Page 13 of Skin and Bones

“What’s that sound?” I asked curiously.

“I brought ingredients to make sidecars,” she said. “I figured we’re going to need them. Walt tends to go overboard in these matters, and a little liquor will keep the rest of us from strangling him.”

“Deidre brought wine.”

Bea sighed. “Amateur.”

And then she headed toward the group and began to set out the supplies from her bag on one of the other tables. She’d even brought her own knife and cutting board for the oranges.

At precisely six o’clock, the bell above the entrance jingled, and Sheriff Beckett entered. I noticed Walt look at the clock and shake his head in disappointment. To be on time was to be late. The sheriff wasn’t exactly starting off in Walt’s good graces.

Another man followed Sheriff Beckett inside. He was young, probably early twenties, with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose.

“This is Deputy Harris,” Beckett said by way of introduction. “He’ll be assisting with some of the procedural aspects of the case.”

“How long you been on the job, sonny?” Walt asked.

“I graduated from the academy two weeks ago,” Harris said, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Good call, Sheriff,” Walt said, nodding approvingly. “He’s untainted. Sometimes new blood is more needed than experience.”

Sheriff Beckett’s eyes shone with humor, but he nodded. “You can trust Harris. He reports only to me.” He stood at the head of the table, a man who commanded attention. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. I’m sure you all have busy schedules.”

“Sidecar?” Bea interrupted, swiping a lemon around the rim of a cocktail glass like a pro and then dipping the rim in sugar.

“They’re on duty, Bea,” Dottie said. “But I’ll have one. Go heavy on the orange.”

“I’ll stick with tea,” Walt said. “One of us needs to be clearheaded to hear why the sheriff called us here tonight.”

Dash nodded, setting a thick file on the table. “I’m in need of an official posse. That includes you, Mrs. McCoy.”

I bobbled Walt’s teacup slightly before setting it down in front of him. “Oh, but I’m not…this isn’t my area of…” I stammered.

“You know the island and the people on it,” he said. “I want your perspective too.”

Before I could protest further, Dottie patted the empty chair beside her. “Sit, dear. The sheriff has an excellent point.”

With no graceful way to refuse, I took the seat, setting down my teapot.

“Now,” Sheriff Beckett began. “I’m going to be upfront and let you know I’ve already done a cursory check on you all.”

“You ran a background check on us?” Bea asked, smiling mischievously.

“Nothing so in depth,” he said. “Not yet. But the internet has plenty to say about all of you. I’ll have to run a background check if you’re officially brought on to work the case.”

Bea’s lips twitched. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, Sheriff. Sometimes the truth is much more scandalous.” And then she winked at him.

“Ignore her,” Walt said. “Everybody in the state knows Bea was caught in flagrante delicto with one of her snitches in the nineties. It made front page news everywhere.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “No one cares, Bea. It was forty years ago.”

“He wasn’t a snitch,” she said, lips pursed. “He was a senator.”

“Same thing,” Walt said. “Keep going, Sheriff. We’ve got nothing to hide.”

“This case was officially closed decades ago, but I have reason to believe the investigation might have been compromised.”

“By Sheriff Milton,” Hank said immediately, his expression darkening.

The sheriff nodded. “Yes. And a few others.”

---