Lucas and I looked at each other.
“What do you suppose that was about?” I asked Lucas. My mind was already spinning with the possibilities. Grandpa hadn’t looked surprised to see Leopard Man, which made me wonder. However, it could just be the cop face. I wondered if he knew anything about the guy in the water.
“I don’t know. He’s your grandfather,” Lucas pointed out. “And Leopard Man is his friend. Well, I guess your friend, too, right?”
“Yeah.” I sat back and crossed my arms. “Do you think I should go down?”
“Um, no,” Lucas said. “I don’t. I think your grandfather would’ve invited you if he wanted you to be a part of this.”
Not the answer I wanted, but I knew he was right. I let out a sigh. “This is a weird night. It feels wrong to be sitting here watching TV.”
“Yeah, but you need something to take your mind off things.” He came and sat next to me on the couch, slipping an arm around my shoulders. “Should we still watch something funny?”
“Like what?”
“Your pick.”
I thought about that. “Something with Melissa McCarthy?”
“You got it.” He kissed the top of my head, then leaned over and grabbed the TV remote off the coffee table. Jasmine, the kitty who’d been snuggling with Jason Holt, leaped up onto the couch, settling half on my leg and half on Lucas’s. I reached down and rubbed behind her soft ears. She purred her contentment.
“Where’s Val?” I asked.
“Upstairs. She got a call. Something about napkins.” Lucas shrugged. “She likes that stuff, I guess?”
“She does.” I wanted to go get JJ but didn’t want to disturb Jasmine. I settled in and stroked her fur, but she jumped anyway when the doorbell rang. “What now?” I muttered.
Lucas was fixated on scrolling through the Netflix options featuring Melissa McCarthy, so I headed for the front door.
I’d already grabbed the doorknob when dread hit the pit of my stomach. What if the crazy lady was back? Was it something worse? This had been the strangest day, and I hesitated. The bell rang again. I wished there were a peephole, like in my high-rise apartment back in San Francisco. I could’ve peered out the window next to the door, but whoever it was would definitely see me in that case.
I took a deep breath, pulled the door open, and saw that I had every reason to feel dread. Sergeant Mick Ellory of the Daybreak PD stood on the other side. And any time Ellory showed up on my doorstep, it was not a good sign.
“Maddie,” he said with a nod, those steely eyes piercing mine. He offered me a small smile, as if to try to take the tenseness out of the situation. It was progress. For a while, we couldn’t stand the sight of each other. At least now we could have a civil conversation.
“Hi. Everything okay?” I asked brightly.
“Sorry to interrupt your evening,” Ellory said without answering my question.
I shrugged. “It’s fine, Sergeant. How can I help you?”
“I need your grandfather’s expertise. Is he here?”
“Mick,” I heard Grandpa say.
I spun around, surprised. “I didn’t hear you come up.”
Grandpa kept his eyes on our guest.
“Hello, Chief,” Ellory said.
That raised my eyebrows. While the majority of cops on the island still thought of Grandpa as the chief, most of them—especially all-business Ellory—didn’t acknowledge it out of respect for the current chief. If he was “chiefing” Grandpa Leo, he must really need his help.
“I’m looking for Carl.”
“Who?” I asked, confused.
“Haven’t seen him,” Grandpa said.
Ellory kept his eyes on Grandpa. Grandpa’s gaze never wavered. The two grown men were, essentially, engaged in a staring contest.
“He hasn’t been around tonight?” Ellory asked.
“I just got home a few minutes ago. Why are you looking here?” Grandpa asked.
I watched them both, my eyes darting back and forth between them like I was following a particularly intense Ping-Pong game. Clearly, Grandpa knew exactly who Ellory was talking about, and I was dying to know. I racked my brain for any memory of a Carl on the island, but nothing was coming to me.
Ellory shrugged. “Just a hunch.” He shifted on his feet, and I saw Craig coming up the porch steps behind him. He saw me and nodded. I gave him a questioning look. He looked away.
“Well, you’re outta luck.” Grandpa smiled. “But if I see him, I’ll tell him you were looking for him.”
“Who is Carl?” I persisted, not one to enjoy being ignored.
“Can we have a word?” Ellory asked Grandpa. “In private?”
Grandpa’s classic impatient stance—head cocked, bushy white eyebrows up—kicked in. “What about?”
Ellory didn’t answer, but his raised eyebrows said, Clearly, you should be able to figure that out.
Grandpa sighed. “I’ll have to get my coat and come outside. The young people are trying to have a quiet evening. One minute.”
He left the door open. Ellory apparently took that as an unspoken invitation to come in. He stepped inside. After a moment’s hesitation, Craig followed. He made it a point to let his gaze linger on Lucas on the couch before he glanced away, shutting the door behind him. They both stood there waiting. Like they were about to escort someone out of the house. And not to a party.
Grandpa returned a minute later, zipping his parka. “Let’s go.”
They headed outside, Craig trailing slightly behind, leaving Lucas and me staring after them. Craig closed the door firmly after he’d stepped out onto the porch.
“That’s gotta be about the guy in the water,” I said to Lucas, itching to try to eavesdrop. I cursed the weather for making it too cold to open the window.
“But why did they come here? And who’s Carl?”
“No idea,” I said. “I feel like we fell down some crazy rabbit hole tonight. And I should’ve asked about the guy in the water.” I pulled the curtain back from the window, trying to see out. Not that it would matter. I couldn’t hear what they were saying anyway.
“Right. Because I’m sure they would’ve told you everything,” Lucas said.
I crossed my arms and glared at him. “My sarcasm is rubbing off on you. And I’m really not loving it.”