Page 35 of Fire Harbor

“Any way you could just call in sick?”

“Hmm. That’s an idea. I do have all my sick days available, not to mention my accrued time off for overtime,” Lake said, dashing into the bathroom to retrieve another towel. “I am entitled to a day off. Saturdays are usually busy, though.”

“Maybe not so much today. From what I saw driving over here, people will be busy cleaning up after the storm. There are downed trees all over town and roofs with wind damage. What do you say we feed these guys and ourselves, then give them a bath?”

“Sounds like a plan. I have a dog wash station set up in the basement. It has a tub, a showerhead, and plenty of doggie shampoo.”

“That takes care of the mutts, but what about us? We could save time, hot water, and soap by showering together.”

She sputtered with laughter. “Let’s just get through breakfast and see what happens after that. I need to call Greta and come up with a plan.”

She decided to keep the library closed until noon, when she would open up and hand out emergency supplies to anyone who needed extra food or water.

While Linus had cooked up a skillet of scrambled eggs with peppers and onions, Lake had taken a quick shower. She entered the kitchen about the same time the toast popped up. “That smells delicious.”

Linus kissed her lightly on the lips. “Not as good as you smell right now. I’ve decided to bathe the dogs while you’re at work.”

Lake frowned. “When will you sleep?”

“I’ll get the dogs settled and nap for a couple of hours until you get off work. I thought I’d stay here and sleep on the couch. How does that sound? Too presumptuous? Too overconfident? That way, I’ll be here when you get off work and we can spend time together tonight.”

“It doesn’t sound overconfident at all. But since you’ve already been in my bed, it’s okay to sleep upstairs.”

“I’d planned to wash the sheets and drop the quilt off to get it dry cleaned.”

“You don’t have to do all that. Well, maybe toss the sheets in the washer. It would be nice to sleep in clean sheets tonight without mud. There’s also a clean comforter on the top shelf of the linen closet upstairs and blankets, too. I could drop off the quilt on my way to work. I’ve been wanting to try the new dry cleaners Thane and Izzy opened for months. Now I have an excuse.”

Linus twisted in his chair. “Now might not be the best time to ask, but were you able to find out anything else about the incidents at the bridge?”

“I found a few witness statements from people who claimed to have seen someone lurking near the area,” Lake said between bites of her eggs. “I don’t think it’s as significant as you thought it would be, though. You already know what or rather who I think they saw. They obviously saw Scott. One or two describe the guy as if something ghostly appeared out of nowhere and intervened. Needless to say, law enforcement didn’t take anything they said seriously, including the attempted abduction.”

“How many incidents were there?”

“In total, I found eight.” Lake held up her phone. “I sent the links to my email address. Here. See for yourself.”

Linus studied each one, reading the details. “I don’t know. Most of these accounts come off as sounding crazy, like they’re unstable or something. No wonder law enforcement didn’t take the statements as fact. You were right about Brent calling off the search. I ran into Beckett on one of my runs last night. He said they’ll need to wait until the water recedes under the bridge to make any headway toward the wall of vines.”

“But by that time, any other evidence could be washed away with the tides.”

“My thoughts exactly. I also turned over the gold pendant to Brent. He had me draw a map to the approximate location where I found the bones and then the necklace. It’s already logged into evidence.”

She stood up and took her plate over to the sink. “How did he take you finding the necklace?”

“Let’s just say I got the lecture you told me I’d get. That guy really doesn’t like anybody interfering in his cases. I thought he’d be grateful.”

“Brogan said…”

“I know.”

Lake looked at her watch. “I have to go. If you need anything, just text or call.”

He slid an arm around her waist, tilted her chin up. After a tender meeting of lips, he whispered, “The only thing I need is you.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Chapter Nine

The first of Linus’s chores was getting the dogs clean. The second was to make sure they couldn’t use the doggie door again until the backyard had dried up by blocking the flap. He also cleaned up the poop outside. An inaccessible back lawn meant he had to take them on a walk around the neighborhood, which got him plenty of curious stares from prying eyes.

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