by Lucy Quinn
Out of the corner of her eye, Cookie noticed the kitchen door was open a crack. She glanced over and it opened a sliver more, revealing Dylan, who winked at her. Daisy let out a whimper, making Cookie return her attention to the girl and Andy. She thought about the mess they’d seen in Andy’s apartment and the shrine he’d left in the storage unit that made them believe he’d had trouble getting over losing Lydia. She said, “I’m sure you can provide plenty of evidence to show you weren’t in your right mind, Andy. Don’t you agree, Hunter?”
“Definitely,” her former partner said.
Andy’s frantic gaze shifted rapidly between Hunter and Cookie, and Cookie focused on Andy’s eyes instead of Dylan, who was now slowly sneaking up behind the crazed murderer. She was sure that Hunter was doing his best to keep Andy’s attention too.
“Heck,” Hunter said, “Cookie and I can probably testify that you’re still not in a sound mental state based on what we’ve witnessed so far.”
Dylan was right behind Andy now, but Cookie didn’t dare take her eyes off the man as she said, “That’s right.” She barely had the words out before they heard a loud crack followed by the thud of Andy’s body hitting the ground.
“Oh!” Daisy cried, stumbling away and clutching at her throat. She quickly regained her footing, turned to Dylan, and threw herself in his arms.
Dylan grinned at Cookie over the top of Daisy’s head and waved the frying pan with pride. “Cast iron’ll do it every time.”
As Hunter stepped forward to restrain Andy’s limp wrists with a zip tie, Cookie smiled back at Dylan. That is until she noticed he had snaked his arm around Daisy’s waist and had turned his attention to the pretty redhead who was clutching at him like she was drowning.
“You saved me!” Daisy gushed, smiling up at him.
Cookie understood how the woman felt. A cold metal gun against your temple was definitely cause for an emotional outburst when it was over. She might have even been okay with Dylan holding Daisy, his former high school flame, for comfort as well. But he went too far when he leaned down, giving her a tender kiss on the top of her head.
As if they were more than just friends. As if he still cared for Daisy. As if those years since high school had just disappeared in an instant. As if…
The old green-eyed monster of jealousy filled Cookie’s mind with a rage like no other. And she suddenly understood exactly what Andy had been feeling when he strangled Lydia. But Cookie was not a killer, and she tamped down her anger as she pulled out her cell phone to contact Sheriff Watkins. She turned her attention to Hunter. “I’ll get the coast guard to transport Andy to the mainland.”
“And Swan,” Hunter said.
“Right.” Cookie said. They still had a dead deputy on their hands. And there was the matter of Rain moving Swan’s body as well. She sighed. “Let’s take Andy over to Swan’s office,” she added before Sherriff Watkins picked up her phone.
After the coast guard pickup was arranged, Cookie and Hunter made their way out of the restaurant with a disoriented but conscious Andy held between them. When they got to the street, Cookie noticed Dylan had followed along. He stepped beside her and she blurted out, “We’ve got this. You might want to go back inside, though. Daisy could probably use more of your help.”
Dylan raised his eyebrows at her as a smile played on his lips. “Perhaps I should.”
Hunter cleared his throat. “We’ll need your statement first.”
Darn it. Cookie hadn’t thought about that. Of course if she’d thought at all, she wouldn’t have suggested Dylan comfort Daisy either. None of them spoke as they walked to the police station.
When they got there, Hunter suggested Andy be put in the back room to wait while they dealt with Swan. After they secured him, Cookie, Hunter and Dylan went to Swan’s glass office. Hunter had made sure to draw the blinds before they left so that no unsuspecting person would walk into the station and notice Swan while they were hunting Andy.
Cookie turned to Dylan before they unlocked Swan’s door. “There’s something you should know about Swan’s uh—condition.”
“A little under the weather again?” he asked.
“Sort of,” she said as she inserted the key they’d swiped from him earlier.
Hunter chuckled. “More like he suffered a Rain storm.”
“It was not because of Rain,” Cookie said defiantly as they stepped into the office where the very dead body of Swan was slumped in his oversized chair.
“Whoa,” Dylan said. “What happened?”
Cookie answered as she noticed Hunter’s body shaking with silent laughter. “Probably a heart attack, which my mother thinks was brought on by her striptease.”
“She was stripping for him here?” Dylan asked, his question completely matter-of-fact as if nothing Rain did surprised him.
“No. He was at the inn,” Cookie said with a sigh.
Hunter couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing. When Cookie glared at him, he held up his hand and did his best to control it. “I’m sorry. But this is funny.” Another small burst of laughter escaped before he continued, “Dylan, Rain decided that she killed him with her—ahem—dance. And since she didn’t want to get caught, she and Winter decided to drive him to the station and make it look like it happened here.”
Dylan’s eyebrows shot up. “Those two women moved a dead body?”
Hunter was laughing uncontrollably now, and he wiped a tear from his eye as he croaked out, “In my car. And when we saw them, Swan’s face was in—in Rain’s—”
Dylan started laughing too. Apparently he’d connected the dots. When Cookie tried to get him to stop with her best laser-beam glare, he said, “C’mon, Cookie. You have to admit, this is funny. This kind of thing only happens to Rain.”
Laughter is contagious. And no matter how hard Cookie tried to maintain her composure she found herself laughing too. When she stopped she said, “Fine. It’s funny. But what are we going to do now?”
Chapter 22
Cookie, Hunter and Dylan all stared at the dead body of Deputy Swan for a moment before Hunter said, “You can’t just move a dead body without suspicion.”
“I know,” Cookie said.
“But we all know Rain would never kill a man,” Dylan added.
“Intentionally,” Hunter said, snorting out a bit of leftover laughter.
“And it could have happened here,” Cookie said.
“True,” Hunter agreed. “Or maybe Rain and Winter decided to help us out by bringing the body here. Waiting at the inn for the ME to arrive would have taken hours since the ferry’s out of commission.”
“Right,” Cookie said, nodding at his line of reasoning. “And a dead body is bad for inn business.”
“Very bad,” Dylan said. “For the island too. Most local businesses depend on tourism.”
“Exactly,” Hunter said. “It was a PR decision even Swan could have gotten behind.”
“Then it’s settled,” Cookie said. “We’ll tell Watkins that it happened at the inn and the body was transported here for pick up.”
Dylan began to laugh again. “They really—”
“They did,” Hunter confirmed before he started laughing again too.
Cookie rolled her eyes at them and left the office to check on Andy. She did see the humor, but when it was your mother who was the brunt of a joke, it wasn’t always easy to laugh. Once she made sure Andy was still restrained, she pulled out her phone and walked down the hall to the vending machines to make a call and check on Rain.
“Cookie! I’m so glad you called. Did you get the perp?”
Cookie chuckled. Rain’s terminology was definitely improving. “We got him, Mom. How are you holding up?”
Rain let out a sigh that was heavy with the weight of her guilt. “I can’t believe I killed Deputy Swan.”
“You didn’t,” Cookie reassured her. “His death was due to a long history of overindulging. My guess is Jared is going to tell us he was a walking time bo
mb.”
“One with a hair trigger I snapped,” Rain said, her voice thick as if she was holding back a sob. “I’ve always known I had a dangerous effect on men, but—”
“But nothing,” Cookie interjected. “Mother. Really. You are not why Swan died. Okay?”
“If you say so dear.” Rain’s voice didn’t come across as someone who was convinced, though.
“I do,” Cookie said sternly before she decided to change the subject to something lighter. “Do you still have plans to go out with Hale tonight?”
“I certainly do,” Rain answered in a suggestive tone. “First I’m going to—”
“Mom,” Cookie said in an effort to cut her mother off before she heard things that might scar her psyche for life. “I’ve got to get back to work, but I’ll be home soon.”
“Oh goodie! You’re going to make your date after all.”
Cookie considered the way Dylan had been acting as if nothing was wrong while they determined what to do about Swan, and it occurred to her that perhaps her little display of jealousy over Daisy might have been a good thing after all. It also occurred to her that Dylan didn’t reply to the phone call she’d made earlier about dropping by to see him once she and Hunter had apprehended Andy. She’d have to see about that. And the fact that Dylan had been hanging out at the Salty Dog where Daisy worked.
“Perhaps I will,” Cookie said to her mother and then returned to Swan’s office to talk to Dylan.
But when she got there, Dylan was gone. Cookie frowned at Hunter, who said, “I took his statement and there wasn’t any reason he needed to stick around.”
“Oh.” Cookie was scowling now, because she was even more confused about where she stood with Dylan. Did they have a date or not?
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked.
She shook her head. Involving Hunter was not something she was going to do. No. She needed to make clear boundaries between Dylan and Hunter. “Nothing,” Cookie lied. “I was thinking about my mother.”
Hunter smiled with laughter in his eyes, but sobered quickly when she didn’t return his amusement. “Right. Watkins should be here any minute, and then we can return to the inn and check on her.”
Cookie nodded as her stomach growled. She hadn’t taken the time to eat lunch and decided the time spent waiting could be filled by a snack from the vending machine.
Watkins arrived just as Cookie was finishing her candy bar. The woman pushed her way in with a team to deal with Andy and one to deal with Swan. As her officers got to work, Sheriff Watkins spoke to them. “Agent O’Neil, Ms. James,” she said. “Thank you for your hard work on this.” Hunter and Cookie nodded at Sherriff Watkins, and the woman sighed before she continued. “It’s a darn shame about Deputy Swan. I’m told heart attacks are a quick way to go though. At least he didn’t suffer at the end of his life.”
“No,” Hunter said. “I believe he was enjoying himself right up until the end.” Cookie jammed her elbow into his side before he could break out in laughter.
“I’ll find you a replacement deputy as soon as possible,” the sheriff said.
Cookie didn’t want to be rude or anger the sheriff, but she was concerned about who might come to fill the position as deputy on her island. Considering she’d resigned herself to the fact that trouble seemed to happen here, Cookie wanted to be sure Swan’s replacement would be more competent than he had been. And this was her chance to have input. “You know,” she said, “It’s going to take a special kind of person to be the new deputy. Not only will this law enforcement officer have to deal with the small town politics on Secret Seal Isle, but—” she glanced over at the two men escorting Andy out of the building. She thought about how most of the businesses on this island relied on summer visitors and the money they spent for income. “Solid experience with the law is important. We are a tourist destination, after all.”
“Yes. This island is getting a reputation for being rather busy when it comes to crime. I believe you’re right in expressing concern,” Watkins said. “I’ll take that into consideration.”
“Thank you.”
“One more matter before I go,” the sheriff said. “Could you step in as acting deputy for the time being?”
“Oh,” Cookie said as she glanced at Hunter. She was certainly more than qualified as a former FBI agent to be the deputy on a small island. And it was very likely there wouldn’t be anything for her to do in the next few days, but she was hesitant just the same. Only, there really wasn’t anyone else to do it, so she said, “Of course.” And out of respect for her new superior she added, “I’d be honored.”
The wheels of a stretcher rumbled as it approached them, and as Cookie watched it roll by with Swan, sadness washed over her. The deputy may not have been the most competent man when it came to the law, but he wasn’t a bad person, despite his obvious drinking problem. And death did come too soon for him. She was sure he would be missed. While she knew he didn’t have relatives living on the island, Cookie recalled that Swan had family on the mainland and assumed that would be where the deputy’s funeral would be held.
Cookie knew the island residents would need some closure too so she asked, “Shall I make arrangements for a memorial service here?”
The sheriff smiled at her. “That’s a lovely offer. I’ll pass it along to Deputy Swan’s family.” She shook Cookie’s hand in appreciation. “Thank you, Deputy James.”
“You’re welcome,” she said before the sheriff walked away.
The moment Watkins was gone, Cookie looked at Hunter, and when he frowned at her she held up a hand. “Don’t say it. The woman didn’t exactly leave me a choice.”
Hunter smiled. “It was the right thing to do. Deputy.”
Cookie sighed. She’d moved to Secret Seal Isle with her mother. They’d changed their names and become innkeepers to hide from a mob boss who wanted Cookie dead. Things here were supposed to be peaceful, even boring, perhaps. And Cookie had planned to welcome small town life with open arms.
Instead, weeks after Cookie and Rain arrived, a dead body floated up to her dock and life on Secret Seal Isle changed forever. No matter how hard she tried to lead a simple life, Cookie couldn’t seem to escape her career in law enforcement.
The metal of her deputy star was smooth under Cookie’s fingers when she rubbed it, and she realized it had just taken on a new meaning. “It’s just for a few days,” she said to Hunter. “And then I’ll go back to being nothing more than an innkeeper on a small island in Maine.” But Cookie wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince—herself or Agent O’Neil.
Chapter 23
As Cookie and Hunter approached the inn on foot, Cookie noticed the twinkling lights that adorned the old Victorian building. Set in the snow-covered landscape, the place appeared to be a quaint establishment full of charm, laughter and warmth. She knew the moment they entered the door that delicious smells ranging from a savory roast to fresh-baked cookies would greet them. No matter what was going down in Rain’s life, she could always be found cooking up a storm in their kitchen.
Cookie was proud of what she and her mother had created. In fact, they’d both settled in so well that they’d each found love interests too. But when Cookie walked through the front door, it was no longer clear Rain was so lucky in the romance department.
“I can’t believe you’d do this to me,” Hale, Rain’s boyfriend about twenty years her junior, said, clutching his heart as if she’d just stabbed him. Rain stared up at the tall, slim man and reached up to brush a lock of his dark curly hair out of his wounded eyes. But Hale jerked back. “No. I’m not going to let you charm me into forgiving you. Not this time.”
Hunter gently closed the door behind them, but the sound was enough to get both Rain and Hale’s attention. Rain’s worried gaze landed on Cookie and she ran over to her daughter. “Cookie, please, tell Hale I wasn’t dating Swan.”
Cookie glanced between the two of them, taking in Hale’s angry expression and her mother’s desp
erate one. “I don’t think I should get in the middle of—”
“Sweetie, please!” Rain took her daughter by the hand and pulled her in deeper into the house. “I tried to explain why Deputy Swan’s face was in my cleavage, but Hale doesn’t believe me.”
A small gasp came from the sitting area to the left of the entry hall. Cookie glanced over to see an older couple perched on the edge of the couch, munching on a bowl of popcorn, watching the fight as if they’d purchased tickets for a 3D feature film.
“Face in the cleavage sounds pretty damning to me,” the woman said to her husband. “There’s just no answering for that. It’s not like some stranger is going to be checking the girls for moles, if you know what I mean.”
The old man sitting next to her sighed. “Now that’s a job I’d sign up for.”
His wife swatted him. “If you’d gone to medical school like my daddy told you to instead of joining the army, you might’ve had a chance. It’s your own fault.” The woman with bottle-red hair glanced down at her ample chest, gave an approving nod and cupped her own breasts. “Though I dare say you didn’t have to suffer much having access to these glorious tatas for the last forty years.”
Her husband’s gaze shifted to her cleavage now spilling out of her low cut sweater. He sucked in a sharp breath and practically drooled. “When you’re right, Millie, you’re right. Now ditch that popcorn. We’re headed upstairs to…” The old man glanced at everyone now staring at them and smiled. “We need to check for moles.” His attention narrowed in on Hale and Rain. “Let us know how this spat turns out between you two love birds… only save it for later. Much later.”
His wife giggled as she let him haul her upstairs.
“At least someone is getting some on this Valentine’s Day,” said Scarlett from the open door of Cookie and Rain’s office. She was dressed in black yoga pants and a soft red sweater, and her hair was piled artfully on her head, secured with two pencils. Her effortless elegance would’ve irritated Cookie, if she hadn’t loved her so much.
