Twenty-Four

 

 

 

 

 

It was after seven in the morning when Colt put the key in the lock at Naomi’s house and walked into the entryway. After hiding his weapons on the shelf in the hall closet, he rubbed the back of his neck. He’d spent hours logging in evidence. He’d written his initial report. And he was bone-tired and ready for bed.

He spotted his vanilla birthday cake sitting under a dome of glass on the kitchen island, untouched. He picked up the top, swiped a finger through the icing, and licked off the buttercream from his finger. When he turned to get orange juice out of the fridge, a pack of squealing females surrounded him.

“You made it back!” Maddie said, using her loud voice and wrapping her arms around his legs.

Tibby moved in for a hug while Naomi surveyed her family before reaching in to take hold of Colt’s face. “We’re glad you’re back. We missed you.”

Colt gave them a tired grin. “I can tell. I like it.”

“We stayed up all night,” Maddie informed him. “But I took a nap. We all slept in the same bed ’til you got back.”

“I just assumed all of you would be fast asleep; that’s why I didn’t call or text.”

“That makes me feel only slightly better. I’m a little hurt you didn’t call letting me know what was going on,” Naomi acknowledged. “Any news about Simon? We know he went into surgery but that’s the last we heard.”

“He’s gonna make it. I stopped in at the hospital before heading here. Quentin wouldn’t let me donate blood because I’m too tired. And things got crazy after we found him. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Which translates to dangerous cop stuff,” Tibby accused. “We’re not babies. You can tell us what happened.” 

He took hold of Tibby’s chin. “I caught the bad guys, that’s all you need to know.”

“And you didn’t get shot like the other man did,” Maddie sang out. “Yay!”

“I wouldn’t argue if someone wanted to fix breakfast. I haven’t eaten since yesterday.” That got the girls scrambling to get down cereal from the pantry, which gave him a chance to talk to Naomi alone. “Are you having any luck easing their minds about me going to work? This fascination they have about guns and me getting shot is bordering on an unhealthy obsession.”

“I talked to the counselor about it and she seems to think it’s a phase and that they’ll eventually get accustomed to the uniform and what goes with it. But there is something else.”

“I’m afraid to ask.”

“Kinsey informs me that the state of Idaho has opened up an investigation. They want to press charges against Tibby’s foster parents. They want her to testify against the couple at trial. She’d be one of the key witnesses.”

“I don’t like the sound of that. She’d have to go back to Boise. My gut reaction is no. They must have other kids already there who could be just as good a witness as Tibby. Even older than she is.”

Naomi laid her head against his chest. “That was my initial reaction, too. But Kinsey said we’re likely to get summoned anyway.”

“In other words, we don’t have a say in the matter. That isn’t fair to her at all. As soon as she gets settled here, the state of Idaho forces her to go back to face those people in court? She’s just a kid. That’s wrong in my book.”

“Mine, too. But it’s probably months or even years down the road. Kinsey says it could take them that long to get the couple to court.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Colt grumbled. “I need sleep.”

Naomi took his hand and pulled him along to the bedroom. “I’ll get the kids to school. You’ll have the house to yourself.”

Colt didn’t hear the last part. He fell back on the bed in total exhaustion.

 

 

After six hours of sleep, Colt took a shower and headed to the hospital to check on Simon. He found Gilly in the room and Simon sitting up in bed, hooked up to all kinds of machines and IVs with an oxygen tube sticking out of his nose.

“Wow, what a recovery. You don’t look like death warmed over any more,” Colt cracked, going over to place a kiss on Gilly’s cheek. “You, on the other hand, look gorgeous.”

Gilly blushed. “How is it you two look nothing alike but you act exactly the same? Gretchen says you’re like twins in that regard.”

Colt turned to Simon. “Haven’t you told your pretty wife about our longstanding sexual relationship?”

Simon wanted to laugh but put a hand on his chest. He spoke slowly, laboring over each word. “Do. Not. Make. Me. Laugh.”

Gilly giggled and got up to adjust the IV. “Simon’s not supposed to move. In fact, he isn’t even supposed to lie flat. Doc says the bullet cracked one of his ribs and the other punctured a lung. Thanks to you he didn’t bleed to death out there by himself in the water. As soon as he was conscious, I told him about you catching Dawson and Harrison last night.”

“More like this morning. But yeah, those two dirtbags won’t be going anywhere for a while. I know Dawson is the one who shot you.”

Simon’s breathing became shallow as he tried to form another word. “How?”

“He told me. Right after I smashed his face in.”

Simon grinned and gave him a thumbs up. He motioned Colt to come closer. “Favor.”

Colt traded glances with Gilly before looking back at Simon. “I thought I just did you one or maybe two.”

Gilly took Simon’s hand. “He wants you to decorate the Sea Dragon for the annual Parade of Christmas Lights. He promised Jayden. With him in the hospital, he won’t be able to do it. He wants you to do it…for all the kids.”

Colt smiled and returned the thumbs up.

 

 

Their late-night adventure had forever bonded Colt to Eastlyn. They seemed more at ease with each other, less standoffish, more comfortable backing each other up.

Brent noticed the change in his officers and mentioned it to Nick, who had seen for himself that the two were settling into a routine on patrol.

Nick felt the need to add more. “Colt had such a terrible childhood that he carried around a lot of bitterness like a chain around his neck. That might’ve worked to his advantage in the Army, the resentment part, but it just makes him an oddball in the civilian world. Naomi even tells me that around the girls he’s a great father. My take is, for the first time in his life, Colt Del Rio has someone else to think about, look after, instead of himself. In fact, I’ve even seen a change in Naomi. When she first arrived in town, she was skittish, professional in her job but aloof. Now she seems more down to earth, willing to get out and mingle with the town as a whole. Love will do that to you.”

“And kids,” Brent added. “Kids are the great equalizer. I remember the first time I laid eyes on Luke. That boy had been through so much, we just bonded. He put his arms around my neck and I was sunk.”

Nick bobbed his head in agreement. “I remember being around Hutton for the first time. That baby was a mystery to me. Jordan had to explain how the kid worked from A to Z. And now look at us, Brent. We’re so different from the men we were. You, big time sheriff in Santa Cruz. Me, big time banker in Los Angeles. Now we’re in this small town and I wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world.”

Brent rocked back on his heels. “Life is constantly throwing us a curve.”

Nick suddenly got the picture. “Wait a minute. Are you worried about Colt and Eastlyn for another reason?”

“Worried? Hmm. Not anymore. I was, though, worried. I wasn’t sure the two would fit together as a unit. Eastlyn has this tendency to take over, to see a situation and dive in head first. Don’t get me wrong. That isn’t a bad thing. I knew what I was getting with a former pilot. But Simon told me Colt was much the same way. So I figured it would take them about two seconds to butt heads, which would be a major headache for everyone concerned. Then Simon goes missing. My two officers didn’t just step up, Nick, they rocketed to the top and got the job done—together. I still have a hard time believing what they did. And it was as though they’d been working together for years instead of weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of two officers since I’ve been in command, that goes all the way back to Santa Cruz.”

Nick slapped him on the back. “If you start tearing up, I’ll start worrying about you.”

“You know where they are right now?”

“Eastlyn and Colt? No. Where?”

“They’re decorating Simon’s boat for the Parade of Lights this Saturday night. They want it to be a surprise for all the kids.”

“Maybe they should think about putting up the lights at night then. Won’t the kids catch on when they see the boat in broad daylight?”

“I asked them that very thing. Turns out, they think they can keep the kids away from the harbor for seventy-two hours.”

Nick chuckled. “Lots of luck with that.”

 

 

“I don’t think Simon bought enough lights,” Colt complained after unwinding the last string out of the last box they had on hand. “We’re out and we have half a boat to go.”

Eastlyn surveyed the situation. “Maybe we could just show this half to the people on shore. No, really, think about it. That’s the side they’ll see in a circle.” She saw Colt’s scowl and held up her hands. “Totally kidding. I’ll call Cooper and see if he has any in the store room. Why don’t you call Naomi and see if she can locate whatever Ferguson’s has left in stock? You can’t get picky, Colt. We’ll take whatever they bring us and make it work.”

“Deal,” he muttered, “but I wish Simon had planned for this better.”

“Yeah. I’m sure he would’ve left out the part about getting shot.”

“Great point.”

“Why are you so irritable? You got a pat on the back from the boss this morning. I’d think you’d be stoked. What’s bugging you?”

“Sorry.” He plopped down on the deck. “It’s just that…I wasn’t completely honest with Brent about how things went down with Dawson. I took his cuffs off and punched him. Twice.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“How?”

“Oh, man. You must really have been mad and not clear-headed. I could hear everything that happened on your end through my headset. Look, if it’s any consolation, I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“You aren’t just saying that?”

“Jeez, what do you want? Some kind of declaration? I’m telling you, I would’ve punched the guy.” She picked up her cell phone to call Cooper about the lights. “Next time, though, try to show some restraint. You’re a good cop. Just don’t let your emotions take over in each situation.”

“I’ll work on it. How did you adjust? To civilian life?”

“First, I had to kick the drugs. Vicodin mostly. And booze. It was Nick and Cord who showed up at my door one day and dragged my ass here so they could babysit me, make sure I followed the straight and narrow.”

“Jeez, it’s like a theme park.”

“Yeah. Without the fun rides. And then I had to get a grip about what I wanted to do with my life. I kept seeing this ghost of Scott Phillips and it freaked me out.”

“Get out. You saw him, too?”

“I still see him. He’s all over town. Scott’s like an old lady aunt who just keeps picking at you about stuff, nagging you every time he sees you, and won’t leave you alone.”

“Yeah, he does that. Remember that movie The Others where all the characters in the house are already dead? I started to think that’s what was happening here. That maybe the reason I kept seeing Scott was because I was already dead.”

“Scott messes with your head, all right. Cooper sees him, too. I bet if you got everyone together in this town who knows about Scott, you’d be able to fill up the school auditorium. The good thing is he’s harmless. He watches out for people. I guess you could say he’s a good ghost, like Casper.”

Colt shook his head. This was all too much to handle. He picked up his phone to call Naomi about lunch. It was time to spend a little quality time at the cabin.

Naomi eagerly agreed to lunch at their favorite hideaway. But before they could make love, Colt had to get some things off his chest. “I just had a very strange conversation with Eastlyn. I didn’t want to admit this before, not to anyone, but I’ve been seeing this ghost named Scott Phillips since I got here. We’ve been talking. I know it sounds crazy…”

“And you’ve just now decided to share,” Naomi said with a smile. “Are you suggesting that Eastlyn has also seen this Scott Phillips ghost?”

“Yeah. And I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t want you to think I was some mental case.”

“I see. Well, I know all about Scott. He’s Jordan’s first husband and Hutton’s father. She told me all about him my first trip here. I stayed at the B&B when I came out for my job interview at the bank. One night I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed to take a stroll on the balcony. There was a half moon, but it wasn’t all that bright because of a few wispy clouds, like fog rolling in off the coast. I glanced down into the courtyard. Something caught my eye and I couldn’t look away. Finally, I realized it was a man out wandering around in the dark at three o’clock in the morning. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a T-shirt, ordinary dress, I thought. But then I stared at him and he apparently felt someone watching him. He looked up to where I stood. And I realized then that he wasn’t ordinary at all. He looked…otherworldly…he had this glow about him, like what you’d think an angel might look like if they were out walking the earth. The next morning at breakfast, I asked Jordan about it. She told me the whole story.”

“And you believed her?”

“Colt, what’s this all about? If you’re concerned that I wouldn’t believe you were seeing ghosts, I absolutely would have. Why? Because my parents and siblings have been following me around like that for years. I still see them sometimes when I go to bed at night. I remember their faces and what they were wearing the night they died. I thought you knew that. I thought you knew that I’m haunted by five souls every single day of my life. They’ve never aged. They’re always there to keep me company. That’s why I’ve never truly fit in no matter where it’s been that I’ve lived. I’m out of place. The only time I’ve felt some measure of normal is here, in Pelican Pointe with you, and with the girls. If your seeing Scott means that he’s a permanent fixture you won’t be able to shake, I totally understand the phenomenon. I might not be able to explain it, but I certainly get how you feel whenever you encounter him.”

He reached out with his thumb to brush her lips. “How is it I deserve you?”

“I don’t know about that. I’m not sure I’m such a good bet these days.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Motherhood may kill me.”

He roared with laughter. “You had me going there for a minute.”

“It’s not funny. I’m serious. This is really hard for me, Colt. Tibby and Maddie mean the world to me, but most days I’m not sure I’m doing or saying the right things. What if we’ve bitten off more than we can handle?”

He lifted a shoulder in casual indifference. “So what? We’ll make the best of it. People, parents, have been doing that for centuries. To tell you the truth, I’m tired of worrying about it. For once in my life, I’d like to live for someone else who matters, be able to count on a significant other, be with someone who’s real, without feeling like I’m simply going through the motions. I’m tired of phony, made-up feelings just to get by.”

She pulled him closer. “You mean a real, honest-to-God, adult relationship without a bunch of pretentious notions attached?”

“That’s it.”

“I think that’s what we have here, Colt.”

“Yeah? Me too.”