Page 27 of Off the Hook

I underlined a few things: she was barefoot when found, and had some small lacerations on the top of her feet. Remembering the scuff marks in the pea gravel, I wondered if that’s where she got those scrapes.Did she walk out without shoes? Or did she have on flip-flops or slip-on sandals that had floated away?Doc had also found some faint bruising around her lips, which might suggest that her mouth had been forcibly covered. No major revelation, just additional evidence all pointing to murder.

I flipped back through the notes, but there was nothing. We had to be missing something. I gnawed on the end of my pen again, and silently cursed myself for the bad habit. I didn’t have a single unchewed pen in my desk. I liked to believe that it helped me think, but that was probably just an excuse. More likely, it was an oral fixation caused by sexual frustration. That thought made me laugh out loud.

As I studied the file, my mind kept drifting back to the look on Coulter’s face when I saw him at Hog Heaven. When I thwarted Laura’s attempt to get him to sit with us, there was a hurt look in his eyes, like I had just kicked a puppy. The other thought that kept returning was how hot he looked on stage playing guitar. I’d never been one for the bad-boy-rocker type, but seeing Coulter like that stirred something in me.

Corinne’s description of Coulter as a family man, touting his devotion to his mother and sister, made him seem more real.For a single man pushing thirty, that was really something in this day and age.

“You still think your boyfriend’s innocent don’t you?” Oscar’s condescension jolted me from my thoughts, but his psychic tendencies were disturbing. I stared at him silently as he continued. “He is still our prime suspect. Everything points to him.”

I sat up straight and tossed my mangled pen onto my desk. “Let’s take this in the conference room,” I sighed, dreading this conversation, but it was time to get it out in the open. Oscar was a misogynistic, alpha male, who thought women had no place in law enforcement. His continued, targeted attacks on Coulter felt more like a personal vendetta than an objective investigation. Clearly, he could tell I had a soft spot for Coulter Rodman, which was fine for him to call me out on. But calling him my boyfriend was just unprofessional.

“Detective, let’s keep things in perspective,” I said cautiously as I closed the conference room door. “Just because I’m trying to be objective in my investigation and consider all possible scenarios, doesn't mean that I’m crushing on a suspect. And, quite frankly, it’s offensive that you would imply that I am.”

Oscar waved off my grievance. “I’m just kidding, Detective. Don’t get your knickers in a wad.”

I didn’t even bother to respond that it was entirely inappropriate to be talking about my knickers right now. This guy was beyond help. He’d apparently missed all the training modules on gender equality and sexual harassment. He paced back and forth, finally stopping. “Your intuition won’t hold up in court,” he snapped, folding his arms. “We need hard evidence. And right now, all the evidence points toCoulter. Hell, even the fingerprints came back pointing to him.”

I bit back a retort, knowing it was useless to argue. But as I stared at the file in my hand, I knew Corinne was right… It was the wrong tree. Coulter was the wrong suspect. Yes, it was just my intuition. But I was as sure of it as I was that in just a few hours the sun would set in the west.

CHAPTER 14

COULTER

The sun was almost to the horizon when I turned our 30-foot center console into the marina. My dad stood up from the picnic table and walked to the edge of the dock to catch my lines. I didn't need the help, but that was what he did. “How was the reef?”

I glanced up at Corinne, well within earshot. “Don’t get me in trouble with the marine biologist.”

Corinne looked up and waved with a smile, but continued her conversation with Trevor. I heard something about a ceremony. “Wedding plans?”

“Lord yes. And they’ve talked in fourteen circles about how they want to do it.” Dad whipped the line around the cleat.

“Can’t blame them for being excited,” I said as we approached the table.

“Imagine it at sunset, with fairy lights strung up around the palm trees. It would be so romantic.” Corinne said, her eyes sparkling.

Trevor nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “Yeah, that sounds perfect. And we could take off in a boat after the ceremony, just the two of us, with a trail of old tin cans tied behind us in the wake.”

Dad sat back in an Adirondack chair, a cold one in one hand and a contented smile playing on his lips. “That sounds beautiful, Corinne. Whatever you want, I’m sure we can make it happen.”

The thought of Faith in her party dress, wishing she might be my date, popped into my mind. I shook it off, chiming in, “I’ll help set up. I can string the lights, and maybe find some local flowers— bougainvillea or hibiscus?”

Corinne grinned. “That would be amazing, Coulter. Thanks. I’m thinking simple, yet chic. And maybe we could do seafood, a buffet ?”

“I think we can round up enough catch for the shindig, if we bribe the boys with all the beer they can drink,” my dad said with a chuckle, smiling proudly. “I like the sound of it– nothing too fancy, just good food and good company.”

“Good company, excluding the groom.” I walked behind Trevor and ruffled his hair before I grabbed a beer.

“How was your Cheeca charter? Must have been boring if you’re trying to rile me up now. Jealous you didn’t get out to The Hump to catch the big daddies?”

“Oh, you guys run charters out of Cheeca too?” Corinne asked. “That’s gotta be good business.”

“For an extra three hundred dollars we will happily pick up and drop off at the resort up the road,” my father said with a smile.

“Anything exciting happen today while I was out fishing the reef with three young kids?” I shot Trevor a look. “It was certainly not boring. I’ll tell you that.”

Trevor’s expression darkened instantly, but it was Corinne who answered. “Actually,” she said casually, “I had a visit from the detectives today.”

“They questioned you?” My head started to throb and stomach acid burned my throat, making me cough. “Why?” I squinted, clearing my croaky voice. “You’ve never even met Kylie.”

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