encouraging the friendship. The last thing she wanted was for Brianna to be hurt. “I’m glad you came. We founded a dead body in the water.”
“I heard,” he murmured, giving Brianna a brief hug, before glancing up at Kayla. “I’m sure that was quite a shock. Are you both all right?”
“We’re fine,” she assured him, feeling a bit foolish. There was no reason for Alex to have called Rafe. Obviously, she hadn’t done a good job of covering up her fear. She turned toward the police officer. “Is there anything else you need? I’d like to take my daughter home.”
“Yes, we’re finished here,” the police officer said, stepping back and closing his notebook. “I don’t have any more questions and if I need anything further, I know where to get in touch with you.”
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“Do you have an ID on the victim?” Rafe asked.
The officer’s expression turned impassive. “We have a strong suspicion based on his shoulder tattoo, but we won’t release a name until we have a positive ID and next of kin has been notified.”
Rafe glanced down at the group down by the lakeshore, as he nodded slowly. “I understand.”
Kayla wondered if Rafe knew more than he was letting on. But she’d had enough of hanging around the gruesome scene. She took Brianna’s hand and glanced up at him. “We need to get going, Rafe. I’m sorry Alex called and made you come all the way down here for nothing.”
Rafe turned toward her with a gentle smile that made her feel incredibly warm despite the definite chill in the air. “Checking on you is never a waste of time, Kayla. Where’s your car? I’ll drive you back.”
“It’s not far, just a mile or so down the road,” she protested, unwilling to put him out any further.
“I’ll drive you,” Rafe repeated, steel lining his words. She sighed, recognizing that tone. He’d used it before, a few months earlier, when he thought she and Brianna were in danger from the man who was after her sister-in-law, Shelby. Rafe had gone into protector mode back then and she’d learned that when Rafe made up his mind to do something, there was no dissuading him. Arguing was futile.
“If you insist,” she agreed, forcing a smile. She wished she was immune to his charm, but she wasn’t. Her normal cool logic seemed to fly out the window around Rafe. Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to endure his presence for long. The drive to Pelican Point’s parking lot wasn’t far.
But the way Brianna gazed adoringly up at Rafe caused the muscles in her stomach to clench in warning. Fatherless Brianna was more susceptible to male attention than Kayla liked to admit. Especially now.
She couldn’t help thinking that with Rafe’s lethal charm, even five minutes could be too long.
Rafe escorted Kayla and Brianna down to his jeep, which he’d left parked on the road, but he couldn’t help glancing back at the group huddled around the dead victim, his mind buzzing with questions.
He believed with instinctive certainty the police knew the identity of the victim. And he couldn’t help thinking he knew who the dead person might be, too.
The prime suspect in his current investigation was Bill Schroeder, the owner of a charter fishing operation out of Pelican Point. Schroeder had been missing for the past week. Long enough for Rafe to fear their suspect was dead.
He’d kept his investigation a secret from Alex because of Kayla. Her husband had once been Schroeder’s partner, but since Jeremy Wilson had died two years ago, they’d pretty much ruled him out as being involved in the most recent criminal activity.
His team at the coast guard had been watching Bill Schroeder for the past few months, searching for proof that the owner of the charter fishing business was involved in an underground criminal escape ring, secretly whisking well-known criminals out of the United States through the Great Lakes into Canada—complete with new identities.
If Bill Schroeder was really the dead guy floating in Lake Michigan, then their investigation would take a serious hit. They had a few other potential suspects, but none as promising as Schroeder.
He glanced at Kayla and Brianna once they reached his jeep. He opened the passenger door for them. “Kayla, I need to go back and talk to the police for a minute. Will you wait for me? Please?”
Kayla flashed a puzzled frown but nodded. “I wouldn’t mind a ride, since darkness comes so early now. But if you could hurry, I’d appreciate it. I’m sure Brianna is hungry.”
Relief washed over him. He was afraid she’d insist on walking back to her car. He turned on the jeep’s ignition and cranked up the heat. “I’ll be quick, I promise. Five minutes.”
He took off at a jog, retracing his steps until he’d reached the group down at the lakefront. He was glad he was wearing his dress uniform when he approached the police officers. He pulled out his official coast guard ID. “I’m Chief Petty Officer Rafe DeSilva, and I have reason to believe this body may be linked to a Coast Guard investigation. You mentioned a tattoo, do you mind if I take a look? If you have a possible identity, I’d like to know.”
The uniformed officers exchanged wary glances, but then shrugged. “The tattoo on this guy’s shoulder is consistent with a missing person report we received for a William Schroeder. But since there’s not much left of this guy’s face or his fingers we’ll need either DNA or a dental match to be certain.”
Rafe’s gut clenched.
Bill Schroeder. Just as he’d feared.
He reached down to lift the sheet covering the body and looked at the shoulder tattoo for himself. He had a whole file on Bill Schroeder and he wasn’t surprised to see the tattoo of an anchor and the name Jeannie written along the bottom. Jeannie just happened to be the name of Schroeder’s ex-wife.
“Thanks,” he said to the police officers as he covered the body back up. “We’d appreciate a call once you do have a match with the dental records.”
“Sure,” the officer agreed.
Rafe jogged double-time back to the jeep to find Kayla and Brianna waiting patiently for him. He slid into the driver’s seat and glanced back at Brianna. “Did you time me?” he asked in a light, teasing tone.
“Yep. Mommy helped. You were gone six minutes. You’re late,” she said matter-of-factly.
He couldn’t help but laugh as he put the car into gear and then pulled away from the curb. “You’re right. I’m late. Sorry.”
“Mom promised we could stop for pizza on the way home,” Brianna announced. “Would you like to come with us?”
“Ah, Mr. Rafe is dressed for work, sweetheart,” Kayla quickly interjected. “Maybe another time, hmm?”
Kayla’s not so subtle un-invite bothered him. He sensed Kayla wanted to avoid him and he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t think it was because of his Hispanic heritage, although he supposed anything was possible.
He’d never approached her on a personal level, asking her to go out with him. Kayla was a widow, and he was a widower. She was strong and brave and beautiful, but the last
