Using his foot, Oliver nudged the door open. Anger flared within him. The office had been tossed.
Oliver returned his gun to the back of his jeans. He followed Darling into the small, disheveled room. She stood in the doorway, eyes roaming over the mess. Then, like a switch had been flipped, she hurried to the other side of the desk and started to move through drawers on the floor.
âItâs gone, Oliver!â
âWhatâs gone?â But before she could answer, it dawned on him. âThe security tape.â
Darling nodded, clearly upset. An overpowering urge to comfort her pushed him forward. He put his hands on her shoulders, making her look up into his eyes. The moment from the night before played back into his mind.
She was close enough to kiss.
âOliver, thereâs something I need to tell you.â
âYes?â His voice dropped low. Her green-eyed stare could stir up a drove of feelings in mere seconds.
âI think I know who did this,â she whispered. âAnd you arenât going to like it.â
This book is for one of my best friends, Rachel Miller. Thank you for listening to everything I had to say about Darlingâs story, as well as every other story Iâve ever created! Your enthusiasm, wisdom and friendship have made my life exponentially better. Hereâs to many, many, many more years of staying up late and talking about books!
Also, the quickest of shout-outs to Hunter Hall.
Our friendship is also killer!
Chapter One
âIt was just a little misunderstanding.â
Darling Smith was standing behind the bars of one of two holding cells in Mulligan, Maine, and not at all amused.
Deputy Derrick Arrington, however, was all humor. Maybe that was due to the fact that the two had dated on and off the year before with less than favorable results. They were normally amicable if not downright pleasant, but Darling figured it wasnât every day he was able to arrest his ex. Her thoughts slid back in time for a moment.
Oh yeah, she would have loved to put a certain man from her past in the slammer and throw away the key.
âThat should be tattooed across your forehead, Darling. âIt was a little misunderstanding, Officer. Iâm too cute to be up to no good.ââ He grinned.
âDeputy Arrington, did you just say that Iâm cute?â she replied with a big dose of sugar.
He pointed at her and laughed. âSee? That right there is what Iâm talking about.â
âOh, come on, Derrick.â Darling dropped the cuteness from her tone. She was tired. âWe both know that George Hanely overreacted.â Just saying the gate guardâs name made her mad. Heâd acted as if he was a Secret Service agent and Darling was an enemy of the state.
âHe did his job. George saw a suspicious person snooping around private property.â He eyed Darling a moment, waiting for her to confess. Heâd keep waiting, too. âWhatâs more, that suspicious person was found going up to his employerâs garage.â
âNot confirmed, just accused,â she said.
The deputy shook his head. âIâd take this a little more seriously, Darling. You were caught breaking and entering into Nigel Marksâs house. Heâs a beloved figure in this town. This will be the first time heâs been back to stay for a while in years. The last time he came, do you know what he did?â
Darling let out a long breath. She had already researched the millionaire, but that didnât mean she was buying what he was selling. âHe donated a new wing to the childrenâs library.â
âThatâs right. He was here for a little over a week, and he brought joy to an entire townâs kids. Now heâs coming to stay for almost a month. His visits, even if they are work related, usually benefit our community.â He paused, making sure he let his words sink in before he tacked on, âWe want him to enjoy that stay, not worry about some spunky private eye.â
âI preferred âcute,ââ she grumbled.
âWell, I preferred starting my Tuesday morning with a cup of coffee and not picking up a criminal just as the sun rose.â
âAccused criminal.â
He rolled his eyes and checked his watch. Derrick was tall, had jet-black hair and the bluest eyes sheâd ever seen. He was handsome, sure, but he also wasnât anywhere near her type. Though, admittedly, her type had revolved around one man and one man alone throughout the years. She stopped herself before she could picture him, angry for entertaining thoughts of a past best forgotten.