“The pornographer. Ollie informs me you’ve not assigned a task force to investigate.”
A task force? Jesus. The woman watched too many episodes of Law & Order. Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, he explained—again, “Ma’am, there’s no pornographer.”
“Oh, yes, there is. Someone intentionally left that book on the ground for a child to find it.”
Uh-oh, things had gone a step further. Now it wasn’t just some sicko who was careless with his things, it was a plot to destroy little minds.
“No, she didn’t.”
The woman’s eyes flared. Her nostrils did, too, as if she’d smelled something juicy. “You said ‘she.’”
Calling himself ten kinds of idiot, he snapped, “He or she. Mrs. Franklin, as far as I’m concerned, this matter is closed.”
“You’ve discovered who did it, haven’t you?”
Making a decision, and hoping he didn’t regret it, he said, “Yes, I have. The owner dropped it completely by accident and was horribly embarrassed. I returned the property, and that’s the end of the matter.”
“Who was it?”
Suddenly appearing more titillated than bossy, Mike had to wonder just how much this twenty-years-a-widow had looked at that book. “That’s absolutely none of your business.”
She gasped as if he’d slapped her. On the other side of the café, Angie snorted loudly, covering it by coughing into her fist. He’d just done the equivalent of flipping off his boss, but right now, he truly didn’t care.
“You can’t speak to me like that.”
“Ma’am, I’m a police officer. You are a citizen. Even if a crime had been committed—which it hasn’t—I wouldn’t be at liberty to discuss it with you. Nor would I want to.”
“Ollie would have...”
“You didn’t hire Ollie, remember?” he asked, suddenly half wishing the council had.
Then he remembered Lindsey, and the fact that he might never have met her if not for this job, and quashed that thought. Even if he didn’t stay in this job, the months he’d spent here, under watchful eyes of judgmental people like Mrs. Franklin, would have been worth it, because of Lindsey.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off duty and I’m going home.”
“We’re not finished here.”
“Yes, Mrs. Franklin, we are. If you have anything else to say to me, you can come by the station tomorrow, because I’m off until late tonight.”
And with that, and a nod to Angie, he strode out of the coffee shop, wondering if he’d just effectively ruined his chances of holding on to this job at the end of his probation.
Funny. Somehow, right at this moment, knowing for certain that Lindsey would not be staying here after this school year, he just didn’t give a damn.
* * *
AS SHE FINISHED packing a picnic basket she’d found in the pantry with bread and cheese, grapes and wine, Lindsey asked, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Mike cupped her face and brushed his mouth across hers. “It’s a beautiful day... We’re completely alone. It will be fine.”
She hoped so. Because he was right—it was beautiful out. Spring had definitely sprung, and the May days were gorgeously sunny and warm. Even the gardens around her cottage had erupted with daffodils and tulips, the flowers bursting through the weeds and erupting in yellows and reds. The island was truly coming to life. The town was also sprucing up for the tourist season, with more and more shops open on Main Street.
“Come on, this’ll probably be our last chance. The tourists will start coming over for weekends in the next week or two. With you working every weekday, we might not have another opportunity.”
Oh, he was tempting. As discreet as they tried to be, she did long to just be with him, in the sunshine, holding hands, doing whatever. Well, considering they were bringing along a blanket and heading to an extremely private beach, the “whatever” might be pretty naughty.
“It’ll be worth it,” he promised. “And it’s not like we’re going twenty miles away. We’re walking through your backyard.”
That was true. The small beach on the southernmost tip of the island was accessible through the woods behind her place. According to the locals, only summer people who rented the vacant cottages all around hers went to the beach, so they’d have complete privacy, which made it just about perfect for them.
Seeing Mike naked in the sunlight had become one of her lifelong goals.
Still, she kept an eye peeled as they approached the shoreline and walked down to the small, secluded beach. The sand between the trees and the water was probably only about twenty feet wide, the shoreline curving away into a rocky cliff on one side and into the woods on another. The beach was every bit as private as she’d been led to believe, a little alcove that was probably overcrowded and noisy during the summer, but was as idyllic as a Caribbean lagoon right now.