Our eyes meet, and I dare to ask, “Could we?”

  Desire floods his gaze, and he glances around us. We’ve passed over the top of the wheel, slowly descending to Earth. I’m hot and wet and achy for more, and his hands are still on me.

  “We don't have time.” His voice is rough. “When we get down, I’ll take you to my truck.”

  “Yes.” I nod, slipping off his lap to the side and fastening my bra before buttoning the front of my dress.

  He buttons his jeans, turning to face me and sliding his hand beneath my skirt again. His palm is warm against my inner thigh, and his voice is possessive. “I’m ready to get off this thing now.”

  I lean forward, stretching higher to cup his cheeks and kiss him again. As we glide lower, we take another nip of the lips, another slide of his tongue against mine. Our clothes are restored, and on the outside, we appear calm and collected. On the inside, I’m a raging inferno of lust and desire.

  Two cars below us, a couple steps out appearing slightly disheveled as well. I glance at Aiden, and he gives me a little grin. “It’s what you do at sunset on the Ferris wheel.”

  “When in Rome.” I lean closer, my chin touching his shoulder.

  The next car goes down, and the tension twists hotter in my stomach. We’re almost off the ride, and I wonder if it would be noticeable if we ran all the way to the parking lot.

  It’s almost our turn to exit when a loud roar of people echoes from the direction of the kids’ area to our left.

  Aiden’s brow furrows, and he looks over my shoulder. “What the hell?”

  The change in his tone startles me, and I turn to see what’s the matter. A crowd is surging, carrying their children and rushing away from the hay maze, panic on their faces. Aiden’s body tenses, and he grips my hand tighter. Our car is at the bottom, and as soon as the door opens, he’s out, helping me across the deck quickly.

  “Looks like something happened in the hay maze.” The kid operating the Ferris wheel stares in the direction of the mob.

  “Stay close to me.” Aiden’s voice is at my temple briefly as he leads us straight into the swirling crowd.

  Half the people are running away while the other half are running towards the maze. Some are parents with desperation in their eyes, and my stomach drops.

  “Owen and Ryan!” I grip Aidens arm, and we’re both moving faster.

  My chest is tight, and sickness filters through my stomach. Aiden’s doing his best to make a path through the bodies. His brow is lowered, and tightness holds his jaw.

  “Adam is with them.” Authority is in his tone, but it’s laced with fear.

  I struggle to breathe when we look up, and our eyes meet golden hazel.

  “It’s them!” I cry.

  They’re moving towards us as quickly as we’re closing the gap to them. Owen breaks ahead, running to meet us with Edward at his side on the leash. Ryan is right behind them, and Aiden drops to his knees, scooping his son into a firm hug. My heart aches with relief. I’ve never been so frightened, and I’ve definitely never seen Aiden afraid.

  “What happened?” He looks up to his brother.

  “You’d better get Doug and call the guys from Beaufort.” Adam’s face is lined with worry. “There’s a dead body in the back of the corn maze.”

  CHAPTER 21

  AIDEN

  “Who discovered the body?” I left Owen with my brother, and Britt is by my side leading Edward.

  We both switched directly into work-mode, and Dave Watkins, supervisor of the kids park, gives us the details as we walk straight through the chest-high corn maze.

  “Thankfully, it was a parent.” Dave pushes the corn stalks aside as we walk. “His toddler had thrown a ball outside the maze, so he was searching for it deeper in the rows when he discovered the body.”

  We reach the back of the grid, and a man is standing to the side with his chin tucked, holding a little girl with a mass of dark brown curls all over her head. Another man is beside him with his arm around his shoulders, and it appears they’re a couple.

  “Where are they from?” I glance at Dave.

  Eureka’s so small, I’m pretty sure I’d know them if they were locals.

  “Drove up from Hilton Head. Read about the festival online and wanted to visit the area, take in some small-town charm.”

  “Shit,” I hiss under my breath. “That’s all we need. News of this spreading into the tourist areas.”

  “They actually seem pretty cool about it. They’re from Brooklyn.”

  Nodding, I stop where the man is bouncing his little girl. “Hi, there, ah…”

  “Rocky.” He’s a slim-built man with dark hair wearing horn-rimmed glasses, skinny brown pants, and a navy sweater.

  I shake his hand, giving him a tight smile. “Sorry you had to deal with this on your vacation.”

  “I’m just glad I found him before Sofia… or anyone else did.”

  His partner holds out a hand. “Steve Lambert. Any idea who it is or what happened?”

  “Not yet. Is there anything you noticed when you found him? Anyone around?”

  Rocky shakes his head, frowning. “I was trying to find Sofia’s squiggle ball, and then he was just… there. I called to him—I thought maybe he was asleep or had fallen. When I touched his arm, I realized he’d been dead a while.”

  “At this point he’s a John Doe.” Doug steps through the bent corn stalks, coming back from where I assume the body is located. “He’s been there at least twenty-four hours, and you need to take a look at this, Sheriff.”

  Holly comes running up, her curly hair frizzing around her face. “I just heard what happened. What can I do?”

  I motion to Rocky and Steve. “If you would, please take their statements. Rocky here found the body.”

  Holly nods, leading the family away, and I hesitate, putting my hand on Britt’s arm. “You ready for this?”

  “Of course.” Her gaze is leveled on the passage through the corn stalks. “There’s a lot of people on the scene. I wish I had my camera, but I can use my phone for now.”

  The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department is setting up spotlights on poles to illuminate the area, and two state troopers are standing to the side with their hands on their gun belts.

  “They got here pretty fast.” Doug’s hair is damp, and a towel is around his neck.

  “That’s why I had them on call.” I greet the additional officers.

  We step carefully through the corn stalks, doing our best to avoid contaminating the scene. Britt uses her phone’s light to get close then snaps pictures of the ground, the broken stalks. Edward is with us sniffing everything. We get closer, and my stomach tightens.

  I glance over at Britt in her pretty blue dress with the white cardigan over it. She tied her hair back in a ponytail, and her long bangs are tucked behind her ears. I can’t help wanting to shield her from whatever we’re about to find, but I have to push those feelings aside. Britt came here to do this job, and she can handle it, even if I don’t like it.

  “Victim is a male appearing to be in his early to mid-sixties…” Doug tells us what he knows as we get closer. “Apparent gunshot wound to the chest.”

  The first thing I see is gray hair sticking out from under a beige fishing cap. Thick gray scruff is on his cheeks. He’s lying on his back, so we can see he’s wearing blue jeans, a chambray button-down, and a brown corduroy blazer. Britt’s snapping pictures of everything, getting on one knee, closer than even I’d want to be. She lifts the lapel of his coat and photographs the small red dot where the bullet entered his body.

  Blue and red lights cascade around us, and an EMS truck slowly backs to where we’re standing. Stopping at his feet, I notice he’s wearing one dark brown work boot. My eyes immediately go to his other foot, and…

  “Is this what I think it is?” My voice is quiet, and Britt’s a step ahead of me.

  “Our John Doe is missing half of his leg, but he didn’t have a prosthetic. Or he wasn’t wearing it.” She rises from her squat beside the body as EMS workers approach the scene.

  Nodding, I motion to Doug. “Tell the coroner we need ballistics, and I want a toxicology screening. I want the works, DNA, everything. We need to find out who this guy is and why he was terrorizing our town.”

  “Yes, sir!” Doug hops around, wrapping police tape all over the area.

  I return to Britt, who’s carefully walking the perimeter.

  “A pair of crutches is over here in the corn.” She walks back to where the body was found. “But he was dumped here.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “No blood.” She shines her light on the spot where they just removed the body.

  She lifts her chin, and our eyes meet. I’m about to ask when Edward scares the bejesus out of me by breaking into a loud as fuck Rooo!

  Britt’s eyes widen, and she goes to where her dog is sniffing all around the ground where the dead body’s head and shoulders had been. But instead of focusing on the place where he lay, he goes the opposite way, into the stalks before coming back.

  “He recognizes the scent.” She takes pictures of the ground above the body where Edward is moving back and forth.

  I straighten, putting my hands on my hips. “We’ve found our suspect?”

  Her lips press together, and she’s focused on the ground. “I’d like to think so.”

  Straightening, she crosses her arms, gazing at the empty hollow on the ground. Her brow is furrowed, and instead of looking satisfied, worry lines her pretty face.

  Stepping carefully around the crime scene, I go to where she’s standing. “Is it a suicide or is it foul play?”

  My voice seems to rouse her from her thoughts. She blinks a few times before placing her hand on my arm and smiling up at me. “We have to find the weapon. Then we have to find out who he was.”

  “The coroner should have what we need tomorrow. We’ve pretty much done all we can do here. Let me drive you home.”

  Edward is at her side, and she slides her hand over his head. “Sounds good. Then you need to take care of your little man. He’s had a scary night.”

  Owen. I nod, giving her a smile, falling for her a little more for worrying about my son. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  “You can’t hold me here without a charge.” Bull Jones is in the single-cell jail we have in the back of the courthouse when I arrive the next morning.

  I’m walking through the back door, a box of Krispy Kreme donuts in hand for when Owen’s done with Sunday school, and the last thing I want to see is fucking Bull Jones.

  “Who put you in there?” My brow is furrowed, and my tone is less than happy.

  “One of those Beaufort County assholes.” Bull scowls at me from behind the bars. “Said he had reason to believe I wasn’t where I was supposed to be yesterday evening. What kind of Usual Suspects bullshit is this?”

  My throat tightens, and as much as I despise Bull Jones, as much as I don’t trust him or his family as far as I can throw them, I also don’t believe in putting people in jail on a hunch.

  “Where were you last night around eight p.m.?”

  “I don’t know.” Bull’s tone is defiant. “I ain’t no freakin’ court reporter.”

  “Were you anywhere near the festival grounds?”

  “Fuck, no. I don’t like all that hypocritical bullshit. Nobody in this town likes me, and I don’t intend to act like I like them. I was down by the water, picking up chicks.”

  Squaring off, I put my hands on my hips as I face him in the cell. Our eyes clash, and the urge to punch this dirtbag in the nose is so strong.

  Only, I want to do it for the right reason.

  “I don’t like you, Bull. But I’m a man of the law, and I don’t believe in holding someone without a reason.” I take the key out of the cabinet beside the door and walk over to turn the lock on the small cell. “Hear this.” I lean forward, lowering my voice. “Don’t give me a reason.”

  Bull’s eyes narrow, and he sizes me up. “You think you’re so clean and proper. You’re one bad turn from being just like me.”

  “Nope. I’m not.” Catching him by the elbow, I escort him to the back door, kicking it open and shoving him through it into the parking lot. “Get on, and keep your nose clean.”

  Dusting my palms together, I scoop up the box of donuts and carry it to the break room where Doug is just arriving. “We got an ID on the body!”

  “That was fast.”

  “Coroner found a wallet in the inside pocket of his overcoat.” Doug places a printout of a driver’s license on the table in front of me. “Gary Blue. His address is on Route 109 in Rockville.”

  Not in Kiawah, but near it. I’ll need to get a warrant to search his place. “What about ballistics?”

  “Well, it’s Sunday, so we’ll have to wait a day.”

  I’ll get my warrant, but pretty much everything else will have to wait until Monday. “We can let Terra know it appears the pickle murderer has been murdered.”

  “I’ll be sure to get right on that, Boss.” Doug smiles, taking a donut from the box. “I’m still getting the water out of my ears.”

  “Morning, fellas, what do we know?” The sound of Britt’s voice lifts my chest, and I turn to see her striding in, wearing a denim skirt and a thin yellow sweater.

  Her hair is in a ponytail over her shoulder, and she wakes her computer and plugs in her phone. “I’ll upload the crime scene photos for you to see. I found some very interesting markings where Edward was focused.”

  A smile lifts the corner of my mouth at her dedication to the case, even on her day off.

  “We’ve got a name and an address, but that’s as much as we can do today.” I walk over to where she’s pulling up the photos on her large screen.

  “Check this out.” She uses a pen to circle the area above where the body was found. “Tire tracks. But they’re different from what we’ve been seeing.”

  I lean closer to see the narrow trail. “Looks like a trailer or a wagon.”

  “Which could be pulled by a three-wheeler.” She straightens, putting our faces close.

  I smile, glancing down at her lips, thinking how easy it would be to cover them with mine.

  “Ah, I think the water’s out of my ears.” Doug’s voice interrupts our moment. “I think I’ll run over and give Terra the good news, then I’ll see what I can find out about those tire tracks.”

  My eyes meet Britt’s, and hers warm with a smile. I squeeze her arm, glancing over my shoulder to see Doug pumping his elbows as he hustles down the hallway to the break room exit.

  Turning back, I slide my hands over her waist. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Her voice is soft, and she lifts her hands around my neck.

  It’s enough. I seal my lips to hers, and a little sigh slips from her throat when our mouths open, and our tongues curl together. My hands are on the bare skin between the top of her skirt and her sweater, which has risen with her arms. I’m about to slide them higher when a voice rings through the empty room.

  “Hey, bro!” Adam’s call is loud, almost like a warning, and we step apart as he finishes. “Church just let out, and I figured you’d need some help with Owen.”

  Britt turns, smiling brightly as she pulls the sides of her sweater down. “Good morning. Or is it afternoon?”

  “Almost, but not quite.” He holds the door, and Owen trots in dressed in his khakis and white shirt with a tie and navy blazer.

  “Where’s Edward?” He looks from me to Britt, and her nose wrinkles.

  “Hello to you, too!” she teases. “He’s in my apartment, but it’s okay with me if you want to go check on him. He might even need to go for a walk.”

  “I have a better idea.” Adam walks over to where we’re standing and sits on the edge of my desk. “It’s Sunday, the water’s perfect. Why don’t I take them out to the beach?”

  Owen jumps up and down in place. “Can we take Edward?”

  Britt’s lips form a little O, and she looks up at me. “I’m okay with that?”

  I nod, looking up at my brother. “I was planning to drive over and see what I could find in Gary Blue’s house, so that would really help me.”

  “I’m on it. I’ll see if Piper and Ryan want to tag along.”

  “I bet Piper would love that.” Britt’s encouraging tone makes me feel like I’m missing something.

  My brother exhales a laugh and looks down almost like he’s embarrassed. He points at her and mutters something on his way out the door with Owen, and I’m certain I missed something.

  It only takes a few phone calls to get the search warrant, and I catch Britt’s hand. “Want to take a ride with me to Kiawah?”

  She smiles and even with this dead body hanging over us, she seems back to her usual, light self. Maybe it’s because we found our suspect, although his death raises more questions than it answers. All of which I hope to find when we search his house.

  “Sure, let me grab my gear.”

  Making our way from Eureka to Rockville requires navigating a labyrinth of country roads through the marshlands between the islands. It’s a cool day, and the windows are down. Country music plays softly on the radio, and Britt threads her fingers in the breeze as we pass mile after mile of red cedars, live oaks, loblolly pines, and palmettos.

  I think about yesterday at the fair and today in the courthouse, and I exhale a laugh. “I think my brother’s trying to wear me down.”

  She looks over at me. “How so?”

  “I think he’s being nice, offering to keep Owen, so he can trick me into going to church with him.”

  Her cheeks lift with her laugh, and she leans her head against the back of the seat. “Why would he want to trick you into going to church?”

  My hand rests on top of the steering wheel, and I look out over the tall grasses growing thick in the marsh.

  “After our dad died, he got really into all that stuff. He likes to give me a hard time because I don’t believe.” Exhaling heavily, I look down at my lap. “Mom’s right there with him, saying Owen needs dreams and magic in his life.”