair that blew in the wind over her golden shoulder. Her eyelids drifted closed and her head tilted back just enough to expose the side of her neck. "You are my treasure." He trailed his lips along her shoulder and up her neck to just behind her ear. "My place is wherever you are." She shivered as he took her earlobe in his teeth. He predicted the tremble and found himself looking forward to it.

  She pushed him away and began working the buttons on his shirt. His fingers clenched her shoulders and her silky lips followed the release of each button. She was the only woman alive who could make him lose himself like this. She reached the last button and straightened, shoving his shirt over his shoulders before traveling her fingers inside the waist of his pants. His lungs emptied.

  The rise in his senses took over, replacing coherent thought with instinct. He slipped off his shirt and opened it over the sand. Pulling the thin dress material from her shoulders, he ran his hands along her bare skin and let the tiny sounds of her moans echo the pulse of the waves.

  The awe in her eyes as they traveled over the tattoo on his chest helped him slow to a reasonable pace. They had all night... or morning. He lowered himself to his knees, pulling the dress further, allowing the wind to cool the circles he made with his tongue. Her hands laced through his hair and took hold, pulling him closer. He ran his hands along her strong swimmer's thighs, searching, needing. He found her as ready for him as he was for her. The reaction to his touch was expected and yet potent. Nails dug into his shoulders as her legs buckled.

  Placing one hand on her backside, he used the other to break her fall, lowering her to the soft ground. She lifted her dress over her head like a t-shirt, making him nearly choke. Her ease with nudity was every man's dream. But this woman was his alone. His forehead dropped to the middle of her. How could this be so different? She spread the dress next to his shirt and they rolled on their makeshift blanket. Her lips explored as he stripped away any last piece of material that kept him from her bronzed flesh.

  "Look at you," he growled, making her writhe in bliss. "Perfect."

  He could see the blush erupt on her already flushed face in the dim light of the hazy moon. "Come to me."

  Needy hands grabbed and possessed him, hesitating only when her body shook and her voice cried out. "I love you," she moaned as she quivered in his hands. The need in her eyes bore holes into him as she let herself come down from the clouds.

  Clothes lay strewn, just out of reach of the sneaky waves. She rolled, straddling him while small trembles still owned her. "Let's stay in this spot forever. We can eat like the Ibis and survive off of this." He wasn't ready. He wanted to make her climb again and again but she slipped over him so fast and complete, he lost any last ounce of reality. She was his in this moment. No one else could touch her, hurt her, have her. Grabbing her hips, he lifted and pulled. They moved like a machine racing to turn up the heat. He reached out his hands and she took them. They clasped fingers, and her knees dug into the sand near his sides. Her elbows locked, using him as purchase as they quickened.

  Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and he knew it would be soon. Taking a deep breath, he let himself go. Together, they swam in a turbulent sea of release, pulsing like the waves as they tried again and again to sink deeper.

  The calm after the tsunami reminded him of an ocean sunrise. He wanted to pull her over him and sleep until the sun came up. Instead, she lifted her hands to the sky and cheered like she'd just won a five-hundred yard freestyle race.

  "Holy shit, woman." He pulled her down and rotated until she was under him. "I'm in love with you." Ducking his lips beneath her ear, he tucked her into him.

  "Just so you know," she whispered. "We make fun of people who do this."

  He lifted his head to see if she was serious. "Have sex?"

  "On the beach, yes."

  He propped on his elbow, then checked down the beach one way before the other. "Do people do this often?"

  "Are you telling me you've never had sex on the Ibis Island beach?"

  "I am a beach sex virgin," he confessed. "Or I was. I think we shook the ground." He set his lips on the spot behind her ear and grinned as she shivered.

  "We find naked people on the beach some mornings when we walk."

  "Tourists." Not only were they invading their beaches, they were distracting his woman from after-sex bragging.

  "Locals. Almost every one of them."

  Now, he was distracted. "No shit?" He noticed her panties lying on the sand behind her head. He sat up and shook them out. "Do you think we'll get all the sand from our clothes?"

  Sitting up next to him, she took them from his hand. "Absolutely." She indeed was a sea goddess. Her perky C cups taunted him. Grabbing the panties, he tossed them over his shoulder and lowered her to the ground, taking her again.

  * * *

  All six of them waited in the lobby at the St. Petersburg Police Department. Her family and Dane. Zoe watched as Matt stopped short at the sight of them. He mouthed the words, "Oh boy," as plain as day.

  Zoe stood and held up a pleading hand.

  Matt shook his head and asked, "Are they here for intimidation or support?"

  "Support. One hundred percent support, I swear."

  "Either way," he sighed. "Come on up."

  He took them to St. Pete's equivalent of a conference room.

  As they filed in, Zoe noticed they placed themselves in order of hierarchy. Matt stood. Her mother took the head, followed by her father, Raine, and Willow. She and Dane sat together at the end.

  Matt didn't take lead. He leaned a shoulder next to an interactive white board and waited.

  Fine.

  "Miriam Roberts," she blurted out. None of her family flinched at her confession, of course, because they were Clearwaters. Each was privy to anything she knew.

  Matt pushed from the wall. "Damn it, Zoe."

  "I told you I'd tell you," she said more loudly than she'd intended. "I'm telling you."

  He turned his mouth toward the radio thing on his shoulder. "Officer Louis, get in here." He walked to her and, ignoring Dane, leaned
closer to her, pointing his finger in her face. "You knew."

  "I thought I knew. Okay, okay, I was pretty sure I knew, maybe positive, but I... I'm sorry."

  "Where is she?"

  "Hiding."

  "Where. Is. She?"

  Defensive of her brother's lover... or maybe just for an abused woman, Zoe stood. "She didn't kill him. She loved him." It sounded ridiculous as she said it. "She just wanted their mementos so she could run away." Worse. "That's why she broke in. She didn't want to hurt me. She was as scared as I was."

  "Do you think Chief..." He stopped and dipped his chin. She could see his jaw muscles flex and release. "Do you think if this woman is married to an abusive man, he might maybe hurt her if she tries to run away?"

  "She knows what she's doing."

  "She said she didn't care if he found her." It was Dane. Oh, no. He was right. She'd said that. Chief Roberts was a chief. He would know how to find her.

  Her lungs began to pump as she sunk back into her chair. The officer Matt had called slipped in the back of the room.

  "We can't prosecute Mrs. Roberts for breaking into your home if you don't press charges. Tell me where she is, Zoe."

  "I don't know exactly. She told me she had a fake ID. Jane Smith."

  "Jane Smith?" he repeated sarcastically.

  "She showed us the ID. She was headed inland. Where she went to college. She knows a professor. That's all she said."

  * * *

  Dane taught a diving class the next morning. It was hard to watch him leave. Zoe yearned to take a group down, at least for a tour if not a certification.

  He used his hips and pressed her against the back of her front door. "Come with me."

  It wasn't exactly the same context as when he used those words the night before, but it still made her shiver. "I have things to do." Lie. "What if Matt needs me for something about Miriam? And I captain the snorkeling boat this afternoon. I'll see you in between."

  He kissed her slow and lazy. "I could get used to this," he whispered in her ear.

  "I... suppose you don't necessarily need to be here anymore. The person who broke into my home is gone." Why couldn't she leave well enough alone? "You need to get to work. I shouldn't have brought it up."

  "Are you asking me to leave?"

  "No!" she said pathetically.

  "Then, I'll see you between shifts." He kissed her forehead much like he'd done dozens of times before, but this time seemed different. Important.

  Peeking out the corner of her window, she watched his Jeep turn from the drive onto her street. She shook her head in disbelief at the changes in her life. As she turned to head toward the kitchen, she noticed lights flashing on every inch of her walls. Spinning, she ran back to the window, counting six police cars as they squeezed into her drive and on her sea shell mulch.

  Her first thought was that something happened. An emergency. She ran out the door to ask if anyone was hurt and noticed Chief Roberts. Chief Roberts who never showed his face anywhere. Her feet froze to the spot on her drive. They wanted to run. Miriam's abusive husband was walking toward her, slow and cocky. But, there were other officers. Surely he couldn't hurt her if there were other officers. It looked as if the entire Ibis Island police force was there.

  "Miss Clearwater," Chief Roberts drawled. "I hate to make a house call under such awful circumstances."

  As if he ever made a house call before in his life.

  "We have a warrant, here, to search your house for a person wanted on the murder of one Seth Clearwater. The suspect was last seen escaping with you at a funeral two days ago."

  He knows. Her mind was a blur of possibilities. Could he arrest her? Take her? He must not know where Miriam was hiding. Or did he and this was a ruse?

  She knew each of the officers, of course. She tried to offer some sort of greeting as they passed, but her voice wouldn't work. The looks on most of their faces were that of embarrassment or sympathy. A few said they were simply disgusted.

  Maybe this would be fast. And then she could get in her Jeep and run to Dane before he pushed off.

  Loud noises erupted from inside her house, making Zoe twirl in that direction. A hand clamped down on her forearm. The pain was immediate and caused her body to give in the direction of the grip.

  The chief's smile was all-knowing, and it scared her enough to make her forget about her arm. "You want to stay right where you are, little lady."

  Chapter 22

  Dane sped down the ten mile long, two-lane road that led from Sun Trips pier through the island. He turned in the middle, heading toward Zoe's house. Greg said she called in sick. He'd just seen her that morning. She wasn't sick, and she wouldn't answer her phone.

  He spun into her drive, skidding to a stop behind her Jeep, and threw on the emergency brake. The front door was opened wide. As he jogged toward it, he could see her. She sat on the couch with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She was meditating? As soon as he stepped inside he saw why she was 'sick.'

  The couch was the only thing in the house that was upright. Papers littered the floors. Furniture was overturned. The hallway leading to the back bedrooms was filled with dresser drawers and clothing. He knelt down beside her, gently taking her hands.

  Her eyes opened. They were dilated. How long had she been sitting like this? Her pupils shrunk to normal as soon as her gaze landed on his. "You came for me." She smiled.

  "Of course I came. What the hell happened?"

  "I think we're in trouble." She placed her hands on the sides of her neck. "Chief Roberts was here."

  "What? Are you hurt?" He looked her over and noticed a ring around her forearm. Four red marks distinctly resembled fingers.

  She shook her head. "It's no use. He knows. He thought she might be here. He's looking for her. He knows I know."

  "Have you called anyone? Matt? Your family?" Why hadn't she called him?

  She shook her head again. "He made his rounds to each of our homes. They all look like this. I haven't called Matt. You came for me," she repeated.

  "I did. Let's get you out of here. We can go to my place."

  She shook her head for a third time. "Maybe later. I'm better. Greg is going to cover for me."

  "He told me."

  Her eyes darted to his. "Did you tell him you were coming here?"

  Was she seriously asking this? "Why didn't you call me?"

  "I'm better," she repeated. "You were right, what you said about me. I work to find answers, and I am determined." She untwisted her legs from the contortion she'd had them in and placed them gently on the floor. "Chief Roberts wants to scare me, to scare my family." She moved her glance over the destruction around her. "He doesn't understand that this," she held out her arms, "means nothing to us. We are all unharmed."

  He wondered if she realized how she rubbed the ring around her arm after she said that.

  "And we're damned pissed off about our brother. He did it, Dane. I can feel it."

  "You're a complicated woman. I'm in love with you, and I'm proud." He splayed his hand on the side of her face, brushing his thumb across her soft cheek. "And if you don't call me next time you're in trouble I'm going to handcuff you to me."

  Her brows lifted high. "I might not hate that."

  "Come." He stood and pulled her next to him, digging in her pocket for her phone. "You need to call Matt, then we should get over to Harmony and Henry. See if they need us."

  He found Matt's number under 'Osborne, Detective,' then placed the phone in her hand.

  "We made an agreement. We all clean up our own places, then move to whoever isn't done. Mine and Raine's will be the quickest. We don't have much stuff. Willow and my parents' will be another story." She took her phone-free hand and placed it on his jaw. "I have you to thank for much of this."

  He knew she didn't mean the mess, but it made him huff out a breath anyway.

  "I mean that you give me strength I didn't know I had. I love you, too."

  The strength was
already there. She just needed to unbury it from beneath the rest. But he wasn't about to relinquish the compliment. "All right. Let's get busy." He surveyed the place as she called Osborne.

  He could hear him on the other end of Zoe's cell.

  "Yeah, I'm nearly to your place now," he said.

  "Now? How?" she asked.

  "Your mother and Willow called. What a cluster."

  "I know the other half of that saying, Matt." She was making jokes when her house was just vandalized by a corrupt cop and his cronies.

  "Yeah, well you're a lady. I'm in the drive."

  Zoe slid the phone back into her pocket.

  Dane had the two end tables and chairs righted before he got to the door. It was open, but Osborne tapped on it as he walked through.

  He looked around and shook his head. "Is anything broken?"

  Zoe lowered her brows as if she hadn't thought of it. "I don't think so."

  "Let me see your copy of the warrant while you take a look around and see, please."

  Purposely, Dane let her check out her place without him as he stayed back with Osborne. "You think it's an illegal search?"

  "Not illegal, necessarily. But he's got connections somewhere. The same judge signed each warrant, which isn't unusual in itself. I just can't imagine what he said to the judge to get him to sign."

  Dane found himself thinking out loud. "And if he trashes the Clearwater homes without breaking anything, they can't file a complaint."

  "You're smarter than you look."

  "You're an asshole."

  "Glad we cleared that up."

  Zoe's eyes moved between him and Osborne as she reentered the room. "Nothing that I can see. My drawers are overturned and on the floors. Closets, too. But nothing that can't be straightened out."

  Osborne nodded.

  "He must really want his wife back." Dane wasn't sure if he was asking a question or making an observation.

  "Yeah," Zoe agreed. "And I don't like the reason why. Have you found any trace of her, Matt?"

  He shook his head as he placed her lamp back on an end table. "We found record of her at a junior college in Destin, but her class schedule is long gone. I've got some guys checking out professors who worked in her field of education at the time she was enrolled. We don't think she's in Destin."