“Nate says you’re a witness. Were you the one who called 9-1-1?”
She pictured the small fiddler crabs crawling out from under Vito and tasted bile rising in the back of her throat. She shook her head. “We were further down the beach when someone found the body, but we heard the screams. We went to see if we could help.”
The eyes in the mirror narrowed. “Then why am I taking you to the station?”
“I’m not exactly sure.”
“Do you need me to call anyone? Your dad? Sean?”
She glanced out the window at the passing buildings as the squad car whizzed down the narrow street. “I guess you missed the gossip, but Sean’s at Mass General. His appendix burst on Monday.”
In the rearview mirror, she saw his eyebrows shoot sky high. “No kidding? Jeez, that’s rough. When will he be home?”
Emma shrugged. “Dad hoped by the end of the week but no one’s sure.”
The radio crackled, commanding Jim’s attention. She glanced at Chase. He raised her hand to his lips, giving it a squeeze before planting a gentle kiss along her fingers. She smiled, glad for his support and the fact that he wasn’t acting jealous or pushing her for answers she wasn’t ready to give. “What a night, huh?” She stared into his stormy eyes, unable to read his thoughts.
His eyes crinkled with amusement. “Which part?”
“Take your pick, I guess.”
“I’d rather focus on the good parts, then.” Chase kept his voice low, the husky sound sending a shiver down her back, bringing to mind those mind-numbing kisses and sensual caresses that made her behave like a hormonal teen at her first beach party. An hour ago, their evening had been heading in a completely different direction. All those feelings he’d stirred within her, the sexual tension arcing between them…extinguished with one bloodcurdling scream.
His thumb traced a slow circle on the back of her hand and her breath caught in her throat. “I know it’s all sudden, and this sounds absolutely crazy, but I don’t want this night to be over. I don’t want to lose you.”
She smiled. “I know what you mean. And yeah, it’s a bit on the crazy side. I literally ran into you on the sidewalk on Monday and now here we are.”
“In the back of a cruiser?”
She nudged him with her shoulder. “You know what I mean.” The look in his eyes seemed to say he understood her meaning well enough.
Is it possible he feels it too? Whatever this is between us?
She had no idea how to define the connection she had with Chase, but she knew she’d never felt this way before. She watched as his eyes darkened, his brow scrunching with obvious concern, but his next words still shocked her.
“My project here wraps up tomorrow, or rather, I guess that’s technically today already. I need to get back to New York, to my lab at the university, and finish testing the samples.”
It felt like the temperature in the car dropped several degrees as his words sank in. She withdrew her hand, folding it into her lap. “When are you leaving?”
“After the boat docks and we collect the rest of our samples and data from the Center for Coastal Studies. I only have a few weeks to pull together my findings for the CDC and write my presentation for the climate conference.”
She stared at him, her stomach twisting into painful knots.
So much for being on the same
page with our feelings. Gah, I’m such an idiot!
Her throat tightened but she forced out the words, needing to hear his answers. “So tonight was supposed to be what? A quick fling with a local girl? A one-night stand before you cruise out of Cape Cod?”
He looked appalled. “No, that’s not what I meant at all.”
“Then what?”
Uncertainty blanketed his features, but before he could answer they came to an abrupt stop. Jim yanked open the door on Emma’s side of the car. “Here we are at the station.” He pinned Chase with a hard stare, and Emma realized he must’ve been listening to their conversation. Jim put a gentle hand on Emma’s shoulder, his tone bordering on brotherly. “You okay?”
Chase slid out of the backseat and stood next to Emma in the parking lot. He moved to take her hand but she sidestepped away, still reeling from his confession in the car. For goodness sake, she only met him Monday, what did she expect? A lifelong commitment after one lunch and one dinner date? Just because his kiss sent her skyrocketing into oblivion didn’t mean he wanted to settle down and marry her.
Marriage? Where did
that
thought come from?
She barely knew Chase. It’s not like he promised anything. He was a scientist, here to work on a project. She knew that. His work was important to him, and important to the planet. A few simple kisses couldn’t interrupt his research. Maybe scientists were like pirates, with a different girl waiting in every harbor, stringing each one along with sizzling kisses.
Well then, the joke’s on him.
Because she wasn’t about to wait around Provincetown any longer than she had to. Once Sean was out of the hospital, she’d be gone in a flash, back to New York. Back to her real job and her life.
Right now, she needed to focus on poor Vito, and helping the police figure out what happened. She didn’t need Chase or the added complication of the feelings he stirred inside her. She turned to him and took a deep breath. “It’s late, and you need to be at the wharf early. You should go back to your motel.”
He looked stricken, like she’d slapped him across the face. “You want me to leave you here alone?”
Her eyes flicked to where Jim stood waiting on the sidewalk, arms folded over his ample chest. “I’m not alone. Jim’s a friend.”
“Emma…”
“You said it yourself, you’re leaving after the boat docks anyway. Why stick around the police station if you don’t have to?”
He moved closer, and she resisted the urge to back away. She didn’t want to feel needy, didn’t want to need him, but the fact was that his solid presence made her feel safer somehow. She let him take her hand this time. “Look at me, Emma.”
Slowly she lifted her eyes to find his stormy gaze focused on her face, grey eyes gleaming under the harsh spotlights of the police station. His thumb traced small circles against her palm, raising goosebumps all along her arm. “I didn’t get a chance to finish. The fact is, we both live in the same city, remember? You’re visiting Provincetown for a week. I am headed back, but I want to see you again. And again.” He paused. “That is, if that’s what you want.”
She stared at him, realizing her mistake. “I’m…”
He barreled on, not letting her finish. “I know we just met, but this thing? This connection?” With his free hand he gestured between their bodies. “This is something real. I’ve never felt like this before, as corny as that sounds. Even despite finding a dead body on our first date.”
The corners of her mouth quirked, feeling the tension drain. A rush of warmth filled her, rolling through like a wave, replacing the emptiness she’d felt only moments before. “Okay,” she whispered, not trusting her voice to speak any louder. Behind her, Jim cleared his throat.
“If we’re done making up, can we head inside and write out that statement? Is this guy coming with you or not, Emma?”
Chase leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. “Is it okay if I stay?”
“Okay.”
Once inside the bustling station, Jim led them to a large room filled with desks and policemen and citizens. Emma couldn’t tell who was a victim, or a witness, or a criminal, but she knew no one seemed happy to be under the station’s bright fluorescents at one o’clock in the morning.
Jim plunked himself into a chair at one of the messier desks, motioning for Emma and Chase to take the empty seats opposite him. He pulled out a form and a pen, quickly scribbling the date and time on a line at the very top. “Shall we start at the beginning?”
Once they’d established the basics of Emma’s and Chase’s names and local addresses, Jim asked the question she’d been waiting for. “Why are you here?” He narrowed his eyes. “You already said you didn’t witness the drowning or discover the body. What does John Doe have to do with you?”
Emma swallowed hard. “He’s not a John Doe. I met him this morning at Mom’s bead shop. I mean, Wednesday morning.”
“So you think you can positively ID the victim?” Jim scrawled on the form and checked off a few boxes. “Nate said the body had no wallet or identification papers.”
“His name is Vito Lorenzo, from New York City. He was in P-town on business.”
“Okay. What kind of business? Jewelry?”
Emma shook her head, thinking back to their short but odd conversation and starting to feel nervous. “Good assumption, but no. It had nothing to do with Mom’s bead shop. Vito said it was family business. I think they handle insurance.”
It sounded ridiculous when she said it out loud. Insurance wasn’t usually a profession where your lifeless body ended up washed in with the evening tide. Could the “family business” really be the Lenzini crime syndicate?
Jim didn’t argue the point, taking her statement word for word. “And you said he’s based in New York, right? So what was he doing in P-town? Is your mother’s shop one of his customers?”
She shook her head again. “No, but Tony said Vito’s territory is Boston and P-town.”
And Tony said last night he’d take care of him.
And Vito had that black eye this morning, like he’d recently taken a beating. Because he saw me having lunch with Chase and teased Tony about it.
She blanched. Was his death somehow her fault?
What if he had a concussion from the beating and fell from the ferry?
She was so focused on her thoughts she almost missed Jim’s next question.
“Who’s Tony?”
“Excuse me?”
“You mentioned someone named Tony told you about Vito’s territory.”
“He’s a friend of mine back in New York. Vito is his cousin.”
Jim’s eyes darted to Chase and then back to Emma. “Friend, as in boyfriend?”
“No, a friend-friend.” She grimaced, tired of having to explain the same thing over and over. “Why do people make these stupid assumptions? I’m not sleeping with the guy. Can’t men and women be friends without having sex?”
Jim snorted, shaking his head. “Not unless they’re gay.”
Her eyes flew wide. “Hey! What the hell? I’ve never slept with you and I thought we were friends.”
“Crap. I mean, yeah, we’re friends.” He ducked his head, rubbing his eyes. “The summer circus is getting to me, and Carnival doesn’t even start until Saturday.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “Can we finish and get out of here?”
“Right.” Jim looked over the form on the desk. “So you last saw the victim when?”
Emma thought back. “Before nine o’clock this morning. He said he was catching an early ferry to Boston.”
“That should be easy to double check. Most of the ferry records are digital now, uploaded real-time—some homeland security initiative.” He swiveled in his chair to face the blank computer screen, jiggling his mouse to bring it to life. With a few clicks, the screen filled with passenger manifestos for the day. “Here we go. Vito Lorenzo, paid cash at 8:55 a.m.”
Chase spoke up for the first time. “You have records of cash transactions?”
Jim shrugged without turning around. “They have to show a photo ID to buy a ticket and board the boat. So he definitely had his wallet when he boarded the vessel. Interesting.”
“Big Brother and his priorities,” Chase mumbled, shaking his head. “If they’d put half the money and effort into solving the climate change problem as they do keeping tabs on random citizens.”
Emma put a hand on Chase’s arm. “Can we stay focused, please?” She looked at Jim. “Can you tell whether he made it to Boston?”
“They don’t have to show ID to get off the boat, only when they get on. I can do a few more searches.” He turned back to the computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “The guy has a New York state driver’s license and a car registered in his name. I’ve requested the photo so you can make a definite ID before we start making notifications.”
“How long will that take?”
He pushed his chair away from the computer and stood, stretching his arms toward the ceiling. “Should be up in a few minutes. Either of you want some of the sludge that passes for coffee around here?”
“Thanks.” Emma waited until he was out of earshot before casting a wary look at Chase. He looked so responsible, so dependable, so…tired. With Captain Wilbur’s boat leaving the harbor in a few hours, she couldn’t in good conscience keep him here at the station. He needed sleep. She took a deep breath. “Listen, if you want to go, just leave. I can handle the rest of this on my own. I can call my dad for a ride, or get one from Jim.”
“No, I’ll stay.”
“It might not be the best idea. Who knows how long this’ll drag on? You have to be up early, you have a presentation to prepare…I’m a big girl. I can handle this.”
“But you shouldn’t have to handle it on your own. I don’t mind staying.” He put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. She melted against his body as if she’d been doing it all her life, his chest solid and comforting beneath her cheek. Her mind flashed back to the phone conversation with Tony the night before, the unexpected jealous rage and the promise she’d made.
No dating
.
If her suspicions about Vito’s bruises were correct, Tony had beaten him for making false assumptions about her lunch date. Now Vito was dead, whether it was related to the same fight or not. Tony said something about their
arrangement.
Did Tony think she belonged to him in some way?
What would happen to Chase if they actually started dating?
Chapter Sixteen
Chase watched with increasing concern as Emma’s eyes widened and the blood once again drained from her face. He knew sometimes people had delayed reactions to stress, but this seemed to be something else. And he didn’t know how to help.
Her face looked much the same as earlier, on the beach, when she babbled about texting Tony. Or not texting Tony. Because Vito was his cousin? “Didn’t you mention you need to text Tony about his cousin?”
“It’s too late,” she mumbled. “He’s already dead.”
He tried to make sense of her words. “But Tony doesn’t know that. Is that what you’re worried about? Telling him?”