“So you run around and ask people questions, which they probably won’t answer truthfully, and based on that and somebody’s hair you’re expected to solve a murder?” Ardith faced Jonas on the lawn of the narrow park that ran from the church at the top of the hill down to the cobblestone street filled with shops and eateries and bars. They got their coffees next door on the corner and decided to sit outside in the shade with the breeze blowing across from the harbor.
Jonas left his jacket and tie in the car, rolling up his sleeves and unbuttoning a couple of buttons to look and feel less like work. There were a couple other groups on the lawn, but they were mostly alone, the way he wanted it. “When you put it that way, it sounds crazy.”
“But you do manage to solve them, so I guess it works?” She leaned her back against the tree they’d claimed for shade. Her black hair was in a ponytail, draped across her shoulder.
“People slip up. They forget their previous lie or leave evidence behind. And most people aren’t criminal masterminds, they’re just…desperate.”
“So you sympathize with the people you arrest?”
That was a difficult question. One he’d struggled with since the day he was sworn in. “Depends on the crime, the circumstances, the person’s attitude. Murder isn’t always black and white.”
“And neither are you apparently.” Ardith smiled.
The way she looked at him made him feel awkward. Not in a bad way exactly, but it wasn’t his nature to get too serious. Especially about himself. “How about something less heavy? What’s your favorite color?”
Ardith laughed. “I think purple.”
“You think?”
She looked at him indignantly. “You caught me off guard.”
“I had no idea asking someone’s favorite color could catch them off guard.”
“I’m not good at those sorts of questions.” Ardith hugged her left leg, pulling it closer to her body. “Ask me about diving, or work, or Disney Princess movies and I’m there. My favorite color? Not so much.”
“Disney Princess movies?”
“Don’t judge.”
“Never.” Jonas stroked his chin while considering his options. “How about diving?”
Ardith grinned, so he’d clearly made the right choice. Work was always iffy and Disney Princess movies? Not exactly his shtick. “When I introduced myself, I should probably have added that I’m obsessed with scuba diving. I loved snorkeling as a child and then I got certified in my late teens and I haven’t looked back. It’s my life’s goal to see the world’s great diving sites, like the Great Barrier Reef.”
“Really?” Wanting to travel was definitely appealing, especially while in the middle of a murder investigation.
“Yeah. In fact,” she repositioned herself, crossing her legs, “I’m going diving this weekend, and I was wondering if you’d want to go with me. I mean, if you know how. But you’ve mentioned kitesurfing, so I figured there’s a decent chance you do.”
Did Ardith just ask him out? Jonas looked back into her dark chocolate eyes, waiting for him to respond. Yeah, she did just ask him out. This was no doubt the highlight of the last six months at least. “Absolutely.” Never mind that he’d never scuba’d–could you do that with the word?–a day in his life. He’d figure that part out later. Right now, Ardith was smiling back and excited he’d agreed, so who cared?
Jonas’ phone interrupted, reminding him he did still have work. One of his colleagues had news for him on Kevin Pratt’s case, which was good because nothing else had worked out so far. The kids who hosted the party couldn’t place Kevin or tell them anything about him, so he hoped his colleague had more to work with.
He apologized for the abrupt end and got to his feet. It had been a nice break, so he couldn’t complain too much. Though after getting a thorough look at her as she stood up, he decided he could complain a little. “Sorry to leave like this. It’s just…my life. With this job.”
“You’re Spider-Man. I get it.” She smiled.
Spider-Man wasn’t his favorite superhero, but he still didn’t mind the reference. “I’ll call you after I’m done and you can give me details about the diving.”
“Can’t wait.”
With a great amount of effort, Jonas hauled himself away from Ardith’s pleasant company and back to the station. It wasn’t his normal station because that was currently ripped apart on the inside thanks to the Kittridge family’s generous donation to renovate it, courtesy of Belinda. His station was the oldest and needed the help, but in the meantime, it meant being squished into another station, which was not equipped for all of them.
Jonas sat down at his desk, which was jammed up against another desk so they were face-to-face. Jonas was pretty sure he’d never met the guy who now sat across from him, and equally sure he hadn’t missed anything.
The detective glared up from his paperwork. “Good reading?” Jonas said. The guy smacked his papers on the desktop and got up and left. Jonas smiled to himself. He’d learned that emoting happiness was the quickest way to get rid of him.
His colleague took Grumpy Detective’s seat and launched into what he’d learned. “I got through to Pratt’s college adviser,” Soto said, hands folded on the desk and leaning toward Jonas, “and she was concerned about him. He was working his way through school and had a tough time this past semester. His grades took a dive and his adviser had suggested he lighten his class load next semester. His maxed credit cards back up her concern.”
“So what’s he doing here on vacation if he’s having money issues?”
Soto shrugged his broad shoulders. “You were in college. You know what it’s like.”
“True. But it’s common for kids going into fields under marine biology to spend summers interning.”
“I mentioned that. His adviser said Kevin showed little interest in any summer programs this year. She thought he was discouraged and distracted by his money problems.”
“Nothing like money to depress you.” Jonas twirled a pen around on his desk, contemplating if Kevin might have stolen that painting that washed up on the beach, hoping to pawn it for cash. That still didn’t explain where he stole it from. Jonas made a mental note to check in with Bennett and Belinda to see how their painting investigation was going. He hoped they already knew where it came from. “Check out Kevin’s accounts. Find out if he had any suspicious deposits or withdrawals. Maybe the lack of money will lead us to some bread crumbs.”
Soto nodded, twirling his thumbs. Jonas wanted to get on to other things, but Soto hung around. “Anything else?”
Soto peeked around both shoulders, then whispered, “Colleen Maguire called for you.”
“What did you tell her?” Jonas said with way more intensity than it called for.
Soto leaned back an inch, eyeing Jonas with interest. Perfect. The entire time he dated Colleen, he managed not to raise any eyebrows. Her name came up. Nothing. Not a flinch. His heart didn’t even race. Now that it was over, he freaked out and raised suspicion. What was that?
“That you were out,” Soto said. “She just said she wanted to talk to you and wanted you to call her back. Is it about the case?” Soto didn’t say it like he thought so himself.
Jonas shrugged it off. “Probably.” Colleen calling the station for him was not really a good thing. But he wasn’t keen on calling her back, especially with this little thing with Ardith developing.
Ardith. Jonas almost smacked his forehead. He’d been an idiot and said he could scuba dive. Jonas got up and waved a hand at Soto. “Get back to me on Pratt’s finances.” But Soto still didn’t leave. Jonas arched his eyebrows. “Yes?”
“We got a call that some kid may know something. He wouldn’t leave a name and just said he’d only talk to you.”
Jonas frowned. “You could’ve led with that.”
Soto shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Save the best for last, right?”
Jonas tilted his head, reading the information Soto handed off. “A time and place to meet? Does this kid think we’re in an ‘80s TV crime drama?”
“A kid his age gets killed, maybe he’s scared he knows too much and will be next.”
“And that sounds like…”
“An ‘80s TV crime drama.”
“Thank you.” Jonas reread the message. Four o’clock. The state park, Ocean Ave. “Well, it’s something,” he muttered to himself.
“It’s the only thing.”
Jonas channeled his desk mate and glowered down at Soto through the wisps of light brown hair that fell across his eyes. “Is that really all?”
“Yep.”
“Then get on to Pratt’s finances.” He started walking automatically toward the exit–the wrong way in this station. He still wasn’t used to where everything was and part of him wondered how long things would be like this.
Soto picked up his pace and caught up with Jonas’ longer strides. “You headed to the state park already?”
“Uh, no. I’ve got something else to take of care right now.” They reached a crossroads and split, Soto glancing back at him suspiciously. Jonas tried to let that go and take care of his own business, namely looking to see how quickly you could get certified for scuba diving. Once he looked that up in the privacy of his car, it was on to his mystery informant on Ocean Avenue.