Page 33 of Summertime Rapture

ChapterTwelve

Bruce’s pickup pulled into the parking lot of the Edgartown Police Station five minutes after Elsa. She’d waited with bated breath, clutching her father’s ring as Mallory’s story rotated around and around her head.I trusted him. I don’t know what he wanted with me. But why would he pretend to want to date me if he’d already robbed us? I just don’t understand.

Elsa couldn’t pretend to understand, either. She only knew that when times got hard, you called the police. Maybe they didn’t always know exactly what to do, but they planned out the next steps for you and made you feel a little more secure.

Elsa fell into Bruce’s outstretched arms. A sob escaped her lips, one she immediately regretted. “I’m sorry,” she muttered into Bruce’s armpit.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” he told her. I’m right here. We’ll get through this together.”

Elsa showed Bruce her father’s ring. The emerald stone glinted in the beautiful late-June sunlight.

“He used to wear it every day,” she explained. “It was a reminder of where he came from, of his father and his father’s father and the entire Remington clan. The fact that Mallory just found it on some guy’s bedside table in a shoddy apartment just shocks me.” Elsa puffed out her cheeks, exasperated.

“This is the first step,” Bruce told her firmly. “Maybe this will lead to everything else. Maybe you’ll get all your mementos back.”

Officer Bradley awaited them behind the desk. His face was ghoulish, slightly green. He’d probably been on-call throughout the night, as the Round the Island Race was such a pivotal moment of the summer and required enhanced police presence.

“Elsa. Bruce.” Officer Bradley rose and shook their hands. “Please, step into my office.”

Elsa and Bruce sat across from the officer. Elsa placed the ring in the center of his desk, watching as he lifted it, inspecting it from every angle.What did he know about its value? Nothing. Why did he pretend to know?

“You said on the phone that your daughter discovered the ring at a boyfriend’s house?” Officer Bradley said, his voice low.

Elsa resented the way he said, “a boyfriend’s house,” as though Mallory was always running around the island, counting out her boyfriends like some people counted stars in the sky.

“Yes. His name is Brodie Thomkins,” Elsa continued.

Officer Bradley’s gaze shot up toward hers. “Thomkins, you say?”

Elsa’s heartbeat quickened. “Yes. Why?”

Officer Bradley grimaced. “The Thomkins have been in and out of trouble for decades. I’m not surprised that one of their own is at the center of this. I wouldn’t be surprised if more of them are involved. It was more than a one-person job, after all.”

Elsa nodded, her eyes filling with tears.

“Since your daughter discovered the ring at Brodie’s place, we can bring him in for questioning,” Officer Bradley continued. “I’ll send some officers out that way now.”

Elsa imagined the nightmare of a knock at the door, followed by being shoved into the back of a cop car.But he deserved it. He took everything.

“Thank you,” Elsa said.

“In the meantime, I need you to tell me everything you know right now,” Officer Bradley continued. “So that we can use your knowledge for the interview process.”

“Of course,” Elsa said.

“Your daughter will need to make a statement, as well,” Officer Bradley informed her.

“She’s a bit shaken up right now,” Elsa explained. “She really liked this boy.”

Officer Bradley groaned. “I see this kind of thing sometimes. Men manipulate women to get closer to their wealth. It’s disgusting.”

“Yes. Disgusting,” Elsa whispered.

Officer Bradley sent two officers out to Brodie’s place to pick him up. As he was whisked toward them, Elsa gave the officer as much information as she could, which was, ultimately, not that much.

“The fact of it is, this ring is proof that he’s a liar,” Officer Bradley affirmed as they finished up. “We can’t know right now how deep his lies go. But this is a good first step.”

“You’ll use the ring during the interview?” Elsa whispered, suddenly panicked. She didn’t want to part with this item of her father’s so soon after reuniting with it.

---