Page 142 of Fall Into Temptation
“You made a difference,” Hazel insisted. “Sure, it looks like a hot mess in here. But nobody’s property accidentally burnt down or cars rolled into the pond.”
“Did that happen last time?” he asked, guiding her over to the hospitality table for coffee.
“Yep. Lost three cabins over at the campground because some dumb hippie decided to bake pot brownies over an open flame.”
“Linus Fitzsimmons?” Donovan guessed.
“The one and the same.”
“Explains a lot about Fitz,” Donovan mused.
“That kid turned out a lot more normal than he had any right to,” Hazel agreed.
“You hear about his side job stripping?”
Hazel let out a tired laugh. “Nothing would surprise me about that boy.”
“Thanks for being here, Mom.”
She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. “She’s a keeper.”
Donovan looked up to where Eva was keeping an eagle eye on her detained neighbors. She looked exhausted, and he felt bad that she was wasting writing time helping him babysit an entire town, but he appreciated it more than he could say.
“I plan to keep her,” he told his mother.
“She’s going to give you trouble,” Hazel predicted.
“Oh, I can guarantee that. But if she’s willing to stick through this?” Donovan said, waving his hand at the gymnasium of temporarily impulsive idiots. “She’s worth the trouble.”
Hazel grinned. “You always did have good sense.”
He squeezed her shoulders. “I learned it from you. But I got my sweet dance moves from Dad.”
“Hey, boss?” Colby trod over prone Mooners to get to them.
“What you got for me, deputy?”
“I got Agnes Merill in Cleary. Police chief called a few minutes ago. They picked her up when she tried to skip out on her hotel bill.”
Donovan swore quietly, his gaze returning to Eva.
“Did they find the stolen property?”
Colby nodded. “All but the booze. Seems she got rid of that evidence.”
Donovan sighed and glanced at his watch. “She asked for a lawyer yet?”
“Not as of when the call came in, but I’m sure it’s a matter of time. You going?”
“Yeah, I’m going. You two keep a lid on it, okay? I want to talk to her before I tell Eva.”
“Sure, boss.”
“Why don’t you go on and get it over with?” Hazel suggested. “We’ll hold down the fort here.”
“Keep one actual deputy here at all times. Hopefully the streets are quiet by now, and we won’t need the patrols.”
“Will do,” Colby nodded.
