ignored the outburst. “What happened?”
Cal skipped over the more interesting parts like the legal technicality of breaking and entering. Ted already thought Cassie was a bit off balance. One of them had to look stable or they’d never get any help.
“Sounds like a pretty bad evening.”
Cassie jumped at the rumbling sound of a new male voice coming from the office entrance behind them. On instinct, Cal stepped forward, shielding her from potential danger by placing his body in front of hers. She showed her appreciation for his efforts by shoving him in the side.
Ted did not even flinch. “This is Josh Windsor. He’s with the Drug Enforcement Agency.”
Josh lounged in the doorway. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, this guy stood out. And the way his gaze traveled over Cassie, smiling with approval at every inch of his visual journey, spread fire through Cal’s insides.
“Good morning, folks.” Josh flipped a pen between his fingers.
“DEA in Hawaii?” Cal asked.
“We have drugs here.” Josh focused on Cassie. “Ma’am, I’m sorry about your brother.”
“Josh helped out at the initial crash site,” Ted said.
The way Cal figured it, Ted was leaving out the most interesting part of the explanation. “And what does the DEA have to do with a helicopter accident?”
Josh shrugged. “Just happened to be in the area and rushed to the scene.”
“Then maybe you could answer some questions about the crash,” Cal said.
Josh shook his head. “Happy to try, but there’s not much to tell. Looked like Dan lost control in the canyon. His helicopter whacked into the side of the mountain and then dropped like a stone.”
Cassie crossed her arms over her stomach. “Thanks for that image.”
Cal winced at the harsh words but asked the questions he needed answered. “Fuel line, everything else was in working order?”
“Yes,” Ted said. “Tox screen was clean. No health issues. No drugs or alcohol.”
Cassie spun around and stared at the officer. “Of course not. And Dan flew up and down that canyon for years. He was not a novice to be taken in by sudden wind.”
Josh stepped farther into the room and joined Ted behind the counter. “Actually, accidents like this happen more frequently than you know.”
“I live in Hawaii,” Cassie said.
“Then you know that the islands are famous for freak occurrences of this type. We lose several helicopters each year. We tend not to advertise them because it would kill the tourist trade.”
Too little action and far too much talking. Cal had just about had it with the empty words. “Seems to me, unless these tourists who crash into the side of the canyon also get shot at, we have a different situation here.”
Ted and Josh exchanged glances before Ted spoke again. “Any chance you brought an enemy with you on your trip to our fine state?”
Cal felt the power base shift in the room. He finally had their attention. “Doubtful.”
“Could just be someone trying to take advantage of Dan’s death to rob the place,” Josh suggested.
“We’ll look into it and let you know.” Cassie delivered her implied threat with a smile.
“Whoa.” Ted held up his hands. “Let the police handle the detective work.”
“We tried that,” Cassie said.
Ted braced his arms on the counter, looking far more serious and deadly than he had a second earlier. “If I find myself tripping over you two while we investigate, we’re going to have a problem. You think the locals are going to open up to you? All you can do is cause trouble.”
A chill moved through the air. The warm and sunny island welcome was over. They had moved to the posturing portion of the program. Cal also noticed no one had bothered to explain why the police were talking about an investigation when they insisted Dan’s case was closed.
But he had their attention, and that’s what he wanted. “Fair enough.”
“I mean it.” Ted’s dark eyes gazed at Cassie. “Both of you.”
Cal decided to agree for both of them. “We’ll go ahead and get out of your way.”
He grabbed Cassie’s elbow and dragged her toward the door. She frowned at him but took the hint and kept her mouth shut…until they were out of earshot.
“I told you that would be a waste of time,” she grumbled under her breath.
“On the contrary. The conversation was pretty revealing.” He matched her volume by keeping his voice low and even. “Those two are hiding something. Something big.”
Life sparked behind Cassie’s eyes. The hurt lingering there gave way to budding excitement. “I told you so.”
Cal could not help but smile. “I thought you might say that.”
Chapter Seven
Josh watched Cal hustle Cassie out of the building. “Now there goes a bunch of trouble.”
“Like we needed more.” Ted sighed. “She was tough to deal with on her own. Adding on this guy is bad news.”
Josh leaned down on his elbows. “She can’t let it go.”
“Would you?”
“Hell, no.” Josh broke eye contact with Cassie’s butt for a second and glanced up. “It’s the never-ending questions and amateur sleuthing that’s the problem.”
“She’s desperate for answers. Can’t say that I blame her.”
The phone started ringing, but Ted didn’t move. After three rings, someone in the back office picked it up.
“You’re in charge now, so you don’t answer phones?” Josh asked.
“Not unless I have to.”
Josh appreciated Ted’s comfort with his new title. The guy was solid. Dependable.
“Either way, she’s not the same teary-eyed woman who first came to your office right after the crash. She’s gotten harder.” And the part Josh could see of her looked just fine.
Ignoring the lady’s impressive backside, it was her potential for problems that worried him. Cassie Montgomery had a killer bod and a deep loyalty to her dead brother. The second she heard the news about the crash, she dropped everything and flew between the islands to be there for Dan. She had not gone back to her life since.
Her mouth was the problem. It never stayed closed. She had spent a good portion
