you know if he’s coming back?”
“I couldn’t say, but it all depends on if he’s involved with the investigation.”
She nodded and the deputy exited.
After the hospital staff had come in to get her signature on release papers, she waited on Aunt Debby to give her a ride home.
Sadie rubbed her head, which still felt a little woozy. And after she got home, then what? She weighed her options. Common sense told her to go back to her research on the other side of the world and let the authorities find out who tried to kill her—she’d be safer that way too. Let them find out who had murdered Karon. But as a marine biologist, she was also a researcher—she conducted scientific investigations, as it were. She didn’t trust anyone else to be as thorough as she would be. Conducting her own investigation would mean putting her future on hold indefinitely—possibly missing her chance at the grant she wanted. Still, there was nothing more important to her than bringing Karon’s murderer to justice. And she wasn’t entirely confident that Deputy Crowley was the man for the job.
She hoped that Gage would be involved. But she was getting ahead of herself. First she needed to get out of this hospital room.
Someone knocked lightly on the door. “Sadie?”
Gage’s voice rang out. The sound warmed her.
“Come in.”
He opened the door and stepped all the way into the room. His shoulders were broad. And his arms. She remembered those strong arms around her, scooping her against him as she nearly drowned, swimming her to the smaller boat that took them to the Coast Guard cutter. The Kraken, if she remembered correctly.
An image came to mind. Gage Sessions swooping down from the Kraken to rescue her. And she’d thought it wasn’t a princess story, and more than that, she’d wanted to save herself. Ha!
She realized she was grinning.
He studied her with those alert hazel eyes, which seemed to take in every detail, everything about her. Her cheeks warmed. She was glad he couldn’t read her mind.
“It’s good to see you have your color back.” His smile was engaging.
“I’m so glad to see you. I wasn’t sure if you were coming back.”
His expression turned serious. “Of course. I had to make sure you’re going to be okay.”
“Earlier when you were here, I forgot to thank you for pulling me from the ocean.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I hope they didn’t give you a hard time. I heard that you kind of broke protocol.” And she wondered why. She had a feeling his willingness to risk his life in the ocean for her, and willingness to go against the Coast Guard’s protocol, had saved her life.
“Anything for a friend.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. “So...how are you doing? Really?”
She leaned back in the chair. That was a good question. Sadie closed her eyes to think. Looking at Gage was too distracting. She didn’t remember that about him from before. “I’m still shaky after everything.”
“That’s understandable.” Gage sat on the edge of the bed.
She opened her eyes. Yeah, he was still a distraction. “So what happens next?”
“Someone will investigate on your behalf, Sadie, don’t worry. In the meantime, my office will be looking into the death of your friend Karon again. We’ve learned some new information that gives us reason to believe you could be right that she was murdered.”
Sadie released a heavy sigh. “New information...you mean something more than I told you about what happened to me?”
He nodded gravely, but didn’t look like he was going to reveal anything else.
“Gage, you said your office. You mean the Coast Guard? You were on that cutter. What exactly do you do in the Coast Guard? The deputy called you a special agent. And you’re investigating. You never told me anything. I figured you’d just jumped in the water for me because you were part of the Coast Guard cutter.”
“I’m CGIS. Coast Guard Investigative Services. But I’m a civilian, not military. CGIS is a federal law enforcement agency. We operate outside the Coast Guard chain of command. That said, some agents are active duty military and others are Coast Guard reserve. And others like me are civilian special agents.”
“Oh.” Well, now, that was something. Impressive.
“And... I jumped in the water when I saw it was you. I had to save a friend.” That grin again.
What would have happened to her if she hadn’t had a friend out there today? Still, Karon hadn’t had a friend when she’d needed one. Fatigue tugged at Sadie and she yawned. “I want to help you with your investigation into Karon’s murder.”
“Wait. One, I’m not sure I’ll be the one to investigate. Two, you aren’t helping with the investigation, regardless. Let the authorities do their job without your interference. You don’t want to stand in the way of the process or hinder the investigation...or mess with evidence. Besides, it could be dangerous. Don’t forget, someone tried to kill you today.” He hung his head as if that thought disturbed him deeply, then raised it again.
“I haven’t forgotten, believe me. It’s obviously related, don’t you see?” Her voice pitched higher than usual, and a little too loud for the close quarters.
“Yes, I see. I assure you we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“Gage, please see if they will let you be the one to investigate.”
“I don’t know. I’m already involved in another case—that’s how I ran into you on the ocean. I was out chasing down drug runners when we learned about your sinking boat.”
“I’d feel so much better if it were you—someone I know and trust. Will you talk to your boss?”
His forehead wrinkled.
“I mean, unless you don’t feel comfortable. I’m sorry. I guess I overstepped.”
“It’s not that.” He leveled his intense gaze on her again. “I’m concerned for your safety.”
And her heart swelled. She had the feeling if the deputy had told her the same thing, it wouldn’t have meant nearly as much.
“I’m back, sweetie.” Aunt Debby entered the room carrying a plastic bag of toiletries and clothes.
Aunt Debby nodded. “Hey, Gage. Good to see you again.”
He smiled. “Same here.”
Sadie grabbed the toiletries and clothes and changed in the bathroom.
When she stepped out fully dressed, Aunt Debby looked her up and down. “Oh. They’re releasing you so soon?”
Sadie chuckled. “You act like that’s
