Page 24 of Hush Money

“Answer it,” I say.

He mutters a curse then hits the button. “What is it, Daniel? This is a bad time.” He listens. “Fuck. No, it’s fine. I’ll be right there.”

My heart sinks. I don’t like the sound of that any more than I like his scowl as he hangs up. “What is it? Ravenna?”

He shakes his head. “The police. They’re here to talk to me.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

LUCIEN

Tamsyn and I climb down from the treehouse in a fraught silence, the moment between us ruined and my erection now dead on the vine. I didn’t see this development coming, but I’m not surprised. This is a hallmark of life with Ravenna. Unexpected events. Whiplash emotions. That sinking feeling, always.

It’s not that a visit from the police under the circumstances is a big deal. It’s not. It’s just that pebbles are always dropping into ponds when Ravenna is in the picture. Those pebbles create ripples, and those ripples create consequences. The current consequence? I thought I’d broken through Tamsyn’s new wariness around me. I thought I’d convinced her that I’m still just me, even if I am, suddenly, a married man. I need to show her that this thing between us hasn’t changed.

Simple, right?

Only that’s all a lie, and we both know it. Because Ravenna does exist, and Tamsyn is smart enough to be wary. If Tamsyn needs a little space from me, I’ll give it to her. Not happily, but I will. The thing I won’t do? Give Tamsyn up. Ravenna can try all the tricks in her arsenal. And believe me, she’s got plenty. She will not come between me and Tamsyn. There’s no fucking way.

But…

I don’t like the way Tamsyn’s face is downturned and solemn now when it was easy and smiling just a few minutes ago. When she just came for me. And I really don’t like the way she tugs her hand free when I try to take it as we walk across the lawn toward the seawall. By the time we meet up with Daniel and the detective at the dock, my mood is sour and heading toward hostile. Not exactly an ideal situation for dealing with the police, but I can’t say I even give a shit.

Detective Smith, whom I met earlier at the hospital, doesn’t see us at first. She’s too engrossed in examining the dock from all sides and taking some pictures of the scene with her phone. But Daniel, who’s standing behind her, sees us immediately and gives me a sorry about this; what can you do shrug. I nod. I appreciate the commiseration. But Detective Smith is only doing her job, and I don’t blame her for that. Even if I do take issue with her timing.

“Detective Smith,” I say, stepping forward and extending my hand. “This is a surprise.”

She shakes with a firm grip and hits me with a gaze that’s relaxed but also focused and direct. She’s about my age, which makes me wonder if she’s had the life experience needed to solve tricky crimes, but I get the feeling that anyone who underestimates her does so at their own peril. And if, as I suspect, Ravenna perpetrated a hoax on all of us with her disappearing act, I hope that Detective Smith is the right person to help us get to the bottom of it.

“Mr. Winter,” she says. “Good to see you again.”

“I didn’t expect it to be so soon, to be honest,” I say. “I tried to answer all your questions at the hospital. And I assumed you’d call before you showed up.”

“Well, I had a few extra minutes, and I did mention that I’d like to see where she was found,” she says with an easy smile. She and I both know that she showed up out of the blue to snoop around and see if she could catch me off guard, but the niceties must be observed. “I feel like I’m already behind the eight ball, since I’m new to Ravenna’s case and the detective who handled her disappearance has since died. So he’s no help. I’m trying to play catch-up.”

“We all are,” I say.

“Daniel was nice enough to show me around the dock. You’ve got a beautiful estate, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

“I was hoping the techs who were here earlier would find something,” she says with a sweeping gesture that encompasses the dock, the shoreline and the craggy rocks. “A phone. A purse. Something. No luck, though.”

I nod grimly. “She disappeared into thin air and reappeared from thin air.”

“Indeed,” she says, her bright interest turning to Tamsyn as she extends her hand. “Detective Smith. And you are…?”

Tamsyn seems a bit flustered, but she swings into action and shakes the woman’s hand. “Tamsyn Scott. Nice to meet you.”

“What is your connection to the Winter family, if I might ask?” Detective Smith asks.

Some primitive instinct makes me step forward and slightly in front of Tamsyn before she can answer. “She’s my personal guest,” I say, infusing more steel in my voice. Why? Because the thing we are not going to do—the thing we will never do—is implicate Tamsyn in any of Ravenna’s shenanigans. “The two of us only met a couple of weeks ago when we met at the airport and discovered we were on the same Mediterranean cruise. And why is that relevant, if I may ask?”

“I’m just getting the lay of the land,” Detective Smith says, her aura of pleasant unbothered-ness never wavering. “How long have you been here, Ms. Scott?”

“Since yesterday,” I say before Tamsyn can answer.

“I wasn’t aware that your name was also Ms. Scott, Mr. Winter,” Detective Smith says with a new tinge of flinty amusement. “I’d like to hear from the female Ms. Scott this time, if that’s okay with you.”

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