Carrie Alexander - Count on a Cop

by Nobody’s Hero

  “That’s right. You were. It’s not like I haven’t had my doubts, too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back and forth over this in my head. For a while, I even had myself convinced that we could have an island fling and walk away with smiles on our faces.”

  Sean slipped his sunglasses down his nose to give her a wicked wink and a broad smile that carved brackets around his mouth.

  “Don’t look at me that way.” She laughed. “I quickly realized that flings don’t happen with an über-observant ten-year-old hanging around.”

  “Hmm. That’s why we meet for a date halfway between your place and mine.”

  Connie couldn’t keep still. She brushed at the sea salt clinging to her arms, her throat, her chest. Sean’s gaze followed every movement. She licked her lips and tasted salt there, too.

  “I’ll think about it,” she blurted, then spun and descended the bank at an ungainly pace. She had to get out of the wet suit before she melted. “After we’re back in the real world.”

  “What about the maze?” he called when she hit the beach.

  “Come over this afternoon.”

  “Will the Sheffields mind?” After last night, Sean figured he was no longer on the invitation list.

  Connie lifted her hands. “Doesn’t matter. When we were kayaking, Pippa and I saw the Sheffields boarding their yacht. They’ll probably be gone the rest of the day.” She waved and hurried off toward the shop.

  Josh rode up to Sean as he snapped the water bottle back into place. “What’s with the Limpet stuff?”

  “I don’t know. It’s from some old movie. Lattimer’s didn’t have it.” Sean looked out over the ocean. He felt expansive. Optimistic for the future, even, for the first time since the shooting.

  “So we’re doing that maze thing?” Josh asked.

  “Do you mind?”

  The boy shook his head. “As long as Pippa doesn’t think she can boss me around.”

  “She might try. She’s a little fighter like her mother. Why don’t you give her some leeway? Listen to her instead of tuning her out. She’s only trying to impress you.”

  Josh shrugged his all-right-but-don’t-expect-me-to-act-happy-about-it shrug.

  “Ready for lunch?” Sean asked as they biked along the road. Traffic from the ferry arrivals was beginning to clear. “We have a couple of choices. Deli sandwiches from the general store, if the tourists haven’t snapped them all up, or we can dust off the road grime and head over to the Whitecap Inn for a real meal.”

  A Mercedes convertible roared by, spitting gravel. Sean threw up an arm, trying to shield Josh from the spray. He yelled a sharp “Hey!” at the driver, catching sight of the man’s profile and thinning silver hair as the vehicle sped away up the hill.

  Anders Sheffield.

  Alone.

  Sean removed his sunglasses and scanned the harbor. The Siren Song was nowhere in sight. He wondered why Kay Sheffield had left the island on her own. Or if it had been by her choice.

  CONNIE WALKED DOWN to the garden shed while Josh and Pippa were touring the maze. “Wait up,” Sean called, but she was in a hurry to finish. She wanted to gather any of her belongings that had been left on the estate grounds, leave a checklist for Graves regarding future maintenance and get her butt off the island.

  Sean arrived as she was tacking her list to the inside of the shed door. “Didn’t you hear me?”

  “I’m in a hurry.”

  “Afraid Sheffield will see us?”

  “Of course not. He’s a civilized man.”

  “I wonder.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Connie looked around, distracted. She found her hedge clippers and the spade with her business logo on them. Good old Graves. She had her doubts about his capabilities, but the Sheffields hadn’t wanted to hire the landscape maintenance crew she’d recommended. A foolish decision, in her opinion, but she had to learn to let go of her projects once the job was over.

  “I’m suggesting that your client is a real creep.” Sean took the garden tools but stopped her when she moved to close the door. “Spare me a minute, will you? I didn’t want to say this in front of Pippa, but I’ve got a few doubts about what went on in Peregrine House the other night.”

  “Doubts or suspicions?”

  “You mentioned that you saw Mrs. Sheffield board the yacht this morning.”

  “Yes.”

  “How did she look?”

  “Normal, I suppose. We were at a distance. She wore a hat.”

  “Could she have been hiding a black eye?”

  Connie gasped. “You think he abuses her?”

  “That’s a possibility.” He read her doubt. “You disagree?”

  “There’s been no hint of that kind of thing. I know he’s not the nicest man. Obviously a philanderer. And they fight. But Kay seems to give as good as she gets. I think they’re the sort of couple who thrive on their mutual wretchedness. There’ll always be more diamonds or girlfriends on the side to fight over.”

  “Maybe. Was anyone else aboard the yacht, other than the crew? Like the Crosbys?”

  “They weren’t in the launch. I can’t say for sure who was on board. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Jilly or her husband since the garden party.”

  “Sheffield claims they’re still here.”

  “He claims? You don’t believe that, either? Why would he lie?”

  “I don’t know. The whole thing seems a little strange.”

  Connie frowned. “You’re worse than Pippa.”

  She wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

  Safely out of sight behind the shed door, Sean took her into his arms and kissed her. Deeply. Soundly. Thoroughly. The oxygen went out of her body as if she’d been slammed to the ground.

  When she got her breath back, her brain clicked back in. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss tenfold.

  They broke apart. She stood and stared, panting. “Wow.” The kisses had left a burning imprint. She had to resist the urge to lick the taste of him off her lips. “What was that for?”

  “Can’t you tell? I wanted to kiss you.” He brushed his mouth across her lips again. “I always want to kiss you.”

  She stepped back. “That’s all?”

  “You can also take me to the house,” he said urgently.

  “The guesthouse?”

  “Peregrine. I want to see if Jillian Crosby is there.”

  Connie blinked several times, trying to wrap her mind around the twists and turns he’d been taking when all she really wanted was to keep kissing him.

  “You are worse than Pippa,” she finally cried. “I can’t imagine what convoluted scenario you’re inventing, but do you really want to go looking for trouble?” She clenched her hands. “Let’s just take the kids and get away from here. Leave the Sheffields to work out their own problems.”

  Sean took a step back. He lifted his face toward the sky just as the shadow of a passing cloud cleared. Sunlight swept along the lawn like an ocean wave. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. We should stay out of it.”

  She exhaled. “Thank you.”

  They collected her gardening tools and walked toward the maze. “Here’s the thing,” Sean said as they reached the hedge walls. They continued around the maze to the back entrance, which was closer. “There are a number of inconsistencies and unanswered questions from the past several days. Who did Pippa overhear making a deal to split money? What happened to Kay Sheffield’s supposedly stolen diamond? Why did she and her husband argue so violently? And was it really her on the yacht today?”

  “Who else?” Connie asked faintly.

  “Jilly,” he said. “They look alike, especially from a distance.”

  “But why would she…Oh God. Sean. You’re not saying that you think Kay was murdered? That Anders is masterminding a plot to make it seem as if Kay left the island on the yacht when really she’s…” Connie couldn’t finish.

  “No, I�
��m not saying that.” Sean’s eyes were hard; his voice fell flat. “When you put it that way, it sounds absurd. Straight out of a Hitchcock film.”

  Connie shuddered, remembering how she’d conjured up her own Hitchcock scene the night of the cocktail party, when they’d stood at the cliffside with the sunset dying above the ink-black forest.

  “I don’t have any answers,” she told Sean. “But you’ve convinced me of one thing. We need to get away from here right now.”

  “Did you hear that?” Pippa whispered to Josh on the other side of the hedge. “I told you so.”

  “You said there was a buried treasure in the maze.”

  “So what? There could be a murder, too.”

  “You’re nuts.”

  She puffed up her chest. “I’m going to be a private investigator.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m going to be an astronaut on Mars.”

  “You don’t have to be so mean.”

  “You don’t have to be so—” Josh made a scoffing sound. “Never mind.”

  “No one ever believes me.” Pippa pouted. “But just wait and see. I still have until tomorrow to solve the mystery. I don’t know how, but I swear I’m going to, even if I have to do it all by myself.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  BY TACIT AGREEMENT, the Bradfords and Raffertys returned to the guesthouse to have dinner together. Connie immediately began pulling food out of the cupboards and the refrigerator, assembling her remaining groceries to cobble together a final evening meal.

  “This is going to be a hodgepodge,” she warned. “I can make one of my amazing clean-out-the-fridge casseroles, and there’s half a carton of ice cream for dessert. The salad greens are gone, but we can fill in the cracks with hot dogs wrapped in Pillsbury biscuits. This won’t be my most nutritious meal.”

  “Sounds fine, right, Josh? Rafferty men will eat anything.” Sean picked up a fuzzy brown fruit. “Except fuzzy brown fruits.”

  “You don’t like kiwi?” Connie made a face. “I’m shocked.” They were trying hard to keep things light, aware of the kids watching them closely.

  “Where did you find a kiwi on Osprey Island? All I saw in Lattimer’s were bananas with brown spots and a few hundred pints of blueberries.”

  “I came prepared.”

  Pippa chimed in. “She brought six bags of groceries. Graves didn’t like it because he had to use his pickup to haul all our stuff from the ferry.”

  Connie shrugged. “What can I say? I like to cook.” She noticed Josh watching her. “Don’t you ever cook? I thought you did.”

  “Me? Heck, no. Nobody in my family cooks. We get takeout.”

  “What about Bruce?” Sean saw Connie’s questioning look. “His stepdad. I heard he’s into French food.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Josh shrugged. “I’ve never seen him actually cook anything. They mostly just leave us home and go to restaurants. So, you know, when we get tired of ordering pizza, I might make my sisters something.”

  Connie nodded. “I noticed you knew how to handle a knife.”

  “Your Grandma Mo cooks, and she sure counts as your family.” Sean was at the sink filling a pot with water. “And I make a damn good omelet, if I say so myself.”

  Connie gave him a private smile. “Something to look forward to,” she murmured. She looked away before their chemistry ignited. “Okay, enough talk. Who wants to help?”

  “Not me,” Pippa said. “Hannah Montana is on TV, if I can get the channel to come in.” She went to the living room and switched on the small portable television set.

  Sean motioned to Josh. “Go keep her company.”

  He groaned about watching a stupid girl’s show but got up to follow. Seconds later, they heard him instructing Pippa on how to position the antenna for best reception.

  Almost like brother and sister. Connie shook the notion off. She’d given Sean the big spiel about having faith and taking risks, but how far was she willing to go?

  Time will tell.

  They worked in sync, as naturally as if they’d been doing it for years. Only after the casserole was in the oven was she ready to broach the subject that was on both of their minds. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “What was that kiss about, really?”

  He pulled back his head. “I thought you were going to bring up the Sheffields.”

  She stretched over the countertop to see into the living room. Josh watched the snowy TV with a look of disgust, while Pippa was paging through her notebook. Connie dropped back on her heels. “The less said about that, the better.”

  Sean wasn’t willing. “It’s my job, in a way.”

  “Not on the island, it isn’t.” She cracked open the can of biscuits. “Speaking of that, you’ll be going back to work soon. Do you feel ready?”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Don’t go all taciturn on me.” She noticed that his hand had strayed to his thigh. “How’s the leg?”

  “Better.”

  She sighed.

  “Look, what should I say? That I’m really looking forward to my psych evaluation? Count how many times I still wake up in a sweat from reliving the shooting? That I’ve considered chucking the job and going to California to learn how to surf?”

  Connie stuck out her chin. “Why are you being sarcastic with me?”

  “I apologize.” His mouth turned down. “I’ve been living alone for too long. I’m not used to this.”

  “Talking?” She waggled a frankfurter at him. “If you’re serious about getting together off the island, you’d better get used to it. The Joe Friday act is fine in a TV show, but in real life I need to know what’s on your mind.”

  Sean moved up behind her, his hands on her waist. “I’m serious.”

  “Then talk to me.”

  “I’ll have to put some distance between us. When you’re within reach, I’m not thinking about talking.” He went to sit at the table. “All right. You wanted to know about my job.” He took a breath and launched into a description of his work. In minutes, she was entranced by his passion and dedication, and how obviously he relished the chance to do good for the communities he patrolled.

  “You’re not going to California,” she said with a smile.

  His gaze drifted to Josh in the other room. “I guess not.”

  “I suppose joint custody wouldn’t work, considering the distance, but have you ever suggested that he spend the whole summer with you?”

  “Jen has always said she would miss him too much.”

  “Like you don’t?”

  Anyone could see how much his son meant to him, Connie thought. Except perhaps Josh. She wished she had the solution that would magically take away the tension and misunderstanding between them, just as she wished she could take away Pippa’s fears and her own struggle to figure out the right thing to do for herself as well as her daughter.

  Impossible. They all had to find their own way.

  But maybe they could do that together.

  CONNIE MANAGED TO KEEP SEAN talking throughout the meal. She even got Josh going. They had a rousing debate over favorite college baseball teams and the designated hitter rule, then united as members of the BoSox nation. Only Pippa remained silent, but every time Sean checked she was listening with rapt attention, taking in everything he and Josh said with a hunger that made him ache for her loss.

  He understood where she was coming from. Looking around the table, he saw the shadow of the family he’d had but lost forever. And the new one that might be forming to fill the gaping hole in his life.

  He volunteered the kids to do the cleanup, then announced that he and Connie would go for a stroll. She protested, but he promised they wouldn’t go far.

  Sean gave his son a man-to-man look. “Josh, you’re in charge.”

  Pippa looked up from scraping the last spoonful from her ice cream dish. “He is not!”

  “Yeah, I am.” Josh swaggered to the kitchen with a couple of dishes. “I boss my little sis
ters around all the time. I’m used to it.”

  Sean snared Connie’s hand and pulled her outside. “I don’t want to leave—” she started to say, but he hushed her with a quick kiss.

  “We’re only going far enough to be out of sight.” A glance over his shoulder told the tale. Two faces peered at them from different window panes. “Beyond the sight of nosy children.”

  “Why do we have to be out of sight?”

  He could tell by her small smile that she knew. “I have a question to answer.”

  “Oh? Which one?”

  “Something about a kiss.”

  “Kisses, I believe.”

  “That’s right.”

  They’d come as far as the main driveway, where the light was growing long as dusk approached. They reached for each other, and their attenuated shadows did the same.

  “We shouldn’t be doing this,” Connie said softly.

  He cupped her cheeks. Kissed the end of her nose. “We can’t be dull and responsible parents all the time.”

  Her eyes flashed. “Hey, who are you calling dull?”

  He dropped his hands. This wasn’t going the way he’d planned. “I meant dull as in safe. Wasn’t that what you wanted? You know, up at Peregrine House?”

  “Because I made us come back here instead of putting my child in danger?”

  “But you don’t believe in my Hitchcock theory.”

  “Even you admitted it was absurd.”

  “Right.” He slid his hands around her waist, bringing her snugly against his body. Her gaze lifted to his face and her teasing half smile made his heart turn over in his chest. “I didn’t bring you out here to rehash that. There was something else…Something about…What was it again?”

  She tapped his chest with her fists. “Quit fooling around and kiss me. You have five minutes before I call time and go back to the house.”

  He bent his head to hers. “Then I’d better get started with the explanation.”

  He used the five minutes well. By the end, Connie was pink and soft and breathing almost as hard as he was. Her hair was tousled from his running his hands through it. He’d had those hands on her body, too, but she’d backed away with a warning look in her eyes when he reached for her again.