Page 37 of Echoes at Driftwood Cottage

Eastlyn must have noticed her unease. “We’ll transfer these to a computer and keep them digitally for as long as the case is open. If there’s no reason to keep them, we won’t.”

“Really? You’ll remove them from the system?” Rowan asked while Eastlyn handed her a towel to clean off the ink.

“You bet. Unless you’ve committed a crime,” Eastlyn added with a wink.

Rowan rubbed at her fingertips, trying to wipe off as much ink as she could. “I haven’t. I pay my taxes and live a law-abiding life. I promise.”

“Then you’re free to go.”

Rowan thanked Eastlyn before heading out the door. As soon as she reached the pickup, she slumped against the door. She jumped when she caught a shadow out of the corner of her eye. Theo Woodsong stood a few feet away.

“I wanted to apologize for last night. I should’ve taken your comments more seriously. I’m not usually so insensitive when I go out on a call. Maybe it’s the new guy not yet comfortable in his surroundings.”

She noticed the distress on his face, the lines tightening at the corners of his eyes, the dark circles giving way to worry. He looked slightly rattled or maybe embarrassed. Or maybe the lack of sleep was catching up to him. It was that vulnerability that had her annoyance softening. “Don’t worry about it. I was stressed out, agitated, and worked up about the mess in the house. You might say I didn’t have the best weekend. If you want the truth, last night, I was second-guessing myself about moving here.”

“We have that in common. Two newbies. Me? I left Seattle in my rear-view mirror. See? I should’ve been more understanding. Maybe I’m losing my touch as a police officer. I never considered how upset you were about the headstone.”

“It’s okay. It sounds crazy when I tell people about it.”

“If it’s any consolation, I think Brent was right to take it more seriously than I did.”

“We’ll see. They’re making inquiries. Isn’t that the standard line at the beginning of an investigation?”

Theo chuckled. “It is. Look, I need to get moving. I start my shift in two hours. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks. I will. And Theo,” Rowan tossed out, “hang in there. I’ve been told this place is a nice spot to call home.”

“I’ll try to keep that at the forefront.”

From across the parking lot, Rowan spotted Daniel carrying a double-scoop ice cream cone. “What’s this?”

“My newest concoction. I call it orange blossom custard. I just took it out of the freezer. You’re the first person to taste it other than myself.”

Her eyes twinkled with delight. “I’ll be your guinea pig any time.”

“It’s the least I could do after I got your text. It’s not every day you get fingerprinted.”

“Your gesture—while exceptionally grand—doesn’t entirely take away the humiliating sting of feeling like a criminal,” she said, holding up her fingers and showing off the remaining ink. She took the cone, licking the top before it melted and dripped onto her hand. “It’s delicious.”

“Ice cream is supposed to fix everything. I’m sorry it can’t fix this. How’d it go in there?”

“The bright spot was Eastlyn Parker. And Woodsong just apologized. We made peace. He says Brent is taking this as seriously as the police take anything, at this point, under the circumstances. It’s all conjecture so far, Daniel. I have no reason to believe my grandparents were part of a sinister plot to cover up a kidnapping. In my mind, that’s a huge leap.”

“Then maybe it’s all a big misunderstanding, and there’s a reasonable explanation—which Brent will uncover if given enough time to do his job.”

She looped an arm through his, continuing to lick her cone. “That’s fine by me. It takes a lot of energy to conduct my own investigation. I’m not sure I’m up for it. Besides, Eastlyn seems motivated. In fact, they all do. Wanna ride in my pickup?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Rowan finished off her cone before getting behind the wheel, her fingers sticking to the steering wheel. “Black ink and ice cream. I don’t think I’d get that combo in San Diego.”

“We can make a quick stop by the store. You can wash off your hands there.”

“Good idea. It’s time you showed me the secrets behind your ice cream empire. And if you don’t mind, we need to sleep at my place tonight. I have that Zoom call at nine in the morning with my biggest client. I need to be at my best, not rushing around in the morning trying to catch my breath.”

“So morning sex is out?”

She grinned. “I didn’t say that. I just need to make sure I get a good night’s sleep and don’t look like I’m struggling to cope with a major life change.”

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