Tangled in the Sails Read online

  Tangled in the Sails

  Coastal Justice Book Eight

  Mark Stone

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  1

  I shook my head, my knee jerking nervously as I stuffed another handful of fries into my mouth. Music was playing and my best friend in the world was laughing at me, but I couldn’t focus on any of that. I couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that she wasn’t here, that my wife was still gone.

  “You’ve got to calm down, my man,” Boomer said, taking a swig of beer and grinning at me as he pulled my basket of fries away and dug into it himself. They were greasy and delicious, but they were also the only food we’d gotten in the forty five minutes since we’d been here, despite having ordered a pair of oyster baskets. It made sense, though. Rocco’s was busy tonight, and given that Charlotte had the night off, it seemed like a blessing that we’d gotten any food at all. It wasn’t until she left that anyone realized just how much my ex-girlfriend did for the old bar and grill. I owed her a beer when she came back. If I made it until then, that was.

  “I’m as calm as I can be, Boom,” I said, shaking my head and trying not to think about the reason I was so fidgety.

  “I swear, Dil, if you don’t get it together, you’re never going to survive this,” he said. “Rebecca has been working as a medical examiner for what, two weeks now?”

  “Seventeen days,” I answered, my jaw clenching.

  “She’s safe, man,” he answered through a mouthful of fries.

  “Easy for you to say,” I answered. “Your wife is at home with your kids, not off digging around some crime scene.”

  “That’s because my wife is a retired English teacher and not a medical examiner,” he answered. “Also, that’s a pretty weird thing for a detective to say. Do you have any idea how many nights Rebecca must have been sitting here, just like this, as nervous as you are right now?”

  “That’s different,” I said, even though I knew it really wasn’t.

  “And how is it different?” he asked, leaning forward and arching his eyebrows at me.

  “It’s different because I’m the one sitting here now,” I answered. “Look, when we got together, I was already a detective, but Rebecca was a surgeon. She signed up for me throwing myself in the line of fire. I didn’t.”

  Boomer chuckled loudly at me again. “You do know how ridiculous that sounds, don’t you?” he asked. “You have to know how bad it sounds.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “Sounds pretty bad.”

  “Somebody should have told you this before you walked down the aisle, but when you get married, Dil, it’s kind of for better or worse. I mean, it’s right there in the vows.”

  “I know that,” I responded. “It’s just that this makes me six different kinds of nervous. That’s all.”

  “And you’re allowed to be nervous. That’s totally fine,” Boomer said. “But you’re not allowed to let her decision, a decision you signed off on, turn you into a lunatic. You’ve got a job to do too, you know.”

  “I know I do,” I answered, throwing my hands out at my sides. “Hell, if you’d let me do my job, I’d be out there with her right now, instead of fumbling around a bar with you.”

  “I love your company, too,” Boomer said sarcastically.

  “I’m serious,” I said. “Why wouldn’t you just let me go out there with her?”

  “Because you can’t work every homicide case in the city, Dil,” he said. “Because your wife is a grownup and a professional. Because she’s good at what she does, and she doesn’t need you out there holding her hand, and frankly, because you need to learn to grow the hell up about this particular aspect of life.” He took another swig of beer. “And because I like watching you squirm.”

  “You’re a jackass,” I muttered.

  “Maybe, but I’m your best friend in the world, and that’s what really matters,” he said. “Besides, Rebecca’s not in any danger. By the time a medical examiner gets to the scene, whoever caused the ruckus is long gone. You know that.”

  “I do,” I admitted. “Sometimes, I have a hard time convincing myself of that. It wasn’t that long ago that she and I were on that cruise ship, fighting for our lives.” I thought about our honeymoon, and the case that seemed to follow me onto it.

  “If you’re going to start counting down the times that we’ve all been in danger, then I’m afraid you’re never going to have a calm meal ever again,” he answered. “Why don’t you do yourself a favor and go fishing or something?”

  “It’s the middle of the night,” I said.

  “It’s a quarter after eight, you old fogey, and I didn’t mean right now anyway,” he said. “I just mean that you should take it up. It used to calm you down after- after-”

  “After my mom died. It’s been years, Boom. You can talk about it,” I said, pulling the fry basket over and grabbing at the scraps my friend left.

  “Right,” he murmured. “Well, after that, fishing seemed to bring you a lot of peace. I’m sure it would help matters now.”

  “Maybe,” I answered. ‘Isaac sure as hell loves it. So, there’s that.”

  “How is the kid?” Boomer asked, leaning back in his seat. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  “Me either,” I lamented. “He’s getting older, and he’s more interested in his friends. Charlotte even told me she caught him talking to a girl on the phone in his room.” I shrugged. “She thinks I might have to have the talk with him soon.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Boomer said. “The way I hear it, most people learn about that from the internet these days anyhow.”

  “See,” I said, scooping up the last of the fries. “Told you that you were a jackass.”

  Before he could answer to defend himself, my phone rang. Hoping it was Rebecca, I scrambled to grab it. Instead, I found Charlotte’s name stretched across the screen. Narrowing my eyes, I wondered why my first girlfriend would be calling me on her night off. Almost immediately, my mind went to the worst place imaginable. As mother to my nephew, Charlotte held a special place in my life. Isaac was the closest thing I had to a son of my own, and he was just about the best kid anybody could ever ask for. Of course, the idea that something had happened to the boy, that he was hurt in some way or even sick, flashed through my mind like some horrible fever. I fumbled with my phone, answering it and speaking my name clearly, playing out the worst possible scenario in my head.

  “Charlotte, it’s Dillon. Is everything okay?”

  No words came from her end of the line. Instead, I heard a rustling and then rhythmic clapping, like shoes falling against pavement.

  “Charlotte?” I repeated. Again, there was no response. Obviously, the woman had called me by accident. I took a deep breath, letting the relief w
ash over me. If she hadn’t meant to call me, it meant that nothing was wrong. It meant that both she and Isaac were as safe as houses.

  “Charlotte,” I said one more time for good measure.

  Once more, she didn’t answer. I did hear a voice coming through the line, though it didn’t belong to her.

  “Ma’am. Do you know how to get back to the interstate?” the voice of another woman came through the end of the line. “We’ve been driving around here for hours, and I don’t think we could be anymore lost.”

  My heart went out to the faceless lady and whoever her travelling companion was. Naples wasn’t a hard town to get around, per se. At this point, I could probably drive these streets with my eyes closed. Still, the bright lights and winding streets had a tendency to confuse tourists. I liked to think they were dazzled by the sheer beauty of the place, though, I had to admit that the constant roadwork probably didn’t help things.

  “Yeah. You just take a right and then the first two lefts,” I heard Charlotte’s voice practically sing from the opposite side of the phone call. “You can’t miss it.” She stopped for a beat. “Can I just say that you guys have an amazing car? My dad used to have one just like it. Of course, his was brown, nothing as flashy as this blue.”

  As I was listening, the phone dropped the call. I lowered the receiver and turned to Boomer, who was staring at me intensely.

  “Butt dial?” he asked, shaking his head.

  “I mean, kind of,” I said. “It sounded like she was walking, though.”

  It’s still classified as a butt dial,” Boomer said, nodding firmly. “Just an ‘in motion’ butt dial.”

  “Really?” I asked, furrowing my brows at the man. “I guess you learn something new every day.”

  2

  “Did you sleep at all?” Rebecca asked, looking over at me from the passenger seat of my truck, smiling and shaking her head. “You look like crap.”

  “Thanks. You’re beautiful, too,” I answered sarcastically, as I made a left into the parking lot of the Collier County Police department. “And I’m not the one you should be worried about. You didn’t get in until four o’clock in the morning, Ms. Medical Examiner.”

  “That’s Mrs. Medical Examiner,” she said, showcasing my grandmother’s ring which wrapped perfectly around her finger. “Unless you’re already itching to forget about our marriage.”

  “Eh, let’s see how dinner goes,” I chuckled. “And no, I didn’t sleep last night. How could I when my girl wasn’t beside me?”

  She rolled her eyes as I slid into the parking lot and put the truck in park. “The same way your girl always did during all those nights when you weren’t home either.”

  “Have you been talking to Boomer?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. “Because you’re starting to sound like him.”

  “That doesn’t seem like a compliment, but I’m taking it as one, nonetheless,” she answered. “I’m just saying, you’re going to have to get used to me being away the same way I had to get used to you being away.” She shook her head, a twinkle evident in her eyes. “Because, I’m actually really enjoying this job.”

  “Really?” I asked, looking over at Rebecca, straight faced.

  “Well, don’t get too excited,” she muttered as she pushed the passenger side door open and got out.

  “That’s not what I meant,” I sighed, opening my own door and stepping out. As I did, I saw that she was already walking toward the building. Jogging a little to catch up with her, I started pleading my case. “Of course, I’m glad you like your job. I want you to like your job.”

  “You don’t look like you want me to like my job, Dillon,” she said without making eye contact with me. “You look like you wish I was still working for the hospital.”

  “It’s more complicated than that,” I answered quickly.

  Instantly, Rebecca pulled to a stop and looked over at me.

  Okay. So, this obviously wasn’t the answer she was hoping for.

  “And what the hell makes it more complicated than that, Dillon?” she asked, visibly fuming. “Because all of this seems pretty straightforward to me. Do you not want me to be fulfilled with my work?”

  “You’re putting words in my mouth, words I would never say,” I answered, folding my arms over my chest and looking at my wife. As I did, I saw Clive, another officer in the precinct, walking up behind us with a brown paper lunch bag in his hand. “Morning, Clive,” I said, plastering on a fake smile and throwing up a hand.

  “Morning, Dillon,” he answered, holding up his paper bag as though it was a greeting. “And good morning to you, too, Rebecca. Good to have you here. It’s really a trip to have the both of you working here.”

  “Yeah. It’s definitely something else,” I muttered.

  “I didn’t realize she was working here until someone told me,” he answered, grinning at the both of us. He turned his attention to Rebecca. “I don’t know if Dillon told you, but I’ve been out for a bit. I was visiting family and there was an unexpected death.”

  “I’m really sorry,” Rebecca answered.

  “Me too,” Clive said. “Anyway, good luck acclimating to the job. We’re lucky to have you.”

  “Thanks, Clive,” I said, answering for Rebecca and keeping the smile on my face until Clive was out of earshot. “Like I said, I would never want you to be unfulfilled in any aspect of your life and that includes professionally. But that’s the thing, you didn’t seem unfulfilled before. You seemed happy being a surgeon, saving people’s lives.”

  Rebecca took a deep breath. “I was happy then, Dillon. I wanted to be a doctor ever since I was six years old. When all the other little girls were playing with dresses and pretending to be princesses, I was stitching up stuffed animals and diagnosing fake illnesses in my cousins. I knew I wanted to help people. I knew I wanted to heal them.”

  “So, what changed?” I asked, throwing my hands out at my sides.

  “Nothing changed, sweetheart,” she said, kindness and patience in her voice. “It’s just that I already did that. I already climbed that mountain. I already conquered that beast. Now, I have a new mountain, a new beast, and it’s really exciting.” She blinked at me. “I just wish you were as excited about it as I am.” She shook her head. “I just wish you were on my side.”

  Her words felt like a shard of wood had been thrusted square into my heart. I mean, Dracula had nothing on me at this point. “How-how could you say that?” I asked, stammering and physically taking a step backwards in response to her comment. “I’m always on your side, Rebecca. Always. If I’ve done anything to make you believe otherwise, then I’m made a terrible mistake along the way somewhere.”

  “It’s not that,” she sighed, looking down at the ground. “It’s just-”

  “No,” I said, interrupting her. “Let me finish, please. This is important to me. I know you. I know your heart and your mind, and I know your soul as well as another person can. There is never going to come a time where you can make a decision that will take me away from you. I know that because the woman I married is kind, brave, smart, and compassionate. She puts other people above herself, and she puts me above other people. She’s the love of my life. She’s the true North on my compass, the North Star in my night sky. She’s the anchor that keeps me from drifting out to sea.” I took her hand, and squeezed it tightly. Taking a deep breath, I continued. “And if that woman believes that this is in her best interest, if this is what she needs to feel alive, to feel complete, then I’m behind her. I’m always behind her.” I shook my head. “But please don’t make me feel bad for being concerned about your safety. I love you too much to not give a damn about where you are or who you’re with. And I know you went through this before we were married. I know you probably went through a hundred horrible nights, wondering whether I was going to be there when you woke up in the morning.” I shrugged. “I guess you’re just stronger than me, then. No surprise there.”

  “We’re both strong, Dillon,” Rebe
cca said, smiling at me a little. “Your strength is what made me fall in love with you. It’s what inspired me to be what I am, to do what I’m doing now.”

  “So, you’re saying this is my fault?” I asked in a teasing fashion, grinning at my bride.

  “I’m saying that we are where we are. More than that, we are who we are,” she answered. “My mother used to tell me that there were two kinds of people in the world. There was the rock and the wave. Both were strong, but in different ways. The rock is steady and unmoving, and the wave is a force, wild and free. When you look at it, you might think that the wave is bigger than the rock, that it slaps into it far too hard, changing its shape and whittling it down into nothing.” She squeezed my hand now, returning the favor I’d given her just moments before. “That’s not really true, though. Because what you don’t know, is that maybe the rock needs to be changed, and maybe the wave needs to be tempered. And, in the end, both of them are better for it.”

  My smile widened. “So, does that mean that I’m the wave or the rock?”

  “That’s the best part of the whole thing,” Rebecca said. “My mother said that, if a relationship was ever going to really work, you had to be both, you had to be capable of changing. When you’re the rock, I need to be the wave, and when you’re the wave, I have to be the rock.”

  “And which one am I being today?” I asked.

  She winked at me. “Let’s see how dinner goes,” she answered.

  I leaned in, kissing my wife for the last time before this evening. Clive might have thought the both of us working together was cool, but we didn’t want to give off the air of unprofessionalism. There was no husband and wife stuff during business hours. I was Detective Storm, and she was Examiner Storm. That was that.