Beach Body Unknown by Emma Jackson

Author:Emma Jackson [Jackson, Emma & Jackson, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-10-14T22:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

Tim glanced at his phone’s caller ID as he sat at his desk. He was happy to see that Paige was calling him from Eastville, across The Bay.

“Hey, there, farm girl,” he said. “Time to milk the cows?”

“Tim, I’m so glad you’re there,” answered a harried-sounding Paige.

“Paige! What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Detective Brooks has arrested my brother for murder. They’ve locked him in the jail. I don’t know what to do.”

“First off, take three slow deep breaths,” said Tim.

Paige complied, her breath sounding loud over the phone line.

“Now, tell me what’s going on.”

She sighed. “You were with me when I found out about Billy fighting with that man, that Guy Coleman. I knew that as ineffective as Detective Brooks is, he’s still smart enough to find that out, too. You were with me when I told him about it, hoping to kind of ease the information into him so he wouldn’t race off with Billy in his sights.”

“Yes,” said Tim.

“Didn’t work. You guys raced down to Mallard Cove, and Brooks arrested him. Of course, then my half-wit brother tried to escape by jumping in the water. Now he’s sitting in the county jail. Tim, I just don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll be there in an hour,” responded Tim.

“But what can you do?” asked Paige.

“I’m not sure, beyond holding your hand and comforting you. I’d just feel better over there with you as we’re going through this.”

“Oh, Tim! You’re sweet. But don’t come if it is going to cause you any trouble with your Special Agent in Charge.”

“I’ll bring a briefcase of paperwork with me,” he said. “It’ll be a semi-official working trip.”

“Well, okay. I’ve gotta admit I’d feel better with you over here.”

“See you soon.”

It was well after midnight when Tim arrived at Paige’s apartment on Wilkins Beach. Traffic was always light at that time of the morning on The Shore, and he had, admittedly, pushed the speed limit a bit to hurry.

Paige must have been waiting for him because she flung open her apartment door before he could even knock.

She threw herself into his arms weeping. “What am I going to do?”

Ralph had been balanced on her shoulder when she threw herself at Tim and ended up catapulted onto Tim’s shoulder. He promptly showed his displeasure with this behavior by latching onto Tim’s earlobe.

“Ow, hey!” exclaimed Tim, and flailed at the bird on his shoulder.

Paige managed a laugh. “Ralph!” she said scoldingly. “You know Tim. Let him go right now!”

You cannot train a parrot like you can a Pekingese, but Ralph chose at that moment to let go of Tim’s ear and fly back into the apartment where he perched on the shade of a couch-side lamp, muttering to himself.

“You look like you had your ear pierced,” giggled Paige. “Do you want to borrow a gold stud to keep it open?”

Tim was not amused.

“That hurt,” he complained. “Damn bird!”

“Awwrkk, damn it! Damn it! Damn idiot!” answered Ralph.

Paige giggled as she put some ice in a dishtowel for Tim’s lacerated earlobe.

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