Page 47 of Fire Harbor

“True. But the dogs aren’t used to the alarm going off. Be prepared for three dogs to go into berserk barking mode.”

After checking on the dogs—who were fine, by the way—Linus took Crescent Street on his way back to the hospital. He spotted Eastlyn’s cruiser parked outside Layne’s Trains. On impulse, he decided now might be a good time to have a word with Cooper, and if Eastlyn happened to be in a talkative mood, maybe he could get her to talk about where the case stood.

Linus strolled into Layne’s Trains, greeted by the familiar bell above the door with classical Bach playing on the overhead stereo system.

Cooper sat huddled over an elaborate train layout, meticulously rearranging the buildings in a miniature village. His eyes lit up as he saw Linus enter. “Hey, what brings you by today?”

Linus leaned against the glass counter, eyeing the intricate model trains on display, trying to keep from giving away the real reason he’d dropped in. His eyes darted around the shop before trying to sound convincing. “Just passing by, thought I’d say hello.”

As he shoved off the counter to browse the shelves, he discreetly glanced at Eastlyn, who was on her cell phone near the back of the store. His eyes landed back on Cooper. “Did you decide where to take Eastlyn for her vacation?”

“We talked about seeing Ireland. I’d love to photograph at least half of the castles there. But Brent canceled all leave until this mess with the serial killer ends. How about you? Got any plans for summer?” Cooper asked, swiping a hand through his chestnut hair, shorter now than in recent years.

“I’m working on it.”

“I hear you’re dating Lake Marigold. She’s quite a looker,” Cooper said, looking up from his detailed miniature town. “I’d say that means you’ve completely moved on from Jessica. Am I right?”

“Jess and I weren’t right for each other,” Linus replied. “But yeah, Lake and I have been together almost two weeks.”

“Wow, two weeks, huh? Sounds promising. Why don’t you guys come for a cookout this weekend? I’ll put steaks on the grill.”

“That’d be great. Thanks. Oh, wait. Lake’s sort of a vegetarian.”

Cooper chuckled. “Okay, so I’ll adjust my menu and throw together some veggie kebobs, grill those instead.”

Eastlyn ended her call and joined the two men. “Linus. How’s it going?”

“Good. You?”

Before answering, she pivoted toward Cooper and said, “You won’t believe this, but Kaeden is leaving the Army. He’s been stateside for a week and coming to Pelican Pointe.”

“When?”

“He’ll be here this weekend.”

“We should turn the cookout into a party,” Cooper suggested. “We’ll show Kaeden how welcoming the town is to military personnel.”

“Lake and I wouldn’t think of intruding on your brother’s visit,” Linus said. “We could always make it another time.”

Eastlyn narrowed her eyes toward Linus. “Don’t be silly. The more, the merrier. Besides, Kaeden scored a second interview with the Santa Cruz PD as a helicopter pilot. He’s over the moon. It’s cause for celebration.”

“Two pilots in one family,” Linus reasoned. “You must be overjoyed that he’ll be living closer.”

“I’m pretty pumped about it. Hence, the cookout turns into a party for Kaeden.” Eastlyn glanced at her watch. “I need to get going before the Chief fires me.”

“What’s up with the serial killer thing? Any news?” The words were out of Linus’s mouth before he could stop them.

Cooper shook his head. “So that’s why you stopped in here?”

Linus’s face took on a sheepish look. “Yeah. I saw Eastlyn’s cruiser.”

Eastlyn rolled her eyes. “Walk me out, and I’ll dish the dirt.”

Linus waved to Cooper as he walked Eastlyn to her patrol car. “What’s happening with the second victim?”

“You didn’t hear this from me,” Eastlyn stated as she leaned against the cruiser, her expression turning serious. “This morning, a surfer found another body, female, approximately twenty to thirty-five years old, about fifty yards from where you discovered Gabby’s skull.”

“And you think this one is also a victim of the same killer?”

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