Page 76 of Tide and Seek
Max had already left for his insurance meeting when Hartley called the next morning with the disappointing news that the phone used to send threatening texts to Max had come from a burner phone.That meant the odds of finding out who’d sent them were not good.
By noon, I was restless from just rattling around the beach house alone.I decided what I needed was a nice long walk along the water’s edge.I headed down to the beach and walked all the way to the far end of the colony, where the sand gave way to the rocky formations that seemed so oddly out of place.The ocean was choppy today, and there were some rain clouds in the distance.I found myself missing Max.While the trip had been tumultuous at times, spending so much one-on-one time with him had been amazing.
Max hadn’t shared what happened between him and James last night at the party.He’d been upset though, that much had been obvious.I felt a little uneasy at just how upset he’d been.What could James have said or done to trouble him so deeply?Were his feelings deeper and more confusing toward James than he’d admitted to me?I didn’t want to push him to talk.He’d come to me when he was ready.Max didn’t open up easily, but more and more he’d begun to trust me with things.But in order to keep his trust, I had to be willing to wait until he was ready to talk.Even if it made me anxious.
On my way back from my walk, the clouds I’d seen in the distance earlier had moved in, blocking the sun.As I neared Max’s home, I spotted C.J.and another person on her deck.She was leaning against the railing in black yoga pants and an oversized white sweater, talking to a guy I didn’t recognize.As I got closer, I caught the sweet scent of what smelled like artificial cherry drifting on the ocean breeze.
“Royce,” C.J.called out when she saw me.“Come over here and meet Harris.”
I climbed the steps to her deck, getting a better look at the man beside her.Harris was younger than I’d expected, probably late twenties.He had to be pushing six-foot-four and was built like he spent serious time in the gym—broad shoulders stretching his black security uniform, thick arms, and the kind of square-jawed face that probably made him popular with men or women.While he gave off a macho vibe, there was something boyish about him too.Maybe he seemed young because of the way his sandy brown hair was styled with a little too much product, or how he was holding a sleek black vape pen like it was a candy cigar.
“Harris, this is Royce,” C.J.said.“Maxwell’s boyfriend.Harris is our esteemed security guard here at Ocean Whisper Estates.”
“Hey there,” Harris said, extending a meaty hand for a firm shake.His voice was deeper than I’d expected, but friendly.“Nice to finally meet you, man.I’ve been hearing about you from C.J.here.”
“Uh, oh.”I smiled.
“All good things.”Harris grinned, taking another puff from his vape.The sweet cherry smell was even stronger up close.“C.J.was just telling me about the party last night.Sounds like it was quite the scene.”
“It had its moments,” I said diplomatically.
“Poor Luke,” C.J.said, shaking her head.“I’ve never seen him that bad before.The sweating, the shaking, he looked terrible.”
“Did anyone check on him today?”I asked.
C.J.nodded.“I went to see him this morning, but he wasn’t in the mood to talk.He was alive, though, so that’s something.”
Harris nodded knowingly.“Yeah, Luke’s been acting super antisocial for weeks now.Jumpy, you know?Always looking over his shoulder like someone’s following him.We used to have some interesting conversations, but not anymore.”
“Well, he’s got reason to be anxious,” C.J.said.“The drug charges alone would make anyone spiral.”
“Drug charges?”I asked, though I wasn’t entirely surprised.
Harris nodded.“Oh yeah, he got busted for possession of a controlled substance.What makes it worse is the drug he had on him was fentanyl.”
I winced.“Ooh, that’s not good.”
C.J.widened her eyes.“The type of drug makes it worse?”
“Definitely.”I met her worried gaze.“The law treats fentanyl more harshly than, say, marijuana or even cocaine, because fentanyl is Schedule II and incredibly dangerous.”
“Oh, God.What was Luke thinking?He used to just smoke a bunch of weed.Why did he branch off into something like fentanyl?”
Harris chuffed.“People act like weed’s no big deal, but it’s a gateway drug, man.Once you start chasing the high, there’s no stopping until you’re strung out on fentanyl or worse.”
I grimaced.“I mean, not exactly.Not that I’m advocating people use drugs, but smoking weed doesn’t necessarily lead to fentanyl or worse.”
Harris hesitated and then grinned.“Oh, that’s right.You’re a cop.I keep forgetting you’re a sheriff back in that town Rainy Days.”
“Rainy Dale,” I corrected, smiling pleasantly.“And while the town is small, we handle a lot of drugs in the surrounding areas.”
“I don’t doubt it.”Harris puffed on his vape, watching me.“Anyway, my main point was Luke is in a world of hurt lately with the drug charge and all the other stuff he’s juggling.”
“What other stuff?”C.J.asked.
Harris looked pleased to have information she didn’t.He glanced around, making a real show of it.He leaned in, lowering his voice.“His house is in foreclosure.”
“What?”C.J.yelped, her face going pale.“Are you serious?”
