Her hopeful expression landed like a sucker-punch. Her dark lashes framed those fascinating blue eyes that edged toward violet in the sunlight.
“We’ll definitely comp the agency somehow?—”
“Plenty of time to work that out.” He continued walking with her toward the officer standing near the body. If he was lucky, there would be some distinguishing feature to tie the body to his case. If he wasreallylucky, it would be Frank Royer, the suspected ringleader of this bold theft ring.
Natalie waved and called out to the cop. “Hey, Will.” To Trent, she murmured, “Will is our local police lieutenant."
“Don’t come closer,” the lieutenant snapped. “It’s not pretty.” The man was tall, with a weathered face and hard expression that indicated years of police experience.
“I’m aware,” Natalie said. “I found him. Or rather, he found me.”
Working as swiftly and subtly as possible, Trent snapped a few pictures with his phone while Will took Natalie’s statement about the tide bringing the body in.
“Guardian Agency, huh?” Will aimed a hard look at Trent.
“Yes, sir.” He did his best to look casual.
“And is it business or pleasure that brings you to our island?”
He managed not to glance at Natalie. “Mostly business. I’ll coordinate with Jess Keller.”
One of the lieutenant’s salt-and-pepper eyebrows arched. “Jess Billings. She’s married.”
“Right,” Trent agreed. “And a mom too.”
The cop visibly relaxed. “Well, Nat, if this had to happen with any of your guests, I suppose this is the best scenario.”
“I’ll make sure to share that with Celeste.” She chewed on her lip. “And you won’t need to do any kind of investigating in or near the house?”
The cop shook his head. “Not unless he was a guest recently?” He gestured for Natalie to come around for a better view of the face. “I didn’t find any ID.”
“No thanks. I saw enough earlier. He hasn’t stayed with us.”
“Should you check with your sisters?”
“No need,” she replied. “If he’d been a guest, I would’ve heard about the neck tattoos.”
Will tipped his head. “Fair enough.”
Trent inched closer, angling as if he was trying to avoid the bright sunlight, until he could see enough of the man’s face. And the notable tattoos. Not Royer, but definitely part of the crew. A detail he would share through the proper channels later.
Normally, he wouldn’t withhold information from the police, but he’d just arrived and couldn’t afford to trust anyone with too much intel.
“We’ll finish documenting the scene and remove the victim as soon as possible,” Will said. He scowled at the body. “Probably another hour or two.”
“Thanks so much.” Natalie looked as if she might hug the cop. “I’ll pack up some cookies for you and Maureen. Are the boys in town?”
Will’s mouth twitched. “It’s just us for the moment.”
“Okay.” She beamed at Trent and started back toward the house. “C’mon. I’ll give you the full tour and get out of your hair.”
“Good to meet you.” Trent gave the lieutenant a nod and traipsed after Natalie.
He hadn’t expected things to move quite so quickly. The researcher who had tracked the currents had been right to point him at Brookwell. Now he just had to figure out where Royer had wound up and if anyone else on the island was in on the scheme.
CHAPTER 4
Natalie struggled for words as she gave Trent a tour of the house. From the kitchen into the front room, then upstairs to the bedrooms and back down to where they started. She reviewed the basic safety features and emergency numbers. “Any questions?”
