Page 6 of Tide and Seek (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #8)

“To be fair, we just arrived.” Royce fingered his glass, looking distracted. “Max hasn’t had a chance to really look around much.”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Do the police have any theories about what they might have been after?” James inched closer, his dark eyes still fixed on me intently. “Did they find any fingerprints or anything like that?”

Royce said, “We haven’t had a chance to speak with the police in depth yet. Hopefully, that will change now that we’re here in person.”

“Was there any video of the break-in?” James pressed. “That might be helpful if there is.”

“Yes.” I gestured to the small camera nestled against the crown molding in the corner of the room. “But as Royce said, we don’t have any details about what the police found yet. It’s a bit frustrating.”

Royce gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Deputy Gonzalez told me to call when we got into town, but we got in later than expected. I’ll call him first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Sure. What’s one more day, right?” James smiled, but there was an edge to his voice.

Royce wrinkled his brow. “If I thought waiting to call would impact anything, I wouldn’t wait.”

“Of course not,” James said. “Although, personally, I’d want to know what he had to say right away. But maybe that’s just me.”

I sighed. “I hate having to wait, but Royce is right. It is late.”

James turned to me. “Do you have the deputy’s number, Maxwell? I know Royce doesn’t want to be bothered, but I’d be happy to call Deputy Gonzalez. Perhaps talking to him would give you peace of mind.”

For the first time since James had arrived, annoyance shifted through Royce’s eyes. “I never said I didn’t want to be bothered. I just know Deputy Gonzalez is gone for the day.”

James looked contrite. “Oh, I didn’t mean any offense, Royce. Sorry. I didn’t word that right. I was only thinking of how stressed Maxwell seemed, and I wanted to put him at ease.”

“Sure.” Royce nodded, but he still looked vaguely annoyed. “I don’t want Max to stress out either, but I’ve heard great things about the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. I’m sure they’re on top of things. I’ll call and get all the info we need first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I’m sure you know best.” James smiled politely, swirling the whiskey in his glass.

“Unfortunately, I was out of town when they broke into your place, Maxwell. I was visiting my mother in New York, so I have no information to share. I only found out about the break-in from C.J. She was home the night it happened.”

I met Royce’s curious gaze. “C.J. lives next door,” I explained. “She’s an ex-ballerina turned yoga instructor.”

Royce raised his brows. “Is that right?”

“She’s nice.” I smiled, relieved the tension between Royce and James had lessened a bit. “You’ll like her. I was thrilled when she bought the house from the former owner.”

James rolled his eyes. “Oh, yes. Mrs. Brownstone was a piece of work. Her cats would use my rose garden as their litter box. Once I politely complained and she called the HOA on me. I was outraged. When she moved away and C.J. came to live here instead, I was ecstatic.”

“Me too. Mrs. Brownstone didn’t like me,” I murmured. “I’m not sure why. I barely had any interactions with her.”

James shrugged. “She was a raging bigot. I’m sure that’s why she disliked me as well. Unfortunately for her, the HOA couldn’t kick me out of Ocean Whisper Estates for being gay.”

“She was a huge pain,” I agreed.

“Good riddance, I say.” James scowled. “Although, if you can believe it, she still comes back to use the beach whenever she wants.”

I quirked my brows. “Does she? Even though she doesn’t live here anymore?”

“As if that would stop her?” His laugh was derisive. “She says it’s her right. Says she lived here longer than any of us and that she has more rights to the private beach than we do.” James shook his head. “She’s an obnoxious woman. I’m glad she’s gone, and I wish she’d stay away for good.”

I thought his reaction was a bit much, but who was I to judge?

Mrs. Brownstone really had been a pain in the ass.

I’d bought my place in Ocean Whisper Estates before he had and endured her arrogance longer, but she’d always been more aggressive toward him.

At least she’d never turned me in to the HOA.

Royce asked, “There are four homes in the Ocean Whisper Estates, correct? Who lives in the fourth home?”

“That would be Lucas Westbrook,” James said.

“I doubt he noticed the burglary or even the cops arriving. He’s usually high as a kite after sundown.

To be honest, half the time he’s high by breakfast. He loves the laid-back beach lifestyle and has no interest in getting involved in the trappings of society.

He’s always ‘doing his thing,’ surfing, or working on his tan. ”

I frowned. “Does he still sell T-shirts down at Zuma Beach?”

James laughed. “Who knows? Last I’d heard he’d given that up to give surfing lessons. Of course, I also heard he’s making puka shell jewelry. Honestly? I’m not sure what he does to make ends meet.”

“Must make a good living if he can afford to live in this private community,” Royce murmured.

James nodded. “C.J. once said he might be a trust fund baby.”

“A trust fund baby who wants to live a minimalist lifestyle.” I snorted. “Is that allowed? Doesn’t it break some sort of hippie code?”

“He’s no hippie. I’ve never known a legit hippie who drove a Porsche 911 Carrera,” James responded drolly.

Royce gave a low whistle. “He drives a Porsche? I don’t know much about cars, but I don’t think there’s such a thing as a budget Porsche. That’s a pricey vehicle for sure.”

“You’re not wrong.” James smirked. “Maybe I should give up being a surgeon and go into the puka shell jewelry business.”

I laughed.

Royce leaned against the bar. “Do you know if the police talked to Lucas or C.J. about what they might have seen the night of the break-in?”

James shrugged. “I have no idea. They didn’t talk to me, that’s all I know.”

I frowned. “Really? Why wouldn’t they have wanted to talk to you?”

“I’m not saying they didn’t want to talk to me. I was out of town, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” I nodded.

Royce frowned. “They should have circled back to interview you. Even if you weren’t home that night, sometimes people see things that they didn’t realize are important.

You could have noticed a strange car parked nearby before your trip.

Or maybe you noticed someone on the beach who didn’t belong there. ”

“I didn’t notice any of those things.” James finished off his drink and set the glass down. “But you’re right, they should have at least asked.”

“So much for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department being on top of things,” I muttered.

Royce met my gaze. “Deputy Gonzalez may not be aware they haven’t talked to James yet. Or, for all we know, he plans on talking to him as soon as tomorrow. We could always just talk to C.J. and Luke on our own to see if they saw anything.”

James laughed. “You should probably leave that sort of thing to the cops.”

“He is a cop,” I said, smiling at Royce. “A very good one, actually.”

“You’re a cop?” James blinked at Royce, looking flustered. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” Royce nodded. “I’m the sheriff back in Rainy Dale.”

“You’re the sheriff?” James sputtered.

Royce laughed gruffly. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No, of course not. I… I just didn’t realize.” James ran a hand over the back of his neck.

I wasn’t sure why James was so freaked out to learn that Royce was in law enforcement.

Did he have outstanding parking tickets?

Had he knocked over a bank? Then I remembered James occasionally used amphetamine-based stimulants to stay sharp during long surgeries or grueling night shifts.

I’d never touched drugs, but plenty of my colleagues had.

Medicine could be brutally competitive, and people did all kinds of crazy things to stay ahead of the pack.

“Royce isn’t here in his capacity as a cop,” I said, hoping to reassure James. “He’s here as emotional support for me.”

“Exactly.” Royce nodded. “I’m happy to talk to your neighbors to see if they know anything, but I’m not here to do the sheriff’s department’s job for them.”

“No, of course not.” James seemed to gather himself. “I wish I’d been home the night of your burglary, Maxwell. Maybe then I’d be more help.”

I grimaced. “It’s not your job to police Ocean Whisper Estates. That’s Harris’s job. Wonder what he was up to that night when my house was being broken into.”

James sighed. “He was probably down on the beach having a smoke, if I know Harris. He’s a nice guy, but lazy.”

“Who’s Harris?” Royce asked, frowning.

“He’s the security officer for this beach community,” I said.

Royce nodded in understanding.

James laughed wryly. “Too bad Mrs. Brownstone wasn’t running security. That old bag used to see everything. Didn’t matter what time of day. She was a true busybody.”

“She really was.”

James glanced at the gold Rolex watch on his wrist. “Oh, it’s later than I realized. I should probably go.”

I was happy he was leaving but didn’t want him to know that. I forced myself to say, “Royce and I are staying a full week. We should get together again before I head back to Rainy Dale.”

James brightened, looking very pleased. “I’d love that, Maxwell. Maybe I can take you out to dinner before you go back.” After an awkward beat, his gaze slid to Royce. “Both of you, I mean.”

“Sounds great,” Royce said, and if he noticed that he’d been tacked on as an afterthought, he didn’t show it.

I walked James to the front door, and Royce stayed back near the bar. I opened the door, and James hesitated. He faced me, looking like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply smiled, squeezed my shoulder, and headed out into the inky-black night.