24. Tripp
Chapter 24
Tripp
“ M mm, the coffee tastes good today.”
Millie squints at me. “Are you okay?”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a likely chance this lukewarm, burnt, substitute for good coffee is from last night.”
A laugh escapes me as she lets out a huff. “Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?”
“You’re the one acting unusual, Boss.” Millie follows me into my office, face pinched in concentration. “What did you do when you took off early yesterday?”
“Update me on things.” I change the subject, confirming her suspicions.
With exaggerated wide eyes Millie says, “You were with Ivy.”
“I might have been.” I try to sound nonchalant, but I’m far from unaffected by yesterday.
“What did you do?”
Dragging my hand along my chin, I try to decide how much to tell her. This is Millie, though. We were partners, she can read me. “We went on a date,” I admit. And damn, does it feel good to say it aloud.
“Finally! So, are you and Ivy officially together?”
“I think so,” I scowl. I assumed we were, but I guess nothing was specifically said on the subject.
“You should probably be sure about something like that.” She snatches the stress ball off my desk and gives it a squeeze.
“Alright, well like I said, update me. Any movement by Reid? And where are we at with Jackson?”
“Whatever you say,” she singsongs. “Reid was tailed to the firm then seen leaving again not long after… with boxes and looking pissed.”
“Looking pissed—was that the official term in the briefing?”
“Pretty much. Anyway, looks like he was let go. He went home for a short amount of time and came back out with a bag and took off. They followed him to the county line; he was headed south. Never did find his harbor key.”
I rub my hand along the back of my head in thought. “Maybe he just leaves town for good. He has no roots here, his pride is damaged, this could be ideal. Let’s still have patrol swing by his place to keep an eye out for his return. Watch for his vehicle around the county too.”
“Yeah, will do. Personally, I say good riddance to Reid. But this morning Jackson jumped to the top of my suspect list.”
“Why’s that?”
With a sly smile, Millie leans forward to cross her forearms on my desk. “Because a call came in this morning from Barney. A certain embittered man came in to fill out a form to replace a lost harbor key.”
“Seems like I get to have a chat with Jackson today.”
“I want to be a fly on that wall.”
I lean back and fold my hands behind my head. My eyes drop to the open file across my desk with records of his denied applications for startup funds. As much as I’d love a reason to charge Reid, Jackson is the more likely suspect.
“Welp, why don’t you go pick him up and we’ll get started on the fun?”
Jackson doesn’t seem to be having too much fun when Millie leads him into the interrogation room. I, however, must curb my enthusiasm. I finally have some teeth to this investigation, and if I can make the town safe again before the festival, it would go a long way. I’d sleep better at night too, knowing Ivy’s no longer being targeted.
Ivy, my hopefully soon to be girlfriend. But we haven’t talked about it because there’s the looming issue of Wes hanging out there. I suddenly feel like Jackson looks. Whatever she wants from here on out, I still took my best friend’s little sister out last night. And didn’t have the decency to talk to him first. Not to mention the fact that I’m using a promise I made their father as my cover.
Pops wouldn’t stand for this if he was around. I can practically hear his scratchy voice telling me to be a good man and own my choices, go about things in the proper way.
I stand there, hidden by the faux mirror in the observation room, watching my suspect squirm. And I squirm in my own right. I plan to make him wait a while longer anyway, to ensure I have him on edge. But I need to settle myself in the meantime. Opening the file in my hand, I read through the case I’m starting to build against Jackson. This I can do. Despite how Foxport’s citizens feel currently, I am damn good at my job.
Running through my key points, a knock at the door catches my attention. I turn as it opens slowly, hesitantly. And then, to my complete surprise, Ivy steps through it. Standing there before me, she’s in a sweater dress, those knee-high boots that draw my eyes up her legs, and a nervous smile on her face. My heart somersaults in my chest at the sight of her.
Dropping the folder on the table beside me, I cross the room and close the door behind her. I want privacy from the department, I want her lips on mine.
“What brings you in, Sherlock?” I ask, my hand still flat against the door above her head. I lean down and take her waist in my other hand, pressing her back against the door and stepping flush against her. Ivy rocks forward to meet me, rising up on her toes and brushing a teasing kiss across my lips.
“Can I ask for something?” she murmurs.
“Anything.” I give her waist a squeeze.
“Can I stay and watch you interrogate Jackson?”
A laugh escapes me. Of course, that’s what she’s thinking about right now. My determined little sleuth.
“How did you know? Is that why you came down here? I was kind of hoping it was to see me.”
“No, I definitely came here for you. But I watched Millie put Jackson in her car outside my store and assumed that meant you’d be here.”
I clasp my lips back against hers, kissing her softly before murmuring into her mouth, “What were you hoping we did during this visit?”
Ivy pulls back with a frown. “Actually, while I’d be happy to keep this up. I thought maybe you’d want to see something. When I saw Millie with Jackson, I went closer to my windows and noticed something out front. I found this tucked under a pumpkin.”
She holds up a slip of paper, a message typed like before. It reads: Your boyfriend should have learned . A gaping pit forms within me. This is all happening to her because of me. The note confirms it.
Reaching for the paper, I nearly get hold of the edge when Ivy pulls it back away from me. “What are you thinking right now?”
“I’m thinking that this is my fault.”
“I hate how you’re beating yourself up over this whole thing,” she sighs, shaking her head at me. “This isn’t your fault. It might be his fault—” Ivy points through the two-way mirror at Jackson sitting before us. “But it’s not your fault. And I feel safe with you.”
She folds the note up and tosses it onto the table, taking my face in her hands. “P lease stop letting this ridiculous little tactic work. You’re focusing on what he wants you to focus on. I’m not worried, don’t let him make you worry about me.”
“You should be worried though. He was in your home, honey. Your home . He stood over you when you were hiding under your desk for God’s sake.” I drop my forehead against hers.
Pushing me backwards until I’m resting against the table, Ivy follows, settling herself between my legs. Having her step into my space like this is distracting me in the best way. My mind is rendered useless as she rests her hands on my thighs and leans against me. Need courses through me, radiating from each delicious point of contact.
“I finally get this chance with you, I can’t lose you now,” I admit, my voice a whisper.
“Do you want to know why I’m not worried?”
“Why?”
“I know that you would never let anything happen to me. If I didn’t have you, Tripp, I would worry. But you’ve got security cameras up at my shop and you made my door at home more secure than Fort Knox.”
I catch her around the waist and hold her in place. She has such faith in me, I can’t remember a time someone trusted me so readily. No one other than Pops has ever made me feel like I don’t need to work for their approval. Pops, and now Ivy.
“The whole town wants to recall me. Word of mouth will stretch into the rest of the county soon. You don’t think everyone is right?”
It’s the first time I’ve spoken my fear aloud.
“Not for one second.”
I hold her gaze, searching for any sign of her faith wavering. But she doesn’t waver. I know her, I know the nervous look in her eye when she’s trying to convince herself of something. And it isn’t there. With a smile, I concede. “Stay for the interrogation. As long as you don’t get any ideas about trying to follow up on his answers.”
“I’ll be good, I swear.” She holds her hand up and bats her eyes at me.
“Hmm, where have I heard that before?” I challenge with a smirk.
Thus far, Ivy’s track record of keeping this promise to me has been subpar. But I want her here, watching in secret. Knowing she’s behind me, literally and figuratively, will only help.
I scoop up the folder and kiss her forehead. “You watch from here.”
Crossing into the next room, a familiar sense of ease floods my veins. I feel totally in control when I’m interrogating someone. I always learn something, always. People give up more than they realize through seemingly innocent responses. I might not tie up a case perfectly each time, but I do walk away with more than I had before.
“Jackson,” I say coolly. Taking a seat across from him, I allow myself a moment to relax back in the chair.
“What did I do?” he demands, an air of desperation in his voice.
“I went down to town hall the other day, had a chat with old Fitzy. He gave me some applications of yours.”
I open the folder and withdraw the first one, turning it so Jackson can read it. He had been denied seed money to open an outdoors store. He also hadn’t submitted all the required forms to be considered. I lift the second application and then the third, laying them out before him.
“Applied three years in a row. Denied three years in a row. What happened?”
“The mayor can’t see my vision. No crime on my end.”
“And what’s your vision?”
Jackson shifts in his chair. “I’m sure you read the applications. It’s all in there.”
“Well not all of it though, right? You have no business plan. So why do you think you have more of a right to the money than the people that did the work to apply?”
This strikes a chord with him. “You think that little girlfriend of yours did more work than me?”
I keep my face still, giving no sign of reaction to his mention of Ivy. He just called her my girlfriend, an assumption made by the note left earlier as well. It also tells me that he knew she received the startup fund, he’s familiar with the businesses he’d need to target for his revenge.
“I’ll ask again, what’s your claim to the money?”
“I’ve been a member of this community for forty years. I know what the town needs and what would make money. While everyone else is out here chasing a dream, I calculated what my product needed to be to have success.”
“But you didn’t actually calculate anything. That’s the problem, you can’t even get started. If you don’t like my guess though, tell me—why do you think you didn’t get the funds?”
“Our mayor picks his friends for things. Period. Just like how you’re sitting here as sheriff while people like Chuck had seniority.”
A second try to ruffle my feathers. If he was smart, he would have stayed on the topic of Ivy.
“I was voted in. Besides, you know it isn’t up to a town mayor to decide the county sheriff.” I fold my hands together on the table and smile. “What do you do for work? Since you haven’t opened this store.”
Jackson curls his lip, as if wishing to snarl at me. “I work a fishing charter.”
I already knew that. But it lends so nicely to my next question. “So, you probably need access to the harbor for that?”
“Smarter than you look, Sheriff.”
“What happened to your key? I know you went to Barney for a replacement.”
“Is it a crime to lose a key?”
“When is the last time you had it?” I ask, my tone dripping with curiosity.
“I don’t know, I went to use it today and couldn’t find it.”
“And when was the last time you did use it?”
Jackson looks down at his hands and shifts in his chair again. “Like a week or two ago.”
“I’m going to need you to write down your whereabouts on these dates,” I tell him, sliding a paper across the table with the dates of each act of vandalism. Thus far, I have to admit that he’s looking better for this than Reid.
“How am I supposed to remember back to some of these?” he bites. I track the slight tremble in Jackson’s hand and the glisten of sweat across his forehead.
“Let’s just hope you’re smarter than you look.”
“I might need a minute here.”
Folding my hands behind my head, I settle back in my chair once again. “I can wait.” It’s easy to be relaxed on this side of the table. I hold the cards.
I watch Jackson with a steady stare, catching every one of his nervous ticks, every hesitation as he tries to recount his past movements. And as I do, my mind drifts to the person behind the mirror. I like having Ivy here, doing this together. Even if it is in secret.
Although it seems people have been suspecting this secret. It’s about time I get ahead of my own reckless choices.
“Here,” Jackson says gruffly, sliding the paper back over to me.
“Thank you, I’ll start looking into these. In the meantime, don’t leave town.”
“Can I ask what this is about?”
“Do you need to ask? I’m sure you’ve got a good guess.” I will tell him, but I want to hear his reaction first.
“All the vandalism around town, based on these dates.”
So, he recognizes the dates. I nod and rap my knuckles on the table as I rise. “See, you’re smart after all, Jackson.”
Stepping out of the interrogation room into the side hall, I find a waiting Millie. “He’s good to go for now,” I tell her, motioning behind me and reaching for the next door over.
“Should I put a do not disturb sign on there?” she motions to the handle I’m currently turning.
“Goodbye, Millie.”
“Talk to her!” Millie calls as I step through the open door and close it swiftly behind me again.
“Talk to who about what?” Ivy asks, sitting perched on the edge of the table against the window. I like her there. Crossing the room, I lean forward and brace my hands on either side of her hips, keeping her in place.
“It was more mundane than I hoped. But what did you think of your first interrogation?” I ask, dragging my nose up her jaw line.
“I like it when you get like that. Serious, commanding.” Ivy sounds breathy as she replies, spurring me on further.
“Mmm, I’ll keep that in mind. Although you haven’t done a great job of listening to me lately.”
She tilts her head back and sighs when my lips finally meet the soft skin beneath her ear. “Maybe you should be more like Sheriff Forester towards me then.”
A deep laugh rumbles in my chest. “I have a feeling it still wouldn’t work.”
With fistfuls of my button-up, she pulls me flush against her. “Probably not,” she admits, turning to catch my mouth with hers.
We sink into the kiss together, like we’ve been doing this far longer than a few days. Like we should be doing this for every day that remains.