Welcoming Seas (A Rowan Gray Mystery Book 1)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I need to know what’s going on,” Quinn said. “I almost forgot you were watching the girls, although I think that was purposeful because part of me didn’t want to consider you a suspect. You were watching them again today, though. You were listening to their conversation.”

  “Oh, that?” Rowan wasn’t particularly perturbed about being called out on this afternoon’s behavior. “I was totally eavesdropping. I wanted to know if they would let something slip about Jessica.”

  Quinn’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “You’re admitting it?”

  Rowan shrugged. “Why not? We need answers. You said yourself that we only had so much time. If Jessica was killed in the room – if she somehow ended up going over the side of the balcony – then there’s a good chance one of those girls knows the truth. I hoped they would talk about it and that’s why I listened.”

  Quinn didn’t want to take a conversational detour, but he did it anyway. “Okay,” he said after a beat. “Did they say anything of interest?”

  “Why would I tell you?” Rowan challenged. “You think I’m a creepy stalker. Wouldn’t that be akin to feeding your miscategorization of my activities?”

  “Oh, now you’re just using big words to confuse me,” Quinn groused, wagging a finger. “That’s not helping matters.”

  “I’m pretty sure that nothing you’re doing here is helping matters,” Rowan shot back. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I listened to the girls. They admitted that they couldn’t remember Jessica being with them when they went back to the room.

  “Kylie – she’s the one with the big boobs and the huge crush on you, in case you forgot – said that they agreed to stick to their story because they don’t want to be blamed,” she continued. “She’s also convinced that Jessica is holed up in a room with a random guy and will show up before they disembark.”

  Quinn opted to let the “boobs” comment slide. “Do you believe her?”

  “I have no reason not to believe her.”

  “Why have you been watching them?” Quinn pressed. “I know you have. I’ve seen it. I need to know why.”

  Rowan opened her mouth to answer, something positively hateful on the tip of her tongue. She changed her course right away, though. She wasn’t in the mood to make an enemy unless it was absolutely necessary. “Can I ask you something instead of answering?”

  Quinn shook his head. “No.”

  “Well, I’m going to do it anyway,” Rowan said, ignoring his annoyed expression. “Did you bring me down here because you honestly believe I had something to do with Jessica’s disappearance?”

  “I brought you down here because I wanted to question you in private,” Quinn answered. “I didn’t want anyone overhearing us.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why don’t you want anyone overhearing us?” Rowan challenged. “If you really believe I’m guilty, why wouldn’t you want everyone else to know I’m dangerous?”

  “Because … I don’t believe you’re guilty.” Quinn searched his heart and knew he was speaking the truth. “I don’t believe you’re guilty, but I can’t ignore your actions. You’ve been watching those girls since before Jessica disappeared. It’s almost as if you knew she was going to disappear.”

  Rowan balked. “I had no clue that was going to happen. I swear it.”

  “Then tell me why you were following them.”

  Rowan felt as if she was caught in a heavy net and she couldn’t swim fast enough to escape it. She opened her mouth and worked her jaw, but she had no idea how to answer.

  Finally, Quinn could take the silence no longer and he decided to push the issue. He knew he was about to make things worse, but he had no idea how else to prod the pretty photographer into confiding in him.

  “Does this have something to do with police detectives in two Michigan municipalities believing that you had prior knowledge that several of the people who you were covering for missing persons stories were already dead?”

  Rowan’s face drained of color as an invisible hand wrapped around her heart. “You’ve been checking up on me?”

  “That’s my job.”

  “Then why didn’t this come up at the interview?” Rowan challenged, her knuckles white as she gripped the arms of the chair. “If you had so many questions, why didn’t the owner … or the captain … or that really prim and proper human resources manager ask me about any of it when I interviewed on three different occasions?

  “I’ll tell you why,” she continued. “It’s because you just found out that information and you wanted to see how I would react to it. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I really don’t have a reaction to that. Journalists and reporters have notoriously difficult relationships. I’m not making it up. It’s just the way of the world.”

  “Okay, we’ll forget about what the cops said … for now,” Quinn said. “Tell me why you were following the girls and I’ll let it go. I honestly don’t care. I’ve never put much stock in case notes anyway. They’re too slanted and devoid of facts.”

  “Oh, well, it’s good to know you believe in me,” Rowan deadpanned, disdain practically dripping from her tongue.

  “I don’t even know you,” Quinn fired back. “I do believe in you, though. That goes against my very nature, but I do believe in you. I need you to tell me why you were following those girls. I need to focus on Jessica and not anything else.”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything,” Rowan said, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re not a cop. I’m under no obligation to answer your questions.”

  “That’s true,” Quinn conceded. “You don’t have to answer my questions. If you don’t, though, I’m going to be forced to suspend you from work and keep you away from the general populace until we dock back in Florida.

  “Once that happens, local police will take you into custody and question you there,” he continued. “I probably won’t ever see you again if that happens because you’ll be fired for cause.”

  Rowan’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? Are you going to get me fired?”

  Quinn slammed his hands down on his desk, frustrated. “I don’t want to get you fired. I want you to tell me the truth so we can move on from this. All you’re doing by digging your heels in is making me believe you’re hiding something.”

  Rowan pressed her lips together, her eyes glittering with unshed tears as she momentarily focused on the window behind his desk. When she finally shifted her gaze to him she looked defeated. “That’s because I am hiding something.”

  “You are?” Quinn felt sick to his stomach.

  “It’s not what you think, though,” Rowan offered hastily. “I promise it’s not what you think.”

  “Why don’t you tell me then,” Quinn prodded. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth.”

  “You probably won’t believe me.”

  “Try me.”

  “Okay.” Rowan sucked in a long breath. “Sometimes I can see death omens in photographs.”

  Quinn tilted his head to the side. He had no inkling what her confession would revolve around, but the words that came out of her mouth were absolutely dumbfounding. “Are you messing with me?”

  “I knew this would be a mistake,” Rowan grumbled, her face taking on a pouty countenance as she jutted out her lower lip.

  “No, it wasn’t a mistake,” Quinn said. “I just … I don’t know what that means.”

  “It started when I was a kid and my father got me my first camera,” Rowan said. “I didn’t realize what I was seeing until years later. I saw it with my mother when she died. It was the first time I ever put things together.”

  “I’m sorry about your mother,” Quinn said. “I just … does anyone else see these omens?”

  “They see the symbols sometimes, but most of them write it off as a trick of shadows,” Rowan said, staring at her fingernails. “I know what I see, though. I know what it means.”

  “And you sa
w the omen with Jessica?”

  Rowan shook her head. “I saw the omen in the photograph with all four girls,” she clarified. “I didn’t know which one of them would be the victim. That’s why I was keeping close. I thought maybe if I could watch them then I could stop something terrible from happening. I didn’t do a very good job of that, though, did I?”

  “Have you ever been able to stop something from happening before?” Quinn asked. He had no idea how to respond to this new information. “Have you ever seen the omen and changed an outcome?”

  “No. I’ve never really tried, though.”

  “Okay.” Quinn scratched the back of his head as he considered his options.

  “I know you don’t believe me,” Rowan said. “You don’t have to beat yourself up over it. There’s a reason I never tell people. I know they won’t believe me and I don’t want to deal with all of the ‘she’s crazy’ stares that are bound to follow.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.”

  “So … you believe me?” Rowan looked so hopeful it almost broke Quinn’s heart.

  “I didn’t say that either,” Quinn clarified.

  “So, what are you saying?”

  “I’m withholding judgment for the time being,” Quinn answered. “I don’t suppose … could you show me the photo?”

  “I can, but you might think I’m crazy and say that I’m letting shadows trick me,” Rowan replied. “That’s what my father used to say.”

  “Your father didn’t believe you?”

  Rowan pressed her lips together and shook her head.

  “Did you see an omen of him before he disappeared?”

  “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you went as far back as my father, but I can’t help but be irritated,” Rowan admitted. “As for the rest … yes, I saw the omen right before he disappeared.”

  “Do you think he’s dead?”

  “He would never purposely leave me.”

  “No, I don’t suppose he would,” Quinn said, exhaling heavily. “Okay, I need you to show me this photo. I’m not saying if I believe you either way, but I want you to know that I don’t think you’re a murderer.”

  “I guess I should take that as a win, huh?” Rowan wasn’t overly enthusiastic with Quinn’s offer. “At least you’re not slapping cuffs on me.”

  Quinn’s smile was mischievous when he finally flashed it in her direction. “I haven’t ruled out cuffs down the road. If they make an appearance, it will be a for a fun reason, though.”

  Rowan’s mouth dropped open when she realized what he was insinuating. “I can’t believe you said that!”

  Quinn held his hands palms up, rueful. “I can’t either. It’s too late to take it back, though. Show me this photo and we’ll go from there. As for the flirting … I plead temporary insanity.”

  “I don’t think it’s temporary,” Rowan grumbled.

  “That’s way down the line on things we need to deal with,” Quinn said. “Just forget I said anything.”

  “I think that’s impossible.”

  “Then pretend to forget,” Quinn suggested. “It’s just as good.”

  “Only a man would suggest anything of the sort.”

  “I guess it’s good I’m a man then.”

  “Definitely.”

  12

  Twelve

  “Do you see it?”

  Quinn knew what Rowan wanted him to say, but as he leaned over her shoulder and stared at the photographs in question he honestly couldn’t come up with an appropriate answer.

  “I see something,” Quinn said after a moment, his eyes dark slits as he squinted. “It does look like shadows to me.”

  Rowan was frustrated as she switched to another set of photos. “That shadow isn’t here, though. It’s not here … it’s not here … it’s not here. They were all taken in the exact same place.” She flew through several sets of photographs and Quinn couldn’t deny the fact that the shadow only happened to appear in the set featuring the girls.

  “Okay, I see it,” Quinn said, licking his lips. “You need to be patient with me and not get all crazy, though. I’m not used to this like you are so I’m doing my best. Don’t … freak out.”

  Rowan scratched the side of her nose as she regarded him. He had a point … which annoyed her. “It’s just … I’ve only told a handful of people over the course of my life and none of them believed me. I don’t expect you to be any different.”

  “Perhaps you should get to know me before you cast aspersions on my character,” Quinn suggested, rolling his neck. “I don’t go out of my way to be a pain unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  Rowan snorted. She couldn’t help herself. “You’re a funny guy.”

  “Yes, my options after high school consisted of joining the Marines or becoming a clown. It was a very hard choice.”

  Rowan’s eyes widened as she regarded him. He had a droll sense of humor that she found appealing. He was also standoffish as he regarded the photo and she could tell he was internally debating whether or not she was mentally unbalanced. “What should we do now?”

  Quinn glanced at her, his eyes unreadable. “I have an idea. I’m not sure you’ll be up for it, though.”

  “Does it involve nudity?” Rowan realized her mistake in openly flirting when Quinn gave her an appraising look and her cheeks caught fire thanks to embarrassment.

  “Not at this time, no,” Quinn said, smirking. “I need you to take photos of the girls again. I need you to see if you can make that … thing … come back.” He pointed toward the swirly omen in the corner of the photograph.

  “I can’t do it at will,” Rowan argued, happy to put the flirty banter behind her with minimal fuss. “It only shows up if someone is going to die.”

  “And it’s never appeared if someone was simply in danger and you could change it?”

  “I … don’t know.” Rowan opted for honesty. “I’ve only ever tried to stop it with my father and it was already too late then.”

  Quinn wanted to ask more questions about that but he wisely restrained himself. “I need a little more than what we have,” he said gently. “Can you at least try for me?”

  Rowan swallowed hard at his earnest expression, her head bobbing. “I can try. I’ll do it right now.”

  ROWAN finished taking her afternoon photographs with a flurry, the camera shutter whizzing as she captured a bevy of action shots on the main deck. She found shuffleboard photos to be easy compared to swimming photos, but she enjoyed doing both.

  Rowan found Quinn sitting alone in the shade near the tiki bar and she sat next to him and plugged her camera into her laptop. Quinn remained neutral as she settled, taking the time to signal the bartender for an iced tea before shifting closer to Rowan so he could study the photos.

  “Anything?”

  “I’m still doing the data transfer,” Rowan replied. “It takes a few minutes. It’s a big data dump so it takes a few minutes for the photos to transfer.”

  “Can you … I don’t know … see the thing in your camera lens as you’re shooting photos?”

  Rowan reminded herself that it was a legitimate question and bit her tongue to refrain from saying something snarky. Quinn was simply trying to learn more about her reality. That was a good thing. “I never see it as I take the photos. I only see it after I look at the images. It’s not a magic camera.”

  Quinn couldn’t help but be amused by her outrage. “Chill out,” he said, holding up his hands. “I was just asking. I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m sorry,” Rowan said, ashamed. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. This is new territory for me. I’m acting like a crazy person.”

  “You’re acting like every woman I’ve ever met,” Quinn countered. “Irrational, mean, mulish … I think it must be part of the female genetic makeup.”

  Rowan slapped his hand and shook her head. “That’s not helping.”

  “What makes you think that’s what I was trying to do?”

  �
��Because that’s what you do,” Rowan replied. “I know you’re trying to force me into a fight because you think I’m feeling needy and worried, but I’m honestly okay. If this doesn’t work out … it doesn’t work out. I’m a big proponent of letting the universe decide my fate. I can’t change destiny, right?”

  Quinn pursed his lips as he studied her. Rowan was almost convinced he was going to push her to resign right there. Instead he went in another direction. “That’s a load of crap.”

  Rowan’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

  “It’s a load of crap,” Quinn repeated. “I believe things happen as they’re supposed to as well, but I don’t believe that you should just give up this job without a fight. You can influence your own future. We’re not in an unwinnable situation yet, so don’t work yourself up into a panic.”

  “Do I look panicked?”

  “A little bit,” Quinn answered, not missing a beat. “Now … show me what you got.”

  Rowan turned back to the computer, grumbling a few things under her breath that made Quinn smirk. He liked her fiery attitude and, for some reason, his arguments against getting involved with someone during his tenure on the ship seemed weak in comparison to his determination a few days before. How did that even happen? He had no idea, but he couldn’t dwell on it now.

  “Okay, here are normal action photos,” Rowan said, scanning through a bevy of images. She deleted at least a third of them as she went, causing Quinn to furrow his brow but keep his questions to himself. They would have time for craft queries later. Er, well, at least he hoped they would. “Now here are photos of the girls. As you can see … oh.”

  “Oh, what?”

  “Oh!” Rowan pointed at the corner of the computer screen, forcing Quinn to study the image in question.

  The photograph showed the girls relaxing on loungers, a group of men talking to them as they sipped drinks and flirted. Quinn found himself bothered by the fact that Hayley, Kara, and Kylie didn’t exactly look torn up about the disappearance of their friend.

  “Yeah. They’re kind of jerks,” Quinn said. “I figured that out myself. I’ve never seen three people less worried about a missing friend.”