Page 4 of Refuge for Ailsa

“Am I understanding correctly? You’re saying he speeded up?”

“Yes, sir. He sure did. Powered right over her. I just stood there, kinda frozen. Couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

“And then what?”

“And then I called nine-one-one, and the next thing I knew, you guys were all converging. Lots of manpower, lots of boats.” She took a sip of coffee and set her mug back down. “And that’s all I know.”

“Gotcha.” Tavish sipped more coffee and sat there, trying to figure out what to say to her. She was easily the most attractive woman he’d seen in a long time, but he was pretty sure she wouldn’t be interested in him. “So, can you spell your name, please?”

“A-i-l-s-a. Last name M-a-c capital-D o-u-g-a-l, all one word.”

“Irish name?”

“Nope. Scottish. Yours is too.”

Tavish nodded. “Yep. My parents are sixth generation in this area. First batch of them came here sometime not too long before the Civil War.”

“Mine too. My great-great-grandfather was a blacksmith. Made all kinds of things, and repaired things too.”

“Mine were all farmers.”

She chuckled. “Yeaaaaah, mine weren’t that wealthy.”

“I don’t think mine really were either, but they made it work somehow.” He hated to end the conversation, but he was itching to get back outside and see if they’d found out more. “So is there anything else you can tell me?”

“No. Not that I can think of.”

“Do you have cameras? Camera footage of them while they were in here could help us with our timeline.”

“Oh, yeah. If you need the video footage, I’d be glad to give it to you.”

“Thanks. Here.” Tavish reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card. “If you think of anything, let me know. Just call and I can tell you which deputy to talk to.”

“I’ll do that.”

“How much for the coffee?”

She smiled, and if he’d thought she was beautiful already… That smile lit up the whole room. “It’s on the house. It’s the least I can do.”

“Well, okay then. Thanks for your time, and for the coffee. And the conversation.” With that, he stood, and she did too. “Enjoy the rest of your day,” he said as he turned.

“You too. Nice to meet you.”

“Same here.” He threw her a backhanded wave and pushed the door open. The smell of vegetation and the lake water hit his senses, and he remembered why he loved it there so much. There was still a lot of activity, and as he walked, he watched a deputy direct Mr.Bentley into a cruiser. Harley was standing there, talking to some other law enforcement officers, when Tavish walked up. “Taking him in?”

“Yeah, there are enough inconsistencies in his story to warrant asking him some questions. Get anything from the store clerk?”

“Oh, yeah. She saw the whole thing. Give me your email address and I’ll forward the audio file to you.”

“Great! Thanks. Guess I’d better go follow them. Thanks, Tavish. Good to meet you.” Harley held out a hand, and Tavish shook it.

“Yeah. Good to meet you too. Be safe out there.”

“You too, officer!” Harley said, walking backward and grinning before spinning and hotfooting it to his car.

Tavish told Chester goodbye and climbed into his jon boat, powered it up, and headed toward where his truck was parked. What he’d seen had definitely been some kind of unforgettable.

And he wasn’t sure which was more unforgettable, that dead body facedown in the water, or those sky-blue eyes.

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