I didn’t know him well, as all of our encounters had revolved around murder cases, jeep break-ins, and assault cases. I had held back on pursuing anything more since I had just been a visitor in Destiny Falls. But now that it appeared I was here to stay, maybe it was time to get to know him on a more personal level. Based on his intimate smiles, perhaps he felt the same.
Vessie reappeared at the table with our beverages and said hello to Jaxson. He stood up, took her hands, and smiled that Matthew McConaughey smile, dimples and all, as he looked into her eyes and said good morning. Well, hmm. Perhaps his charm wasn’t exclusively for me. Now that the stars in my eyes were dimming, I realized he’d been every bit as charismatic with just about anyone I’d seen him with. (Unless he was working, then he was All Sheriff, All Business. Which was sexy in a whole different way.) That didn’t mean he wasn’t The Future Husband and Father of my Future Children, but I’d take this slowly and see where it went. After all, there was obviously more than one man who fit the character in my vision.
Our breakfast visit was delightful. I enjoyed spending time with my brother and his buddy (mystery man or not). After we ate, we ordered another round of coffee and tea, and Jaxson filled us in on the latest in the murder of the ferry captain.
“We’re making headway on the case,” Jaxson began.
Wow, this I wanted to hear. I’d been mulling over my unsettling encounter with the captain, her message, the strange men in the café, and the mystery package. Because of her dire warnings, I didn’t want to be the one to share these facts and possibly endanger myself or my family.
“We’ve learned that Nakita was in the process of a contentious divorce. Apparently, she’d been having an affair. Her husband discovered it and he was furious. We’re trying to locate her husband and also identify the man she was having the affair with. It’s been a challenge. Both men have been evasive, but we have some leads that we’re working through. We suspect this was a crime of passion.”
Wait. What?! This was not at all what I was expecting to hear. What about her odd behavior? Her warning in the café? The intimidating mechanics? The package? This was not adding up.
“Hayden, are you okay?” Axel’s voice made its way through my fog.
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Just processing.” I was way more than processing. I was panicking. What should I do now? Should I tell them about the box? About my encounter with Nakita? About my suspicions about the mechanics?
I excused myself to use the restroom and stood there trying to think, but finding it hard to do so around the buzzing going on in my brain. Nakita’s ‘life or death’ warning had proved to be accurate in that she was now, as Latifa would say, dead. And the postal worker had been accosted and the Caldwell mail ransacked right before I received the FedEx package. This wasn’t a situation to take lightly. I paced back and forth in the tiny room and finally decided I would mention a few vague details and see if Jaxson would take these and proceed with an eye to something nefarious.
I sat back down in the booth. “There are a few things you should know,” I said, treading lightly. “I met Nakita in line at the café a couple of days before her death.”
Both men turned to look at me, their expectant expressions making me sweat.
“She seemed nervous. Two men in ferry uniforms, who looked like mechanics, came in after she did. She appeared to mistrust them.”
Jaxson took out his phone and made some notes. Good. I could get him started on thinking that there was more to this story.
“Can you describe the men for me?” he asked.
“They were tall and very large, overweight men. Both had black hair. They were wearing ferry uniforms, like coveralls. Both rather dirty, but it looked more like grease, that’s why I thought they might be mechanics. I’ve since learned that they are. I also saw them near the ambulance the day that Nakita’s body was removed from the ferry.”
“Fits the description of the two mechanics at the scene, name tags said Gronk and Shrek. Easy to remember those two. Was Nakita alone when she came into the café that day?”
“No, she was with Kerbie, the helmsman. They seemed like friendly coworkers. Do you know Kerbie?”
“Perhaps. Can you describe him for me?” Jaxson said.
“He’s very short, less than five feet tall. He was also obese. His hair was a very bright red. He was there at the ambulance, standing near the stretcher.”
Jaxson nodded. “Yes, that’s the helmsman. Is there anything else of significance from the day you met her?” he asked.
Boy, the million-dollar question. I took a sip of my tea to hide my face and shook my head. “I think that’s pretty much all of it for now.” I’ve never been a liar, so concealing my encounter with her made me uncomfortable. I hoped they would move on with the conversation. Which they did. Thankfully.
I felt like I’d been holding my breath since breakfast with Jaxson and Axel. Now that I was back in my room, I let out a tremendous sigh and dropped into a chair.
There was a scuffle behind me. I turned to see Latifa and Chanel playing with Lola. I use the word ‘playing’ loosely. The kitten was so full of energy, she was all over the place. I laughed at Latifa and Chanel. They were sprawled on their sides—the only thing moving was their front paws. They were batting cat toys back and forth for Lola to chase. She would pounce on
