Deep Waters

money back, so why would one of them risk another murder?"
    "That leaves you with the possibility that Pitt and Swinton were killed by someone from Whispering Waters Cove," Elias said. "Either a local resident or a tourist who's staying in the area."
    "Yeah." Hank planted his weathered hands on his hips and watched the medics close the ambulance doors. "You know, when you get right down to it, there is one curious similarity between the two murders which strikes me as more than a little interesting."
    Elias winced. "I know."
    Charity stirred slightly. "What's the similarity, Hank?"
    "Just the little fact that in both cases Winters, here, was one of the first folks on the scene."
    Charity started as if she'd touched a live electrical wire. Elias watched with a sense of relief as the vibrancy returned to her face. Her eyes widened in anger. Her chin came up swiftly. She glowered at Hank.
    "Just what are you implying?" Charity demanded.
    "Nothing." Hank spread his hands in an gesture of complete innocence. "Only making an observation."
    "Well, it's a really stupid observation," Charity snapped. "You had better not be suggesting that Elias had anything to do with these murders. Just because he's a newcomer in this town is no excuse for you not to do your job properly."
    "Take it easy, Charity." Elias knew that his voice lacked conviction. A part of him did not want to halt her tirade. "Hank was making a legitimate observation."
    "Really?" She gave him a disgusted look. "It sounded more like an accusation to me."
    Hank waved that off. "Now, Charity, I was only commenting on the situation."
    Elias watched in admiration as Charity drew herself up to her full five feet, four inches. She was suddenly the dominant presence on the beach. Everyone else, including Hank and Jeff and the ambulance medics faded into insignificance as she rallied to Elias's defense.
    It was suddenly very easy to see how Charity had once run a successful corporation, he thought. When she shifted into this particular gear, she was an Amazon.
    "If you make any more such comments, Chief Tybern, I will have a whole team of lawyers from Seattle here before noon tomorrow," Charity said with icy disdain. "Truitt, Inc. has some of the best attorneys on the West Coast on retainer. I'm sure they'll have a few things to say about your observations. And when they've finished saying them, I'll see to it that they sue you and your police department."
    "For crying out loud, Charity," Hank muttered.
    "How do you think the people of Whispering Waters Cove will react when they discover that you, personally, have been responsible for bankrupting the entire town with a lawsuit?"
    Hank appealed to Elias. "Tell her to calm down, will you? She's overreacting."
    "I am not overreacting," Charity said through her teeth. "I am telling you what will happen if you make any more of your not-so-veiled accusations. If you think I'm bluffing, guess again."
    "I don't think you're bluffing," Hank said quickly. He threw Elias another desperate, pleading look.
    Elias gave him a helpless, what-do-you-expect-me-to-do shrug. But inside he could feel a singing relief. The exuberant sensation flooded his veins, driving out the chill.
    Charity did care, after all. She had to care. After that fight in his house he hadn't known what to believe. But no woman would leap to a man's defense with such determination if she did not care for him.
    "For the record, Chief Tybern," Charity continued, "I will remind you that on the occasion of Gwendolyn Pitt's murder, Elias was with me for the entire time period during which you said the murder occurred."
    "I know, I know," Hank said soothingly.
    "Furthermore, he has been with me almost continuously for the past several days. I would like to point out that you, even with all the resources available to you, were unable to locate Rick Swinton after he disappeared."
    "You don't have to remind me," Hank growled.
    "I can assure you that Elias certainly has had neither time nor opportunity to track him down and kill him. I would have known if he had done any such thing."
    "I believe you," Hank said.
    "I should hope so."
    Maybe she was not satisfied with what they had together, Elias thought. Maybe what they had together wasn't enough for her. Maybe her strange mood this evening was a result of having seen Brett Loftus and her sister together earlier today.
    There were a lot of maybes in this situation, but he knew one thing for certain, and he seized that