Aaron met Bess outside of Belinda’s hospital room. She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head. “She will be fine, and we’ll find whoever did this. Do you believe me?”

  Bess sniffled but nodded her head against his shoulder. She stepped back and swiped her fingers underneath her eyes to wipe away the tears that trailed down her cheeks. “Yeah. We Crowder girls might look like marshmallows, but we’re really tough on the inside.”

  He chuckled. “I know you are. Go home, take a long, hot bath, and get some sleep. I’m going to stay with her.”

  She had stepped back but kept her hands on his forearms. Holding his gaze, she asked, “Okay. I trust you to take care of her, Aaron. I’ll go to the bakery early tomorrow morning, take care of the baking, and get things started for the day. I’ve called in my other employees, and they’ll come in to handle everything behind the counter. I’ll come back over, and then if she’s discharged tomorrow, I’ll get her situated at home.”

  “So that you know, I have Ivy and Hayley set up on rotation to help out. I’ll stop by after work, and Hayley can stay anytime because she works from anywhere as long as she has her laptop. Carrie Hudson and Belle Simmons are also setting up a rotation for food and assistance with the women from the American Legion Auxiliary.”

  She nodded, then turned to walk to the elevator. Suddenly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “I wasn’t sure about you, Aaron. Not after last year. I never thought you were a bad guy. I just didn’t think you were the right guy. I don’t believe that anymore. I think you are the right guy, and that’s the only reason I can trust walking away and knowing that she’ll be taken care of.”

  She turned, and as the elevator doors closed, he stood momentarily, his chest expanding, his heart pounding. Blowing out a long breath, he turned and stepped into Belinda’s hospital room. A nurse was by the bed, and she looked up and smiled.

  “She’s been resting and doing very well. Her catheter is out, and she’s been to the bathroom a couple of times with assistance. The doctor has been back in, checked her surgical site, and says it looks good. By the end of the day, she was feeling more pain, so we’ve got her on some meds. That’ll help her sleep.”

  He thanked her and walked over to stand by Belinda’s bed after she left. Her pale complexion was almost translucent. The pain lines were eased, and her face seemed peaceful. A true sleeping beauty.

  He wrapped his hand around hers and leaned forward, kissing her gently.

  He was surprised when her eyes fluttered open. He wasn’t sure that she really saw him, but a grin curved her lips.

  “I remember you.”

  Now chuckling, he prodded her on. “Really? You remember me?”

  “I was a nerd, and you were a hottie.”

  She caught him off guard with that statement, then realized she was talking about high school.

  “Well, I’d have to say you were the hottie now,” he said.

  Her nose scrunched. “I had a crush on you. It was a big crush. But there was no Hallmark movie for me. You never even knew I existed. Then you graduated and went off into the big world, and I stayed a nerd.”

  Her words hit him in the gut. In high school, he’d been selfishly into himself. After years of being the scrawny kid who felt behind in everything, when he’d caught up, he took every advantage. Sports, attention, girls. Blowing out a breath, he shook his head, no longer wanting to think about high school or the sweet girl who’d had an unrequited crush on the jerk he’d been.

  “Oh no, sweetheart. I may have joined the Navy and gone off into the world, but you became a beautiful, talented, brilliant woman.”

  She blinked sleepily, and then her eyes widened. “Really?”

  Chuckling again, he shifted to sit on the side of her bed, her hand still in his. “Really.”

  Her eyes closed, and he thought she’d gone to sleep. Suddenly, they blinked open again, and her brow furrowed as she stared up at him. “I remember now… you’re with me.”

  “Oh, Belinda, baby, yes. We are definitely together.”

  Her eyes closed again, but her lips curved upward this time, giving her a happy Sleeping Beauty appearance. He bent and kissed her lightly again,

  “Lie with me,” she whispered, her eyes barely opening.

  The idea of protesting that he might hurt her only lasted for a few seconds, and then the desire to acquiesce to anything she wanted won over any objection. He let go of her hand only long enough to twist around so that he could lay with her, tucking her body next to him, making sure her injured side was protected.

  At that moment, with her in his arms, all the pieces in his life that had always felt disconnected clicked together, forming a picture so beautiful he wanted to remember it forever. Sliding his hand into his pants pocket, he pulled out his phone. With his camera app, he snapped a picture of the two of them. He hated like hell where they were, but at that moment, nothing had ever felt so right as having her in his arms. Later, when he studied the picture, he realized she was smiling in her sleep.

  27

  The two men squared off, both offering hard stares.

  “This was your great plan? First to dump the body where it floats to shore so quickly and then to try to shoot the witness? Into a group of law enforcement officers? How stupid are you?”

  “I had no idea the crowd had a bunch of cops there. I just needed a place to get to her where I wouldn’t be seen. Anyway, you called me. You asked me for help. You had no fucking clue what to do, so you called me to take care of the problem. That’s all I’ve been doing for the past few days is take care of your fucking problems!”

  “I didn’t call you. That was your cousin’s idea.”

  “Well, what else would you have done?”

  One of the men scoffed. “Well, according to the news, she’s not dead. So now what?”

  “Don’t worry. I can get it all taken care of. By the end of the day, it’ll be done.”

  The two men continued to stare before one turned and stalked away, leaving the other to glare at his retreat.

  28

  Belinda emerged from the bathroom the following day, a nurse by her side for support. She was surprisingly steady on her feet despite the painkillers in her system, but the nurses insisted someone accompany her whenever she was out of bed.

  When she woke this morning, she had the strangest sensation that she hadn’t slept alone. In her dreams, she had been enveloped by Aaron’s arms. That was in my dreams, right?

  Eschewing the bed, she settled in the recliner where her breakfast awaited on a nearby rolling tray. Either the hospital cuisine had improved or she was really hungry, finding it pleasantly tasty. She hadn’t had much to eat since the wedding, and then being in and out of consciousness yesterday. Digging into scrambled eggs, toast, fresh fruit, and yogurt, she was grateful for the cup of coffee, even though it wasn’t nearly as good as Bess’s brew.

  As though she’d conjured up her sister from her thoughts, Bess breezed into the room with a smile. As soon as Belinda saw Bess holding a travel cup with a familiar bakery logo on the side and the familiar scent of her favorite brew wafting toward her, she reached out with her right hand and wiggled her fingers. “Gimme, gimme!”

  Bess laughed and teased, “Aren’t you going to greet me first?”

  “Beautiful sister of mine, hello, and I love you. Now gimme the coffee!”

  Still laughing, Bess leaned over to kiss Beinda and offer a little hug before handing her the coffee. “It should be cool by now, so you won’t burn yourself.”

  After taking a sip, she looked up and said, “Why aren’t you at the bakery?” She knew that for a small business, if it wasn’t open, Bess wouldn’t make any money.

  “Don’t worry, I was there early this morning. I got the baking finished and have all the employees in. Lottie knows how to make the basic recipes, so she’s in the back. Andrea and Carlotta are handling the front. They’ll be fine and said they will work every day until I get back into a schedule.”

  “But you must be exhausted!”

  “Look who’s talking! I wasn’t the one who was shot!” As soon as the words left her mouth, she winced. “God, that was insensitive.”

  “No, honey, it really wasn’t. Don’t worry about that. I don’t remember getting shot, anyway.” Cocking her head to the side, she said, “But how are you able to go in this morning after getting no sleep.”

  “I went home last night once Aaron got here, so I got to sleep.”

  “Oh, I thought I’d dreamed that he was here.”

  Bess laughed again and shook her head. “It wasn’t a dream, Sis.” She shrugged, still laughing. “Or maybe, in your case, it was a dream come true.”

  Belinda took another sip of coffee and shifted to a more comfortable position. Smiling at Bess, she inclined her head toward the small sofa. “I think they’re going to discharge me today.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “I hate being in the hospital, yet I’m a little nervous. I’m still on some pretty heavy pain meds, as well as antibiotics. I suppose I’ll mostly just sleep, eat, and go to the bathroom for the next several days, so I should be able to handle that.”

  “Well, you’re not going to be alone.” Bess must’ve seen Belinda’s raised eyebrow because she continued. “Hayley is going to spend time with you because she can work easily anywhere as long as she has her laptop. Ivy will also be with you when she gets off work. I think Carrie Hudson and Belle Simmons are organizing some of the auxiliary women to help keep an eye on you and keep you fed. And, of course, I’ll be downstairs during the day and right next door at night!”

  Overcome with emotion, Belinda’s face scrunched up as tears dripped down her cheeks. Bess leaped from her seat and knelt close to her, wrapping her arms around her.

  “Oh, sis, please don’t cry.”

  She still couldn’t move her left arm with it splinted close to her body, but she held her sister tight with her right arm. “I’m sorry. Everything is just overwhelming.”

  They hugged for a long moment and then separated, still holding each other close but staring into each other’s eyes. Finally smiling, they soon were laughing. It was a habit they’d perfected since childhood—hold close when upset, then separate, smile, and then finally laugh.

  “I can’t believe we were able to convince Mom and Dad to stay in Florida,” Belinda said. “I would’ve felt so guilty if they left Grandma right now.”

  “Well, I promised them you’d have lots of people taking care of you, including your new detective boyfriend.”

  “What did she say? I haven’t even had time to tell her.”

  “Well, Mom asked who your boyfriend was, and I told her it was Aaron. Of course, she remembers him from last year… and not too fondly.”

  “Oh, good grief! It’s not like we were engaged, and he broke up with me. It’s not like my heart was shattered. It just wasn’t the right time for us. I admit, my feelings were hurt, but we’ve moved past that.”

  “That’s what I told Mom.”

  “So you’ve joined team Aaron?” Belinda asked with a lifted brow and a smirk playing on her lips.

  Bess rolled her eyes. “I never hated him. I just hated that my big sister was hurt.” After a few more minutes of chatting, Bess stood and stretched her arms over her head. “I know the doctor will come back in, and if all is well, he’ll release you this afternoon. Aaron is going to come over and take you home. I’m going to head to the bakery, make sure the closing goes well, and deposit the money into the bank. I’ll also make sure your place is ready for you.”

  Bess helped her settle back into bed, where more pain meds were administered and made her sleepy. Realizing the coffee Bess had brought was decaffeinated, she chuckled at her sister's foresight before falling asleep.

  Aaron walked over to the double desk station, where Hunter and Brad settled into the chairs. “What have you got?”

  “In case it was targeted, we looked at your recent cases. Since you’ve been a detective less than a year, there aren’t as many to consider, but we had a couple of deputies checking into any cases you were involved in beforehand. There’s no one recently out of jail, and no one that we came across that should have had a vendetta against you,” Hunter said.

  “I checked on your ex—Cilla Henderson. She’s moved on, man. Got some guy’s ring on her finger.” Brad ducked his head and hid a grin.

  “Come on… give it to me,” Aaron said, rolling his eyes.

  “She said that she’s sorry your girlfriend got injured, but if you thought she had anything to do with it, your head was bigger than your ego.”

  “Ouch.” Hunter chuckled, not bothering to hide his mirth.

  “Yeah, I figured as much. But honest to God, I’m not in the habit of pissing people off… certainly not enough to shoot at me.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “So… not aimed at me? We’re thinking random?”

  “Or aimed at someone else,” Colt said, walking over to the group with Sam following. “With that many law enforcement officers in the group, it could have been aimed at someone else.”

  Aaron knew his face appeared ravaged from the events of the past days, but Colt’s face held deep lines that exposed his anger and the pressure he felt at wanting to make sure the residents of his county were safe from someone firing into a gathering. The local newspaper was already reporting on the event and wanted to know what the sheriff’s department was doing. Colt had already met with the county’s board of supervisors to update them.

  Colt’s phone rang, and he looked at the caller ID before saying, “It’s Ryan.” Connecting, he skipped the greeting. “What have you got?” He listened, his gaze down toward his feet, and Aaron exchanged glances with the others.

  “Have you got him now? I’ll get a deputy to escort you to the interview area.” Disconnecting, he said, “Ryan and Andy are bringing in George Haskins and his wife. Seems they have some information for us. His wife, Mable, called the VMP this morning to go out and find George, who was out on the water after having had too much to drink last night. Andy brought him home, and then Mable told them what George had been saying the night before. It seems he may have information about the shooter.”

  The air seemed sucked from the room with the collective gasps. Aaron took to his feet, his gaze shooting to Colt, who was already holding his hand up.

  “Only from the viewing window,” Colt said. “Can’t have you in the interview room.” Colt then looked at Hunter and Brad. “You two get ready.”

  Aaron didn’t care that he would be behind the two-way mirror. He just wanted to get firsthand information. Soon, Ryan and Andy came into the station, escorting a middle-aged couple. George was known as a local fisherman who drank more than he worked, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife.

  Hunter and Brad introduced themselves and took the couple into the interview room while Sam, Aaron, Andy, and Colt filled the room on the other side, looking on.

  After completing the preliminaries, Hunter looked at Mable and said, “You called the Virginia Marine Police early this morning. What was going on?”

  Mable’s lips were pressed tightly together. “George had been drinking… not like that’s anything new. But he was talking nonsense yesterday and just kept drinking more. Then I had to go to my shift at the Dollar Store, and he was passed out when I got home late. I woke up this morning, and he’d gone out on his boat. I knew he was drinking more and figured he would fall overboard. I had the morning news on while fixing coffee and couldn’t believe what I heard. What was on the news was what George had been mumbling about. So I called the marine police to go fetch him in. And then I told them what he’d been saying. Next thing I know, we’re being hauled here.”

  Turning to George, Hunter said, “Okay, George, let’s hear it.”

  George’s hands shook as he brought a paper cup of coffee to his lips, taking a large gulp. Even when he set the cup back onto the table and laid his forearms on the surface, his hands continued to shake. Mable grimaced, her lips once again pressed tightly into a frown. “Go on, George. You gotta make this right.”

  George twisted to look at his wife, and Aaron witnessed an expression that caused the air to halt on its way into his lungs. George didn’t look at his wife as though she was an older woman with frizzy gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. He didn’t see the lines that prematurely aged her makeup-free face. He didn’t see the pale, gaunt face or the ways years of working and taking care of him and their kids had etched those hard memories into her being. As George stared at Mable, he saw his salvation, sure of her continued presence in his life, and his features relaxed as he nodded.

  Turning to Hunter and Brad, he said, “I saw something, but I’d been… well, I’d been drinking earlier… like a fool, and now, here I am.”

  Brad sighed as Hunter grunted. “Okay, George. Tell us what happened.”

  “And don’t leave out one fucking detail,” Hunter added.

  George’s eyes widened, but he nodded and swallowed deeply as his Adam's apple bobbed. “I went out on my boat the other afternoon⁠—”

  “Exactly what day, George?” Hunter interrupted.

  George screwed up his face, but as soon as Mabel huffed, he said, “It was two days ago.”

  “You sure?”

  George nodded, his expression anguished. “Yeah. ’Cause it was the day that woman got shot.”

  At that point, Aaron felt his chest seize. He gripped the sill of the two-way mirror, and his body hummed with anxiety, waiting for George to get on with his story.

  “Okay, keep going,” Brad ordered.

  “I’d been fishing for a while. Well, fishing and drinking. It was getting sunset, and I’d ended up near the fancy restaurant just north of Baytown. You know the one? Blue and white on the outside. Took Mable one year for our anniversary.” George looked over at Mable. “Sorry, I never took you back.”