Page 28 of Stone Coast (Tyson Wild Thriller)

H e softened. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

“He was having an affair with a married woman,” I said.

Scarborough lifted a surprised brow. “And you think her husband hired these guys to take out the competition?”

“I don’t know. I’m considering everything.”

“You’re grasping at straws.”

“At least I’m grasping.”

He breathed a frustrated exhale through his nostrils. "Look, I can assure you we have all of our resources on this. If something comes up, you'll be the first to know.”

My eyes narrowed at him. It was a load of shit.

"I promise. But these things unfold at their own pace.”

"According to the statistics, most cases don't unfold at all around here.” I hadn't actually seen the numbers, but I thought it would be enough to get under his skin. With the way this department operated, I figured they had a pretty low solve rate.

"How about you leave the homicide investigations to me?”

I bit my tongue and continued to glare at him.

“Now tell me exactly what happened here.”

"I already told Officer Doughnuts. I'm not answering any more questions without an attorney present. Am I being detained?”

Scarborough hesitated for a moment. “No.”

"So I'm free to go?”

"For the time being.”

"I want my pistol back.”

"It's evidence. You'll get it back, eventually.”

“That’s two of mine you have now.”

“Stop shooting at people.”

With the way things worked, or didn’t work, around here, I might never get them back.

The news crew closed in as I walked back to my bike, wanting an interview. I had no intention of speaking on camera.

"Stay out of trouble,” Scarborough shouted.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Tessa asked.

I hopped on the sportbike and pulled on my helmet and gloves. I cranked up the engine and revved the throttle a few times, then eased out the clutch and pulled away.

The cameraman managed to grab a shot of me pulling out of the parking lot. It would be all over the news later. They had filmed Scarborough's conversation with me from a distance.

Olivia and I watched the replay of the segment on the flatscreen behind the bar when we met for drinks later.

The Busted Rudder was a little rustic shack of a bar on the water.

A nice little hole in the wall with good music, cheap drinks, quarter pool tables, and a dartboard.

An outside deck overlooked the water. There were plenty of boaters that tied up at the pier to grab a drink or a burger.

There was a stage for live music, but there was no band tonight.

"Look at you," Olivia said with glee. "You're a celebrity now.”

"I think I'd rather remain anonymous.”

"I don't know. It's pretty exciting. You're almost like a superhero now. You killed a home invader, you stopped a liquor store robbery… Is there anything you can't do?”

"Remember anything before three weeks ago,” I quipped.

She gave me a flat look. I'd used up all my sympathy cards. "That will come back to you in time. And if it doesn't, just take the opportunity to start all over again fresh.”

"So far, this fresh start hasn't been all that great.”

"I think you're off to a great start, all things considered. It's only gonna get better from here. All the bad stuff is behind you. How much worse could it get? It doesn't get any lower than rock bottom, and you were at rock bottom. And look at you—you're already doing good for your community.”

I rolled my eyes.

Olivia took another sip of her cosmopolitan and swallowed it down.

She ordered another round from the bartender.

With a wink and a smile, we had more drinks, lickety-split.

All Olivia had to do was bat her eyelashes.

Just about every man she met was instantly smitten—the bartender included.

He wasn’t a bad-looking guy—6’2”, well built, nice teeth.

If he played his cards right, he might get more than a tip from Olivia this evening.

"Do I seem different?” I asked.

"Well, yes, obviously.”

"How so?”

"You're a little more reserved.”

I almost spit out my drink. “Reserved? You call this reserved?”

"Unsure. But that's to be expected. You always kept your cards close to your chest. But now you seem cautious.”

"Did you ever get the sense that I was hiding something?”

“No. I don’t think so.” She leaned in and asked with penetrating eyes, “Were you hiding something?”

"How would I know?”

Olivia laughed. “You’ve always been pretty ballsy.”

“Ballsy? ”

"I mean, you're my hero. You never took shit off anybody. So it doesn't surprise me that you killed a home intruder and tried to stop a liquor store robbery.” She smiled. "Do you remember how we met?”

I shook my head.

"A douchebag was hitting on me at Sand Bar. He started groping me, and you stepped in and threatened to kick his ass. The guy was 6’3”, 240 pounds.

You didn't back down. He looked at you like you were crazy. But he walked away. You and I have been best friends ever since. I said, I gotta hang out with this girl. Anybody who’s willing to throw down in a bar to help a stranger has got to be a good person. ”

"What do you really know about me?”

Olivia thought about it and sighed. "Well, I don't think you're a serial killer. You're sweet, funny, gorgeous…”

I blushed with modesty. "Did I ever talk about my past?”

"You told me that your parents died when you were a child, and you were bounced around foster homes for a while. I know that you work in IT. You’ve been dating Grayson for about a year and a half now. You thought he was the one. At least, that's what you told me.”

I frowned, still not able to connect with any emotions about Grayson whatsoever.

"Sorry. I understand if it's too soon to talk about that.”

"Did I mention anything to you about his affair?”

Olivia shook her head. "He seemed like the perfect guy.” Her lips scrunched. “Guess you never can tell. ”

"So you never had any indication?”

"I'm as blindsided as you are. And I like to think I have good sense about that kind of thing. Lord knows I've been with my fair share of cheaters. You’d think I could spot them a mile away.”

A familiar face entered the bar.

I crouched behind Olivia, trying to make myself small. “Oh, great,” I groaned.