Page 129 of Smitten with the Single Dad

Dammit. Somebody needed to warn Burke and Evie. They were sitting chickens right now.If Fischer and Jenkins found out that Burke was harboring Evie and that she was another witness against Track and Wyndham Croft’s crimes, they wouldn’t hesitate to take her out. They’d probably collect more money because of it.

Most of the driveways on the island were long, with the houses set far away from the main roads. Burke’s was no different. How could she warn them? As they rumbled down the driveway lined with trees, she turned her body so that she could reach the button on the door for her own window. Would it retract? Did the windows in police cruisers go down? Maybe this was an old enough one that it would. She pushed, and pushed, and pushed, but it wouldn’t budge.

A small, dark-green, shake-sided bungalow came into view. The north facing side was on stilts, with kayaks and a canoe stored underneath. But it was the most beautiful, unencumbered view of the sound that really stole the show. A half-wraparound porch connected the front door to the balcony facing the water. And at the sound of their approach, Burke’s big, foreboding figure came into view. He must have seen Vica in the backseat of the cruiser because he pulled out his phone immediately, then shouted.

Evie darted around from the deck where he’d come from and ran straight in front of the patrol car and down a trail toward the ocean. Burke approachedthe police car but kept a safe distance. “Officer Jenkins. Officer Fischer,” he said with a nod. Then he tilted his head to the side slightly and made eye contact with Vica. “Vica. You okay?”

Fischer met her gaze in the rearview mirror and Jenkins spun around in his seat to watch her. “I’ve been arrested for murder and the unauthorized disclosure of classified documents,” she said like a robot.

“Not to mention you’re a dirty fucking immigrant, here illegally,” Fischer said with a snort. “Just because you spread your legs for a McEvoy doesn’t mean you’re an American.”

“Is that really the way police officers are supposed to speak to or treat people?” Burke asked, his tone calm even though the muscle in his jaw was close to popping clean through his skin.

“Are you telling us how to do our job?” Jenkins asked, opening the car door and stepping out. He was a tall man, but Burke was taller, younger, and stronger. Burke probably had at least fifty pounds of pure muscle on the cop.

Fischer spun around as best as he could to face her. “Say a fucking word and you’ll regret it.”

He climbed out of the car too. Both cops made a show of drawing attention to their guns by hoisting up their pants. Burke’s gaze landed on each, then flitted back to Vica. “It’ll be okay,” he mouthed before turning his attention back to the crooked cops.

“Who was that woman?” Jenkins asked. “Why’d she run when we came? What’s she hiding?”

“Have I done something wrong, officers?” Burke asked.

“Not yet, but if you don’t answer the question, we might have a problem. Who was that woman?”

“My girlfriend. Sandrine. She’s here visiting from Seattle for a few days. I’m not sure if you heard about the bomb that was sent to Vica yesterday at the restaurant, but I defused it. My bosses thought I deserved some time off because of it. So I invited Sandrine to join me for a few days.”

“Why’d she run away so fast?” Jenkins asked.

“I have an alert on my phone that tells me whenever there are whales down near the beach. I got the alert when you pulled in and called to her. She wanted to run down there and see them before they left.”

“What kind of whales?” Fischer asked. “What pod?”

“Orcas. J-pod.”

“What does Sandrine do for work?” Jenkins asked.

“She’s a registered massage therapist at a rehab clinic for people who experience workplace injuries.”

Even though Vica was terrified, she was also very impressed with Burke’s ability to lie so well and so quickly.

“How long have you been together?” Fischer asked.

“Not long. About six months. We’re taking it slow since neither of us are ready to move.”

Jenkins glanced back at Vica before facing Burke again. “How’d you meet?”

“Is this interrogation really necessary?” Burke asked with a sigh. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here. Or what I’ve done to warrant a visit.”

“Well, it’s come to our attention that there was a mole in the restaurant feeding information to the wrong people about Vica’s whereabouts. This is why people knew to send the bomb to the restaurant, and when Vica would be out for a walk, and when she would be in Wyatt’s truck. So, we’re just paying all the staff some visits to do our due diligence as officers of the law.”

Burke smirked. “So you think thatImight be the mole, even though I was the one who risked my life taking the bomb out on the kayak and diffusing it? When, at any point in time, it could have detonated and killed me.”

“Unless you were the one to build the bomb and knew all along how to diffuse it. You remove suspicion from yourself and come across as a hero. Pretty smart, if you ask me.” Fischer glanced at Jenkins who nodded in agreement.

“That seems pretty far-fetched to me,” Burke scoffed.

“Call your lady friend back. We’d like to ask her some questions,” Jenkinssaid.

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