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Authors: Colleen Rhoads
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sheriff asked.
All the doubts about continuing to look vanished at the other man’s skepticism. “It’s early days yet. I’ll find Superior Lady .”
“I did a little poking around today, Lassiter. Your cousin was the kind of guy who stepped on a lot of toes. Quite the womanizer. Did you just get tired of it finally? Why not get it off your chest and tell me all about it?”
“Any results back on the autopsies?” Simon asked.
“Not yet. What do you think I’ll find?”
Simon rose and threw his napkin on the table. “You can have my dinner, Sheriff. I find my appetite is gone.” He rushed past the waitress and hurried out the door. The sheriff might not have any real evidence yet, but if he figured out the fight, would that be enough to bring changes against him?
EIGHT
W ynne swung lazily on the porch and watched the stars come out. She saw a sweep of headlights, then an unfamiliar truck stopped. She recognized Simon as he got out. The surge of excitement that swept through her took her aback. Maybe Jake knew her better than she knew herself.
Simon smiled when he saw her. “I just stopped by to tell you I found Old Robert.”
“Old Robert?”
“The Ojibwa fisherman you talked to. I think he knows something, but he’s not telling.”
“You talked to him? What if you made him mad and he comes looking for me because I blabbed?” Wynne wouldn’t want to face the old fisherman on a dark night. She shivered.
Simon took her hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think he’s dangerous.”
It was hard to think with his strong fingers holding hers. “Someone on this island is.”
“I want to believe the boat was faulty.”
Wynne’s words dried on her tongue as they stared at one another a moment. “But you don’t think so, not really.”
“We’ve got to find that yacht.”
“We can hit it fresh tomorrow.” Her earlier doubts swept away. She could trust this man. The crunch of gravel caught her attention, and she turned to see a big luxury car stopping in front of the manor.
A short, heavyset man dressed in neatly pressed slacks got out. The scowl on his face deepened when he saw them. “I thought that was your truck, Lassiter,” he growled.
Feeling Simon’s tension, Wynne glanced up into his face. His grip on her fingers had tightened to a painful squeeze.
“Roger, what are you doing here?” he said through tight lips.
Roger. Wasn’t that the name of the manager who had been fired just before the boat went down? Wynne’s curiosity kicked into gear. She gave a tentative smile, but the angry man didn’t notice. He continued to glare at Simon.
“I’ve been looking for you. You sicced the law on me. I told the sheriff you were just trying to throw suspicion off yourself.” Roger smiled grimly. “I think he believed me.”
“I didn’t tell the sheriff anything about you.” Simon’s tone was cool.
Roger gave a snort. “Yeah, and I believe that aboutas quick as I’d believe I could drive this car across Lake Superior. You’ve had it in for me since day one, haven’t you?”
“I didn’t make you embezzle the money, Roger.”
Roger winced. “I was going to pay it back!”
“How?”
Roger just scowled. “My business is doing just fine. If you’d just been patient, I could have paid you back.”
Simon pushed on relentlessly. “You still can. Did you hope the fire would kill Jerry? When it didn’t, maybe you decided a boat accident would be a safer choice.”
Roger was shaking his head before Simon finished talking. Wynne didn’t know what to think. Roger seemed full of anger, but it was more a righteous indignation at the thought that someone suspected him of murder.
“I should have known better than to try to talk to you,” Roger said bitterly. He got in his car and slammed the door. The engine roared to life, and gravel kicked from under the tires as he sped away.
Wynne felt shaken though it wasn’t even her problem. She suddenly realized she had Simon’s
All the doubts about continuing to look vanished at the other man’s skepticism. “It’s early days yet. I’ll find Superior Lady .”
“I did a little poking around today, Lassiter. Your cousin was the kind of guy who stepped on a lot of toes. Quite the womanizer. Did you just get tired of it finally? Why not get it off your chest and tell me all about it?”
“Any results back on the autopsies?” Simon asked.
“Not yet. What do you think I’ll find?”
Simon rose and threw his napkin on the table. “You can have my dinner, Sheriff. I find my appetite is gone.” He rushed past the waitress and hurried out the door. The sheriff might not have any real evidence yet, but if he figured out the fight, would that be enough to bring changes against him?
EIGHT
W ynne swung lazily on the porch and watched the stars come out. She saw a sweep of headlights, then an unfamiliar truck stopped. She recognized Simon as he got out. The surge of excitement that swept through her took her aback. Maybe Jake knew her better than she knew herself.
Simon smiled when he saw her. “I just stopped by to tell you I found Old Robert.”
“Old Robert?”
“The Ojibwa fisherman you talked to. I think he knows something, but he’s not telling.”
“You talked to him? What if you made him mad and he comes looking for me because I blabbed?” Wynne wouldn’t want to face the old fisherman on a dark night. She shivered.
Simon took her hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think he’s dangerous.”
It was hard to think with his strong fingers holding hers. “Someone on this island is.”
“I want to believe the boat was faulty.”
Wynne’s words dried on her tongue as they stared at one another a moment. “But you don’t think so, not really.”
“We’ve got to find that yacht.”
“We can hit it fresh tomorrow.” Her earlier doubts swept away. She could trust this man. The crunch of gravel caught her attention, and she turned to see a big luxury car stopping in front of the manor.
A short, heavyset man dressed in neatly pressed slacks got out. The scowl on his face deepened when he saw them. “I thought that was your truck, Lassiter,” he growled.
Feeling Simon’s tension, Wynne glanced up into his face. His grip on her fingers had tightened to a painful squeeze.
“Roger, what are you doing here?” he said through tight lips.
Roger. Wasn’t that the name of the manager who had been fired just before the boat went down? Wynne’s curiosity kicked into gear. She gave a tentative smile, but the angry man didn’t notice. He continued to glare at Simon.
“I’ve been looking for you. You sicced the law on me. I told the sheriff you were just trying to throw suspicion off yourself.” Roger smiled grimly. “I think he believed me.”
“I didn’t tell the sheriff anything about you.” Simon’s tone was cool.
Roger gave a snort. “Yeah, and I believe that aboutas quick as I’d believe I could drive this car across Lake Superior. You’ve had it in for me since day one, haven’t you?”
“I didn’t make you embezzle the money, Roger.”
Roger winced. “I was going to pay it back!”
“How?”
Roger just scowled. “My business is doing just fine. If you’d just been patient, I could have paid you back.”
Simon pushed on relentlessly. “You still can. Did you hope the fire would kill Jerry? When it didn’t, maybe you decided a boat accident would be a safer choice.”
Roger was shaking his head before Simon finished talking. Wynne didn’t know what to think. Roger seemed full of anger, but it was more a righteous indignation at the thought that someone suspected him of murder.
“I should have known better than to try to talk to you,” Roger said bitterly. He got in his car and slammed the door. The engine roared to life, and gravel kicked from under the tires as he sped away.
Wynne felt shaken though it wasn’t even her problem. She suddenly realized she had Simon’s
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