Slade kept walking. “You got a problem with that?”
“No way.” Devin rushed to catch up. “It’s just that Grandma and some other people have been saying that the two of you should date. And now you’re doing it.”
“Talk about a psychic intercept.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Just a little inside joke.” Slade went up the steps. “Why does everyone think that Charlotte and I should date? Because we’re both new on the island?”
“I guess. I dunno. I overheard Grandma talking about it to Mrs. Murphy.” Devin paused. “I think everyone’s afraid you’ll be leaving soon.”
“Yeah?” Everyone is right,Slade thought, but he did not plan to say that out loud to anyone except Charlotte. She needed to know that he had no intention of getting involved in a long-term commitment of any kind. “Why would they think that?”
“Because the guy who was the chief before you didn’t last long, and neither did the guy before him. Grandma told me that after Chief Halstead died five years ago, no one has stayed more than a few months in the job.”
“Small-town police departments often experience a high turnover.”
“Maybe Grandma and the others figure that if you have a girlfriend here in town you’ll stick around for a while,” Devin offered.
“An interesting theory.”
Slade opened the door and went inside the station. Rex and Devin followed. Automatically Slade removed his sunglasses and stuck them in the pocket of his shirt. Devin did the same.
Rex fluttered across the room and bounded up onto his favorite perch, a waist-high file cabinet. He settled down with a lordly air and proceeded to observe what he evidently considered his territory.
Myrna Reed was at her desk, gazing deeply into her computer screen. She jumped a little when Slade and Devin came through the door. Slade caught a glimpse of a screen full of what looked like women’s sweaters and the words Free Shippingbefore Myrna got to her mouse and clicked off. The clothes disappeared and a screen-saver appeared in its place.
“Hi, Chief.” Myrna swiveled around in her chair.
She was a good-looking woman in her early fifties who kept herself in shape. Her blonde hair was in a twist at the back of her head. She looked at Slade over the rims of a pair of reading glasses balanced on her nose.
Slade knew something of her history. When he had taken the job, the first thing he had done was run background checks on Officer Willis and Myrna Reed. Old habits died hard. He liked to know who he was working with. He knew that Myrna could not have been more than seventeen or eighteen when she had gotten pregnant with Devin’s mother, who had, in turn, also gotten pregnant in her teens. Myrna had never married. Now she found herself raising her thirteen-year-old grandson. She clearly loved Devin and was determined to do her best. As far as Slade was concerned, that was all that mattered.
“How did things go down at Looking Glass?” Myrna asked.
Slade was aware of a sudden silence behind him. He knew Devin was holding his breath.
“There was no problem at the shop,” Slade said. “Charlotte found her back door unlocked but she says nothing is missing.”
Myrna laughed. “I’ve seen the inside of that shop. How would she know if anything had been taken?”
“It’s a little crowded in there,” he agreed.
“Beatrix seemed to buy a lot more than she sold,” Myrna said. “We could never understand how she made any money, but she always had the cash to buy antiques for the shop.”
“Guess she made enough on the few pieces that she did sell to keep going.”
Myrna shook her head. “The woman was obsessed, that’s for sure.”
Devin spoke up. “I’m gonna go to the grocery store and get a soda and then maybe see if Nate is hanging out at the marina. We’ve gotta make some plans for our hike to Hidden Beach.”
Slade looked at him. “Later.”
Devin took his sunglasses out of his pocket and set them on his nose with a practiced movement.
“Later,” he said. He headed for the door.
“Be home by six for dinner,” Myrna called after him.
“Sure,” Devin said over his shoulder.
In the next moment he was gone with a lightningquick speed that any hunter-talent would envy. Nobody could move faster than a teenage boy on his way to hang out with a buddy. The door closed behind him.
Myrna exhaled slowly. “I suppose you noticed the sunglasses?”
“I noticed,” Slade said.
“Same brand you wear. He found them online. He even puts them on and takes them off the way you do. With both hands, not one.”
“I do it that way because they last longer. Less wear and tear on the itty bitty hinges.”
“Nice to know there’s sound engineering logic behind your method, but I don’t think that’s the reason Devin is imitating you,” Myrna said.
“He thinks I’m making a fashion statement?”
“No. He thinks you look stone cold when you take the glasses on and off. Very ice-rez, as the kids say.”
“I’m telling you, it’s all about saving the hinges.” He hefted the package in his hand. “Anything I need to know before I go put this fish in the refrigerator?”
“All is calm on the streets of the Big City.” Myrna studied the packet of fish. “Looks like a lot of fish for one person and a dust bunny.”
“Rex is a hearty eater. But before you hear it on the street, I’ve got a dinner guest tonight.”
Myrna’s expression brightened. “Charlotte Enright?”
“Amazing detective work. No wonder you’re in law enforcement.”
Myrna ignored that. “About time, if you don’t mind my saying so. First date you’ve had since you arrived.”
“Give me a break. I’ve only been in town less than a week.” He started down the hall toward the break room.
“I’ve got a terrific recipe for tartar sauce,” Myrna called after him. “I’ll write it down for you.”
Chapter 3
DEVIN STOPPED IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE TO LOOKing Glass Antiques and peered through the window. He could see Charlotte Enright moving about inside the shop. She was dressed in black jeans and a black, short-sleeved T-shirt. She had a little blue triangle-shaped scarf tied around her hair. She was unpacking a crate.
She was busy. He could come back later.
He started to move on but for some reason he could not. Sure, he had to apologize, but Nate was waiting down at the marina. They had plans to make for the hike out to Hidden Beach. He could always apologize later. Like maybe right around five thirty when Charlotte was closing up for the day. She would be in a hurry to go home and he would be able to get the whole thing over with fast.
Or he could get it done now. He thought about how the chief would handle things and groaned. The chief would take care of it now.
Reluctantly he opened the door of the shop and moved inside. The old-fashioned bell chimed overhead. The subtle vibes hit him. It was as if he’d run through an invisible waterfall. The interior of the antiques shop did not exactly get brighter but it seemed to him that it was lit by something more than just normal light and shadow. He could see strange colors but he had no names for them.
He stopped, distracted by the intriguing sensations. It was so ice-rez, this feeling. Scary, sometimes, but incredibly ice-rez. Reluctantly he withdrew into himself. The unnatural colors and lighting in the atmosphere faded back to normal. He was still vaguely aware of some of the sparkling waterfall-like sensations but they no longer distracted him. He could control this feeling, he realized. That was also very cool.
“Hi, Devin.” Charlotte straightened up from the crate she had been unpacking, brushed off her hands, and walked toward him. “I’m glad you stopped by today.”
She knew,he thought. He felt as if he’d been shoved off-balance. Belatedly he remembered to remove his sunglasses. He reached up and took off the shades with the smooth, deliberate motion that the chief always used. The action bought him a little time to recover.