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“What does he write?”
“You’ve heard of the Ava Reynolds stories?”
Crime mysteries with a twist, featuring a hard-nosed New York cop heroine. “Yes, I’ve read a few of them. I liked them a lot.”
She nodded, seeming to relax a little and obviously pleased by what he’d said. “You have his latest one?”
“No, not yet.”
“I’ll get him to sign a copy and bring it in.” She quirked the corners of her lips in a wry smile. “Ava plays good cop, bad cop. Might give you a few pointers.”
“That’s great, thanks. Maybe your dad’s thought of a permutation that I can use.”
“Aren’t you underestimating yourself? You seem to have a good selection of permutations already. Anyway, doctors don’t go in
armed.”
“No, we don’t.” But it might make him feel a little more equal to the situation if he did.
“And did you read the one where Ava seduces a confession out of her perp? You can’t do that either.” She grinned.
Yes, he was well aware of that. Rather too aware of it, as the thought didn’t usually occur to him. “I have other methods.”
Fleur picked up her coffee, taking a sip. “I look forward to seeing them.”
“You will. You’re in custody here for a couple more weeks yet.”
“Don’t I know it. As soon as you cut me loose, I’ll be on the ferry back to Boston.”
Running away again. Rick still couldn’t work out what from. “What’s so great about Boston?”
“You didn’t spend time there before you came here? If you had, that would be obvious.”
“My daughter and I spent a week there before we came here. My late wife was from Boston, and we used to visit a lot to spend time with her family, so I know the city a little.”
Suddenly the mask dropped. No more wisecracks, but instead Rick saw genuine sympathy in her eyes. “I’m sorry...”
“It’s all right. It’s been four years and...” Rick shrugged. “Time doesn’t necessarily heal, but it does make things a lot less sharp around the edges.”
“This is why you came here? To be close to where your wife grew up?”
“Great childcare and clinical excellence played a big part in my decision. But, yes, I want Ellie to know about her mother and what it’s like to live in America. And to give Lara’s parents a chance to see her a little more often.”
Fleur nodded quietly. “So you’re here for good.”
“For the foreseeable future. The island seems to be a great place for children to grow up.”
“Take it from an island kid. It’s not as great as it looks sometimes.” Fleur quirked her mouth down.
“How so?” A little tingle at the back of his neck accompanied the thought that he might be getting closer to the reason for Fleur wanting to leave so badly.
She looked at him thoughtfully. “How old is your daughter?”
“Four.”
Fleur nodded. “Actually, the island’s a really great place when you’re four. When you’re a teenager, though...we get a lot of mainlanders coming over during the summer. Sometimes people do things on holiday that they wouldn’t necessarily do at home.” She seemed to be choosing her words carefully.
For one tantalizing moment Rick thought she was going to tell him what he wanted to know. Fleur’s mask of self-sufficiency slipped, and he saw pain and vulnerability. But then she shrugged. “Everywhere has its risks. Maple Island has a lot going for it.”
