At which point Liam remembered: Mitch was on city council.
And he’d just become an enemy.
* * *
RITA FOLLOWED NORMA into the summer madness party at Seaside Villages, face set in a frown.
She’d fought Norma on this one. She didn’t like raucous events focused on drinking—which just went to show that she was getting old—and plus, it was way too hot. August in South Carolina was worlds away, hot worlds away, from summers in Maine. The little shopping area was thirty-five miles from Safe Haven, in a more touristy type of town, and Rita didn’t see why they needed to come all the way out here when there were plenty of perfectly nice bars and restaurants in Safe Haven.
And besides, Norma couldn’t stop bugging her about how she needed to make more progress on figuring out her past and how she needed to approach the men she suspected were her sons. She’d chickened out with Liam and she felt bad enough about that already. A whole evening of listening to why she was wrong, wrong, wrong didn’t sound like a lot of fun.
But as soon as they went under the archway and inside the little complex of stores and restaurants, her spirits lifted a little. The sun was sinking lower into the sky, which meant the heat was letting up a little. A band played country music, but a peppy, modern kind Rita didn’t mind.
Besides, Rita had made a plan to put Norma in her place but good, a plan to give her something to focus on aside from Rita and her issues. A plan involving a man. She couldn’t wait until he showed up.
They strolled through a couple of shops that were open late, looking at the standard-issue beach art and jasmine-scented candles. Then, they came to a bohemian type of store that had all kinds of repurposed junk, the creations of local artists. The music of dozens of wind chimes set the mood for the outdoor part of the shop, while inside, incense and batik cloths and a display of brightly colored pillows and clothing created a hippie vibe that took Rita back.
Took her back, and she had the edges of a memory. But she wasn’t going to try to dredge it up; she was just going to enjoy the fun, funky atmosphere. She even bought a hammered metal sun to put up on her apartment’s little balcony.
In the big open area in front of the bandstand, long picnic tables encouraged everyone to mingle. Lights were strung up on poles, and people were laughing, talking and even dancing. All ages, little kids through seniors, so it wasn’t actually just a bunch of wild drunks as she’d expected.
“That food smells pretty good,” Norma said. “I’m going up to find me some deep-fried onions or a funnel cake before this evening is over.”
“Smells to me like they roasted a pig. That’s what I’m after.” Rita put her hands on her hips and surveyed the food trucks in booths. “Wouldn’t mind a drink, either.”
“I imagine it’s nice for you to be waited on instead of being the waitress.” Norma gestured toward a table. “Sit down, save that spot and I’ll get us some food.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Rita found a seat at the end of a long table and sat so she was facing the sunset. The sky glowed pink and orange and gold, carrying her thoughts toward the heavens.
Maybe God had brought her back to Safe Haven, and her boys, too, so they could set things right between them. Rita didn’t consider herself a good Christian, nor did she think that God rearranged people’s daily lives as if He were playing a big game of chess from His seat in the sky.
Still, enough about the weird way she’d encountered the three men just when she learned she’d had three boys made her sense the movement of a force greater than herself.
Yes, she was glad the diner was closed on Mondays, and she was glad Norma had dragged her here. Maybe she could stop thinking about her sons, or possible sons, and about Jimmy, for a little while, just kick back with her friend and relax.
Norma showed up with two plates in hand, followed by a twentysomething guy who was carrying the drinks for her.
Norma put the plates down, then turned to the boy, took the drinks and handed him a bill from her pocket. “Thanks, son, I couldn’t have managed that without you.” She gave him her million-megawatt smile, and Rita watched him melt from the force of it.
No sooner had Rita put a big bite of pulled pork into her mouth than Norma finished crunching her own onion ring and looked at Rita, eyebrows raised. “So? Did you talk to Liam yet?”
So much for getting away from her worries for the evening. “I really don’t want to talk about that.”
“Hmm, still avoidant.” Norma pretended to be scribbling on a psychiatrist’s notepad.
“You’re annoying, you know?” Rita heard a text come in, pulled out her phone and smiled. Her plan was working.
“Is Jimmy coming?”
Rita nodded. “He says so.” Not that that was what she had been texting about. She felt a tiny smile curve her mouth. Norma was about to get her comeuppance.
“So how’s it going with Jimmy?” Norma asked as she picked through the basket of fried veggies. “You don’t sound thrilled about him coming here tonight.”
She shrugged. “He’s not at the top of my priority list right now. I gotta get my other stuff figured out.”
Norma shook her head. “Same old thing you’ve been saying ever since I came and visited in the spring,” she said. “Haven’t you learned that you have to be who you are and open yourself to love in this world?”
Rita lifted an eyebrow at Norma. “Pot, meet kettle. You’re the queen of keeping yourself closed off and pushing love away.”
“Completely different situation.” She looked pointedly at Rita’s hands, and Rita realized she was ripping up a napkin into tiny shreds rather than enjoying her meal.
And she didn’t want to talk about why she was fidgeting, so she focused on the happy environment around her. Someone was pouring something from a container into a bowl for his dog to drink—hopefully, water and not beer. On the ground beneath the table, little brown birds fought over crumbs with a kee-WEE sound.
She saw a familiar face, and before she could duck her head to avoid eye contact, Buck Mulligan came over, in civilian clothes, a woman with short blond hair beside him. “Hey, ladies,” he said with his lazy smile. “Looks like I’m not the only person who felt the urge to get away from Safe Haven tonight.”
“Pull up a chair,” Norma invited, gesturing to the table beside them.
Rita restrained an impulse to kick her friend and then wondered why she felt so uncharitable. It was rare for her to take such a dislike to someone, and unfair. She didn’t know Buck well enough to have formed a bad opinion of him.
“Lorraine, I’d like to introduce two of the coolest older ladies in Safe Haven,” Buck said, with his trademark suave smile.
Rita glanced over at Norma, who looked amused. “Why, Buck, thank you for the compliment,” she said. “Or wait, was it a compliment?”
Lorraine flopped down onto a bench beside Norma. “One of those backhanded ones,” she said. “He’s good at those.”
Buck looked confused. “You guys are cool.”
“And older. We know.” Norma winked at Lorraine. “How ’bout you go buy a couple of cool older ladies another drink?”
Rita held up a hand. “One’s my limit,” she said. “I’m moving to lemonade.”
“Buck looks to me like the kind of guy who doesn’t mind standing in two different lines.” Norma smiled at him.
He stood. “No, I don’t mind.” When Rita dug in her purse for money, he waved a hand. “It’s on me.”
“Thank you.”
The three of them watched Buck walk briskly toward the refreshment stands. “Good-looking guy,” Rita offered, trying to look at the bright side of him.
“How long have you been seeing him, honey?” Norma looked over at Lorraine.
“Oh! I’m not... We’re not really seeing each other.” Lorraine looked uneasy. “I’m visiting f
rom out of town. Old friend.”
“How well do you know him?” Rita was genuinely curious. Buck had come into the diner with any number of attractive women, to the point where it seemed like there wasn’t a pretty, age-appropriate female in the county he hadn’t dated. And he seemed willing to stretch the age-appropriate thing, too.
Lorraine yawned. “Man, I’m tired.” She didn’t answer Rita’s question, which, admittedly, had been nosy.
“It’s just that he has a bit of a reputation,” Rita said. “Which could be totally undeserved.”
Lorraine shrugged and looked away. “Like I said, we’re not dating. And I’m not from around here.”
Rita hadn’t been born yesterday. She could tell the younger woman was hiding something. Maybe there was a reason she and Buck weren’t supposed to be together, like that Lorraine had a husband or boyfriend already. She wouldn’t put it past Buck to horn in on another man’s woman.
Buck came back, handed drinks around and then sat down beside Lorraine, who shifted a little away from him.
Weird. Rita stole a glance at Norma and could tell that her friend was thinking the same thing.
“So when is Jimmy coming?” Norma asked when the silence got awkward.
“I don’t know. He might not even show.” As she said it, Rita’s stomach jittered and jumped. She’d strung Jimmy along too long. He was a good man, and he wouldn’t wait for her to figure out her life forever. He’d already been more than patient.
“Ladies.” The deep voice above had a clipped Northern accent.
“Hey!” Rita couldn’t believe her plan had worked. “Norma, look, it’s your neighbor! Won’t you sit and join us?”
He hesitated, then gingerly sat down next to Rita. He looked across the table. “I got your note,” he said to Norma.
“What no—” Norma broke off as Rita kicked her ankle. “What’s your problem?” she asked Rita.
“It’s so nice that you’re here experiencing the best our region has to offer,” Rita babbled to the Silver Fox, ignoring Norma. “I don’t think I caught your name. I’m Rita Tomlinson.”
“Stephen Brown.” He extended a cautious hand, as if worried Rita carried a contagious disease.
“And this is Norma, and Buck, and Lorraine,” Rita enthused. “Guys, Stephen lives at the same condo complex as Norma does. How long have you lived there?”
Buck’s sociability turned out to be an asset; he talked amiably about the town and regional sports teams and fishing hot spots. Lorraine looked at her phone and ignored them all. Norma crossed her arms over her chest and watched the flow of conversation, refusing to participate, even when Stephen glanced at her with a puzzled expression.
Rita was just leaning in, trying to draw the man out, when she smelled the faint, masculine scent of Jimmy’s aftershave. She turned to see him standing above her. “You came!” She reached for his hand.
He squeezed hers briefly and then pulled his hand away. He sat down a good three feet away from her. Cold.
Stephen left to get a drink. As soon as he was out of earshot, Norma lifted her hands, palms up. “What was that all about? He acted like he didn’t want to be here. So why did he come?”
Time to confess. “I might have kind of left him a note and signed your name,” Rita said in a rush.
“You what?”
“I knew the two of you wouldn’t get together if left to your own devices, and I thought he seemed...interesting.” Actually, he’d seemed like one of those tough-nut-to-crack kind of guys, but Norma was the same way. Perfect.
“Now he’s going to think I like him, when in fact, I think he’s an uptight old man. Besides, he’s all good-looking and then there’s me.”
“You’re pretty,” Buck, Lorraine, Rita and Jimmy said simultaneously.
Norma flushed and glanced down at herself, and Rita knew exactly what she was thinking. Her double mastectomy had made her feel permanently flawed and unwomanly. She’d tried for reconstructive surgery, but complications had made it impossible.
It was hard to get past those negative voices in your head, even if you were a therapist accustomed to helping other people get over their hang-ups.
“You gotta be open to love,” Rita urged her friend.
“You seem plenty open to that guy,” Jimmy said to Rita. His voice had an edge to it, one she’d never heard before.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “You accusing me of something?” She frowned at him. That sense of possessiveness struck something deep and painful inside her. She didn’t even know what it was. It was lost in the amnesia years.
“I have no claim on you,” Jimmy said. “You’ve made that real clear. But that doesn’t mean I want to sit around and watch you flirt with someone else.” He stood. “Later, folks.” Then he walked away, back straight, shoulders squared.
Rita stared after him, her chest tight. “The nerve of him.”
Norma and Lorraine didn’t look sympathetic, and Buck was just staring off into space.
“Maybe you’re just trying to avoid getting involved,” Norma said. “Maybe you’re scared.”
“Like you know it all,” Rita snapped, and then felt bad. “Sorry. I just... I don’t know. I guess it’s time to go home.”
“Maybe what I said rang true,” Norma said. “Seems to me you need to take a look at yourself before you go trying to fix up other people.”
Rita sighed, looking off in the direction Jimmy had gone. “You could be right.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I’M JUST FRUSTRATED.” Liam leaned into Cash’s refrigerator, scouring the offerings. “Don’t you have anything to drink except...” He pulled out a slim, colorful plastic bottle and studied it. “Ion-infused vitamin water with a hint of pomegranate?”
“You should have brought a six-pack if that was going to frustrate you.” Cash took another big bite of pizza and grinned at Liam. “My beverage offerings are all healthy.”
Liam snorted and twisted the bottle open. He took a long swig and shrugged. “Tastes about like water from my tap. And that’s not why I’m frustrated.”
“Why, then?”
“Because my hands are tied in a murder investigation in my own town.”
Cash wiped his mouth and looked at Liam. “That dude found in the car? Why are your hands tied?”
“Not my case,” Liam said. “The chief gave it to Mulligan. Something about city council.”
“Mulligan couldn’t find a pickup truck in a Walmart parking lot,” Cash said. “And I’m guessing your chief knows it. Why don’t you investigate anyway?”
Liam blew out a sigh. “Seems like every time I look into anything it disturbs something else. Like Rocky. He was right in the area when it happened, and his mother is missing, but if I call attention to him, he might get taken away from Yasmin, put into the system. And...he’s already sort of bonded with her.”
“So you leave the kid out of it,” Cash said. He didn’t question the validity of prioritizing Rocky over justice. Although they’d had decent experiences in foster care as teenagers, they all knew that staying with family or close friends was best.
They ate in silence for a few more minutes. They were in Cash’s condo, impeccably but impersonally decorated. Cash rarely spent time here, but he’d been staying in Safe Haven for almost a week now. Liam wondered why, but Cash wasn’t talking.
He finished his slice, wiped his mouth and thought out loud. “Yasmin’s brother, Josiah, was somewhere in the vicinity of the murder, too,” he said. “But interviewing him is a challenge. Interviewing either of them is a challenge. Mulligan tried, but he didn’t have any success.”
“Of course he didn’t have success, he’s an idiot.” Cash dismissed the other officer with a wave of his hand. “Does he have any background in homicide?”
“Not much. Less than I do, and I’m no expert.” L
iam had spent a year working in a department just outside Atlanta, and he’d helped on a few investigations. Other than that, what he knew came mostly from college classes and the academy.
Still, it was more than Buck knew, and certainly more than the other two Safe Haven officers. The chief had some long-ago experience as a detective, but his focus was the community and good leadership. As it should be. That had always been enough in Safe Haven, until now.
Cash sat forward, elbows on knees, hands clasped. “How would you manage an investigation, if you could investigate?”
“I’d hunt the waters, the eddies down below where the car was found. Interview Josiah and Rocky and the fishermen. Try to find Rocky’s mom in an unofficial way, see if there’s a connection to her disappearance. Get in touch with Rocky’s stepdad, who’s somewhere in California.” He sighed. “Buck’s told me he doesn’t need my help and doesn’t want me involved.”
“What does the chief say?”
Liam shrugged. “I can’t question his decision of who to assign. I know Buck’s reporting his findings to the chief, but they’re playing it close to the vest. And the chief’s been taking a lot of sick days, so Buck’s really on his own.”
Cash leaned back on his leather couch, frowning. “Why doesn’t he want you involved, is the question,” he said. “He’s political, right? Solving a murder case himself will make him look good for the chief job.”
“Yeah.” Liam’s gut twisted.
Cash slapped a fist into his other hand. “I don’t like it. You’d be better at the murder investigation, and better as chief. Do they know who the guy is, even? The victim?”
Liam shook his head. “It’s strange. No identifying information on him, and the vehicle was stolen from a parking lot, so they must be working with prints. Which, if he’s never been arrested, may not be on anyone’s radar.”
Talking about the case with his brother lit a fire in Liam. No progress was being made on a murder in his town, and it made Safe Haven seem less safe. Even if the victim was just a drifter, a drifter was a person.
Cash stood up at the same time Liam did. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
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