Maritime Caper (Coastal Fury Book 12), Matt Lincoln [good books to read for beginners TXT] 📗

don’t even know if it’s the same person or not. It could be two people. Or more.”

“Yeah, I guess I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, blinking at this. I’d been so concerned with the journal itself and its contents—or, lack of contents, more aptly—that I hadn’t given a lot of thought to the fact that someone had done this on purpose. Of course, I’d vaguely understood this. But talking it through with Tessa crystalized the issue.

“The question is, who did you piss off?” she asked, shooting me a grin.

“Oh, I don’t know, just about everyone,” I laughed, shaking my head and looking down at my hands. “But honestly, I can’t think of anyone who would go to all these lengths just to mess with me. Sure, I’ve taken down more than my fair share of criminals—even a few crime syndicates. But I can’t think of anyone who holds that kind of grudge against me, except maybe for that Senator. He’s in prison now, though.”

I was referring to the Florida Senator who had gotten involved with the New York mob who had caused our funding issues I cleared up when I’d seen Tessa last.

“Yeah, I can’t see that being it,” Tessa said, rolling her eyes. “He didn’t strike me as all that bright, to be honest.”

“No, not particularly,” I chuckled. “So I guess what I’m saying is, whoever’s doing this probably isn’t doing it because of me. They have to have been looking for the Dragon’s Rogue, too, and then somehow found out that I was after it.”

“That’s the question: how did they find out?” Tessa asked darkly. “Who all knows about the Searcher’s Chance and all that? Just the people at MBLIS and your witnesses?”

“Just about,” I confirmed with a nod, scrunching up my brows as I tried to create a list in my head. Finally, shaking my head, “I can’t see anyone involved with the investigation being behind any of this. Not at all.”

“I was afraid you would say that,” Tessa sighed. “So, where would that leave us?”

“At square one,” I said apologetically. “As much as I hate to say it. I don’t even know where to begin to figure out who’s behind this. Getting this Martha woman to talk to us would be a good start, but she doesn’t seem all that inclined to do that.”

“No, she’s made that much clear,” Tessa said with a humorless laugh. “Though maybe her knitting friend will be able to smooth things over.”

She rolled her eyes at this thought, and we both burst out laughing.

“I don’t know, Paulina seems nice enough,” I managed as my voice wavered from the laughing. “And maybe showing up with her will catch Martha off guard.”

“I think that’s probably the best that we can hope for,” I chuckled, briefly imagining Paulina trying to fend off a group of gangbangers with her knitting needles and pushing the absurd image out of my mind with another laugh. “But when we get there, you have to promise to do everything I say when I say it.”

“Uh, okay,” Tessa said in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes.

I took her hand and looked her in the eyes to make sure she knew that I was serious.

“I mean it, Tessa,” I said, looking right into her sea-green eyes. “Whatever we’re dealing with here can be dangerous.”

“I understand,” she said, peering back into my own eyes and looking more than a bit concerned now. “You really think there was someone back there at the museum, don’t you?”

It was barely a question. She knew me well enough by then to be able to tell when I was really apprehensive and when I was just extra cautious.

“Yeah, I do,” I said quietly, not wanting to scare her too much. “But I know what I’m doing, and if you stick close to me and do what I tell you in the event of a crisis, everything will turn out fine.”

“I don’t doubt you for a second,” she said, grinning at me and moving her face closer to mine.

I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers, all concerns about the museum, Grendel’s journal, and the Hollands already forgotten.

13

Ethan

I woke up before Tessa the next morning, as the sun was rising, and headed downstairs to get some fresh air.

Apparently, even on vacation, I couldn’t sleep in. I could hear Holm berating me all the way from Miami.

To my surprise, Paulina was sitting behind the front desk when I descended the staircase, clicking away with her knitting needles as she created some kind of shawl or blanket.

“Good morning, Mr. Marston,” she said cheerily, beaming up at me as I approached the front door.

“Good morning to you,” I told her with a friendly nod. “And Ethan is fine, really.”

“Ethan it is, then,” she said, giving me a toothy smile. “What brings you up so early?”

“Oh, I’m just used to it, I guess,” I said with a shrug, running a hand through my hair. “Are you still coming with us to the museum this morning?”

“Oh yes, I’m looking forward to it,” Paulina said eagerly. “I’ve meant to catch up with Martha. You know, I always thought that her grandson would be a good match for my granddaughter. I’ll have to talk to her about that…”

The old woman’s voice trailed off as she seemed to think about this prospect very seriously.

“Right, well, I think I’m going to get some fresh air before breakfast,” I told her, and she nodded absent-mindedly to me as I exited the bed-and-breakfast and headed down the front lawn to take a walk.

The air was crisp and refreshing, and a thin fog settled along the sidewalk in front of me. I couldn’t see or hear the ocean, but I could smell and taste the salt in the air, and there were seagulls calling in the distance, so I knew that the water couldn’t be too far away.

If it weren’t for all my concerns about the museum, Grendel’s journal, and the Hollands, it would’ve been the