“Yeah, I hear he folds under pressure,” Lilac smirked, winking at me. “You spent the night with him last night, right? Can you verify that?”
I seriously thought I was about to pass out. My feet felt alien, as if they didn’t belong to my body, and my brain was doing this weird floating thing. It was kind of nice. “Sleeping pills. Where are they?”
“You’re not getting sleeping pills.” Booker was adamant. “Let it go, Lilac. You’re starting to get really annoying.”
Starting? I was pretty sure she passed that days ago. I liked her. She was friendly and had enough personality to fill an entire island. She was also agitating on a level I didn’t know existed outside of cheerleading camp or extreme couponing meetings.
Lilac pasted an innocent expression on her face. “How am I being annoying?”
“The fact that you’re even asking that with a straight face tells me that you’re in the mood to play games,” Booker fired back. “I am not.”
“Oh, whatever.” Lilac turned her petulant pout toward me. “How did Mark Santiago die?”
“Don’t answer that,” Booker barked. “She’s trying to get around me by asking you.”
“Really? I never would’ve guessed that.” I was too tired to put up with much more of this. “So … does anyone want to head toward the liquor aisle?”
“Be patient, grasshopper.” Booker’s smirk set my teeth on edge. “We need to talk about the other thing first.”
“What’s the other thing?” I was truly at a loss.
“Why did you go to the construction office? I knew you were up to something by the way you left, but I’m curious about why you picked that to be your move.”
“What do you think my move should’ve been?”
“Oh, you’re not going to distract me.” Booker wagged a finger in my face. “Tell me what you were doing talking to Martin.”
Crap. I guess there was no way out of this. “I Googled Mark Santiago’s name because I was curious and wanted to see what I could find out about him.”
“You could’ve asked me,” Booker said.
“Or me,” Lilac added.
“I wanted to search for myself,” I clarified. “One of the things I found was a photograph of him sitting on a roof. It was a business story about ongoing construction on the island and the caption said Mark worked for Martin Gullikson.”
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Booker. “You wanted to see if he had any insight on why Mark broke into your house.”
“It turns out Martin cut Mark loose months ago because his recreational drinking problem was becoming dire.”
“Heck, I could’ve told you that,” Booker said. “You should’ve asked.”
“You’re cagey with information,” I reminded him. “I think you wanted to tell me, but you came to some manly agreement with Galen this morning and you don’t want to break the bro code.”
Booker’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Bro code?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a bunch of hogwash. I have a right to know what’s going on.”
“I don’t disagree,” Booker countered. “I think you’re like an overloaded circuit, though. I’m not sure how much more you can take.”
“So coddling me is the answer?”
“I thought you said there wasn’t any cuddling,” Lilac challenged, making a face when I murdered her with the meanest look in my repertoire. “Wow. Your sense of humor is non-existent today, huh?”
She had no idea. “I wanted to know more about Mark Santiago. I think I’ve earned that.”
“I do, too, but you should’ve asked me about his work history,” Booker said. “I could’ve told you he wasn’t doing construction any longer.”
“Fine. Then what has he been doing with his time?”
“He’s been working on the Durham Farm.”
Lilac snapped her head so she could stare down Booker, surprise practically oozing from her pores. “Seriously? I didn’t know that. I wondered where he was getting his beer money.”
“He’s been working there for two months,” Booker supplied. “I have no idea how he’s been working out, but I know he’s been putting in regular appearances.”
“Really.” I wasn’t sure what to make of that. “You have a farm?”
“Of course we do. Where do you think we get the fresh dairy and meat?”
I glanced at the contents of the cart, my stomach twisting. I knew where chicken and beef came from, of course, but the idea that the animals were born and raised on the island simply so they could feed residents and tourists made me feel a bit iffy. “Oh. I guess that makes sense.”
“Do you know what we should do?” Lilac was back to being bubbly.
“We should check out and head back to the lighthouse so I can finish my work,” Booker answered.
“No, that’s boring.” Lilac waved off the suggestion. “I think we should go out to the farm and ask Wesley what he knows.”
I had no idea who Wesley was, but I was beginning to like this idea. “Can we walk out there?”
Lilac shook her head. “Too far. We need someone to drive us.”
I let my eyes drift to Booker, my lips curving as a plan took shape. “I guess it’s good we have someone who can drive us out there, huh? A kind and giving soul who wants to help.”
“Oh, geez.” Booker pinched the bridge of his nose. “Galen is going to beat the crap out of me when he hears about this.”
“I’ll protect you.” I grabbed Booker’s arm and directed him down the aisle. “Come on. We’ll stop in the liquor aisle and take this stuff home before we head out. Then tonight I’ll reward you with grilled steak and whatever else you want.”
Lilac brightened. “That sounds promising. I was hoping you would open yourself up to getting some before you risked finding cobwebs down there.”
“Not that.” I shook my head. “I swear it won’t take very long and you won’t get in trouble with Galen. Trust me.”
16
Sixteen
We were on our way out of town when a vehicle pulled onto the road behind us and a set of police lights sprang to life.
“Son of a … !” Booker looked resigned when he flicked his turn signal to pull to the side of the road.
“What are you doing?” Lilac asked, glancing over her shoulder. She sat in the middle seat, refused to put on her seatbelt no matter how many times Booker ordered her to do just that, and made a face when she realized what was happening. “Why are you stopping?”
Booker was incredulous. “Why do you think?”
“Because you’re a weenie.”
Booker growled. “I’m going to leave you in a ditch if you don’t shut up.” He put the bus into park and risked a glance in my direction. “Let me do the talking.”
I thought that was an absolutely terrible idea, but I was willing to see how things played out. “Okay.”
Booker’s gaze held mine for an extended period, almost as if he didn’t believe me, and then he turned his attention to the window as he manually rolled it down.
“I didn’t even know they still made windows like that,” I mused. “I can’t remember the last time I saw one of those … um, handle things.”
“I believe it was in an old episode of MacGyver,” Lilac replied dryly. “Seriously, I can’t believe you stopped, Booker. You’re like a little old lady. Please don’t arrest me, Sheriff Hottiepants.”
“Yes, that’s clearly what I’m going to say.” Booker blew out a sigh as Galen sidled to the driver’s side of the bus. The sheriff didn’t look to be in a good mood and I didn’t miss the way Booker’s spine stiffened when Galen leaned his head into the vehicle. “What a pip of a day, sheriff. Is there something I can help you with?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Galen replied, his eyes touching on Lilac before landing on me. “What’s going on?”
“Did we do something wrong, Sheriff?” Lilac asked, shifting toward the lip of the seat and offering what can only be des
cribed as a saccharine smile. “I believe you have to tell us why you pulled us over. It’s the law.”
“Shut up, Lilac.” Galen clearly wasn’t in the mood to play games. “Where are you guys going?”
“We’re taking a ride,” Booker replied, his voice smooth as satin sheets. “Hadley didn’t realize that there was more to the island than just the city.”
“Really?” Galen cocked a challenging eyebrow. “What did she think was beyond the lights?”
“Empty land.”
I don’t know why I initially thought Booker was a poor liar. In truth, he was quite masterful. He had the ability to make the obvious seem blasé.
“She thought we built a city and left the rest of the island to collect dust?” Galen queried, dubious.
“I didn’t really think about it,” I supplied, happy to find my voice strong and my gaze steady. “I want to see some of the stuff that’s out here. We’ve been running errands for a bit, and I wanted a chance to look at something beyond the lighthouse. What’s the problem?”
“Did I say there was a problem?”
“No, but you’re walking around as if you have a stick shoved up your you-know-what,” Lilac muttered.
“Shut up, Lilac,” Galen ordered, his eyes never leaving my face. “Tell me about these errands you ran.”
I opened my mouth to explain about shopping and then narrowed my eyes. “What business is it of yours?”
“I’m the sheriff.”
“Dude, you should really put on one of those ten-gallon hats and spurs if you’re going to say things like that,” Booker chided. “It makes you sound like a douche.”
Instead of being angry, Galen merely shook his head. “I heard it the second I said it. There was no reason to point it out.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“We’ll get to why you’re here in a second,” Galen countered. “Hadley, what errands did you run?”
He was clearly trying to make a point. I had a feeling I knew what that point was. If Lilac found out about my visit to the construction office it was only a matter of time until Galen did the same. I wasn’t ashamed of my actions, but I wasn’t in the mood to kowtow to Galen either. He did drug me. He also forced me to sleep next to his naked chest and I couldn’t remember any of it. That was so unfair.
“I went to the grocery store, but I didn’t realize you could rent carts to walk your groceries home, so I only got a few things,” I volunteered. There was no way I was giving him what he wanted without a fight. Wait … that came out wrong. “So I was a complaining mess when I got back to the house and Booker explained about the carts.”
“She didn’t get any snacks at all,” Booker lamented. “It was pitiful.”
“I did get steaks,” I said. “I knew you’d be coming back to tell me about your day, so I got steaks, corn and pasta salad for dinner.”
“And we’re both invited as a thank you,” Booker said. “Isn’t that nice of Hadley?”
“Yes, it’s delightful,” Galen drawled. “What else did you do?”
“Well, after I found out about the cart, I mentioned that I wanted to add shrimp to the mix and Booker suggested we go back to the grocery store.”
“She also needed a better class of snacks,” Booker added.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at Galen’s annoyed expression. “We spent a decent amount of time in the store, and Booker taught me how to shop. Apparently I’ve been doing it wrong my entire life and didn’t even know it. Then we ran into Lilac, and she said something about wanting to show me the countryside and here we are.”
“Really?”
I bobbed my head in affirmation. “Really.”
Galen took a long, steadying breath as he stared. He didn’t believe me. He knew I went to the construction office. He even knew what I asked. He obviously didn’t want to call me on my behavior, though. If I had to guess it was because he thought I would be uncomfortable about everyone on the island knowing my business. I already knew that and was definitely uncomfortable, but he wasn’t saving me from anything by keeping the information to himself.
“How long do you plan on being out here for your ride?” Galen asked, shifting his eyes to Booker. “Not after dark, right?”
Booker shook his head. “I still have to finish the upstairs window, although it’s mostly done. It just needs a few finishing nails and a coat of paint. We’ll be back in plenty of time for dinner.”
“A dinner that you’re expected for because you owe me information,” I said.
Galen ran his hand over the back of his neck, his face showing hints of fatigue for a few moments before he caught himself, smoothed his expression, and nodded. “Okay. Dinner sounds nice. I will be there by six.”
Really? That was easy. “Great. I’m looking forward to grilling. I can’t really cook, but I’m a whiz with the grill.”
“And I’m looking forward to eating.” Galen’s smile was back, although it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “Keep an eye on Hadley, Booker. She’s new to the area and I don’t want her getting separated.”
Booker mock saluted, causing a muscle to tremble in Galen’s jaw. “I’m on it, boss.”
“I’m looking forward to dinner, too,” Lilac announced before Galen could walk away. “I have a lot of questions about how you guys stayed under the same roof with Hadley and yet she got absolutely zero action.”
This time Galen and Booker spoke at the same time.
“Shut up, Lilac!”
THEY SAID “FARM,” but I don’t know what I was expecting. The sprawling expanse of land featuring cows, pigs, horses and even a full field of chickens certainly wasn’t it.
“Holy moly!” I exhaled heavily as I leaned forward to get a better look at the multitude of barns dotting the landscape.
“Nice, huh?” Booker smiled as he navigated the dirt driveway, being careful to avoid ruts. The bus was so old it was probably one good jolt away from completely disintegrating.
“It’s so … big.”
“Too bad you couldn’t say that last night,” Lilac interjected.
“Knock it off!” Booker ordered, his temper fraying. “You’re on my last nerve.”
“That’s so unlike you,” Lilac argued. “Usually you love it when I start laying on the sexual innuendo.”
“Usually we’re not dealing with a dead body in the cove and a local breaking into a house with an ax.”
I wasn’t sure she was capable, but Lilac instantly changed her expression and looked properly chastised. “I’m sorry. I keep forgetting about that part. To me this is all an adventure.”
“And to Hadley she was almost killed in her sleep,” Booker said. “We need to focus on the important thing here.”
“And what is that?”
“We need to talk to Wesley,” Booker replied. “You know how he gets.”
Lilac sobered. “Yeah. I didn’t think about that part either.”
My interest was officially piqued. “What is he like?”
“A grizzly bear with a poor attitude,” Lilac supplied. “He’s very growly. I’m sure he was handsome and romantically rugged back in the day – he has that look, you know – but he’s more rough than romantic these days.”
I had no idea what that meant. “Is he going to throw me around or something?”
“Probably not,” Lilac answered. “Just in case, though, hide behind Booker.”
“Yes, that sounds like a great idea,” Booker muttered. “Everyone hide behind me.”
Lilac refused to rise to the bait. “That’s what I plan to do.”
WESLEY DURHAM WAS exactly as Lilac described him. He was a big bull of a man, broad shoulders giving way to a solid middle that looked as if he drank a bit of beer during his off hours. Still, he was a muscular man, especially for a guy pushing seventy. I couldn’t help being impressed.
“Wesley, how are things?” Booker led the initial approach once we found Wesley oiling a saddle in one of his
barns. Despite the size of the farm, as far as I could tell, Wesley was the only inhabitant.
“Well, I had a mare give birth this afternoon and no one wanted to put it on the news because it wasn’t a giraffe, and then I had part of the fence in the eastern pasture go down, so that took three hours to fix. I got a big splinter while doing it, and I just found out I’m out of strawberries, so there will be no shortcake for dessert.”
“Oh, you should’ve called,” Lilac said. “We just came from the market.”
Wesley knit his sparkplug eyebrows and shook his head, barely sparing a glance for me before focusing on Booker. “What are you doing out here? I didn’t think you and I were on friendly terms.”
Uh-oh. Were they about to fight?
“I didn’t realize we were on unfriendly terms,” Booker countered. “I simply thought we disliked each other on the surface but deep down we really wanted to bond. You know, go fishing and hunting and stuff. Pump fists. Bump chests. Pee while standing up.”
Despite his gruff exterior, Wesley cracked a smile as he shook his head. “You’ve always had a bit of your mother’s charm.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t say it was a compliment,” Wesley said. “You still haven’t answered the question. What are you doing out here?”
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard about what happened at the lighthouse last night?”
“May’s lighthouse?” For the first time since we arrived, Wesley registered a full facial expression other than a scowl. “No. What happened?”
“Someone broke in and attacked Hadley.” Booker jerked his thumb in my direction and when Wesley looked at me I offered a lame wave because … well … I have no idea why. I felt the need to do something with my hands, but I’m sure it came off as spastic.
“Attacked how?”
“With an ax,” I answered. “Thankfully I saw movement right before it happened and rolled off the bed.”
“I see.” Wesley’s eyes were thoughtful as he continued massaging the saddle. “I don’t understand what that has to do with me.”
“We believe the man responsible was Mark Santiago,” Booker supplied. “He was found dead in a ditch a few blocks away this morning.”
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