Vicious Carousel (Suncoast Society #25)(61)

Their good girl.

Bill waved someone else in, and Ross and Loren ran up, both of them out of breath. That was when Bill stepped in close. “Guys?” Bill said to Scrye, Kenny, and Nolan. “They have to take their statements. Especially June’s.”

June sniffled and sat up, wiping at her eyes. “Daddy,” she whispered, “they had to take my gun.”

Scrye laughed and kissed her. “That’s okay. I’ll buy you a new one, sweetie.”

“You gave me that one.”

“I know, and you did good. You did just what I always told you to do. Now, I’m going to sit here and make sure I’m not having a heart attack from that jog, while you and Ross are going to talk to the deputies. I’m going to sit right here. Okay?”

She nodded, unpeeling herself from his massive frame. Scrye handed her—literally passing her hand—over to Ross, who led her over to another vehicle with a couple of officers.

Bill stayed there with them as the other officers started questioning Betsy.

Nolan looked at Scrye, who was mopping the sweat from his face with the hem of his now-soaked T-shirt.

“You all right?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t run track since high school, and even then I was slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through a tub of peanut butter. I don’t think we’re going to be joining everyone tonight, though. I think we’re going to make a stay-home night of it.”

“Yeah, I think we are, too.”

The men stared at each other for a moment before they both broke into wide grins.

He leaned close to speak into Scrye’s ear. “Remind me to tell you the story where your wife literally made me piss myself in my own driveway a couple of months ago.”

Scrye chuckled. “Buddy, I’ve had a few yellow stains myself over the years. And I’m her damn Dom!”





After they finished questioning Betsy, Kenny handed her off to Nolan while he stepped away to call Tilly.

She answered before the first ring even finished. “The first words out of your mouth better be ‘they’re okay.’”

“They’re okay.”

“Oh, sweet mother dick, thank you.”

“You sitting down?”

“Is this going to require liquor?”

“No, but I suspect you’ll want to start packing and fly home.”

He gave her the short version, what he knew of it from listening to Betsy tell it. When the other officers had finished questioning June, as he was talking to Tilly, he watched Ross lead her back to her husband. She’d once again climbed onto him, not caring what anyone else thought, and clung to him like a koala on a eucalyptus tree.

In fact, the scale looked pretty accurate.

“Holy f*cking shit,” Tilly whispered. “Seriously? She f*cking killed him?”

“I just watched his body get wheeled out of here and into an ME’s van.”

“Fuck. Me.” She giggled. “Is it horrible of me to want to ask Landry to buy June a commemorative gold-plated gun?”

“No, but I don’t think she’s in a celebratory mood right now.” He turned. Scrye was once again whispering in his wife’s ear. He couldn’t see June’s face, but from the way her body shuddered, he suspected she was crying again.

He heard fingers on a keyboard. “You’re probably right. Ooh, book that flight, yes, please. I’ll be home by nine p.m. Florida time. Keep me posted if you aren’t home, because I’ll stop at your place first.”

“Will do.”

“Hey.” Tilly’s tone softened, snarkless. “Give them both a hug and kiss for me. Tell them I love them.”

He glanced at June. “I’ll pass the word to Scrye for you for June, but I’ll take care of Betsy.”

“You’re a good Dom, Charlie Brown.”





By noon, the investigators had finally released everyone to go. From witness testimony and the physical evidence, it was clearly a case of self-defense. Whether June would be charged with having a concealed weapon in a state park remained to be seen, although Ross said even if the state attorney’s office did press charges they could likely plead it down to a misdemeanor in light of what had happened.

Although when the media found out who the deceased was and his tie to Betsy, it got…crazier.

Ross had sent everyone home, Loren driving June’s car back for the couple since it was all Scrye could do to order June to let go of him and sit in the passenger seat of his car. Ross would go home, get a shower and more coffee, get in touch with Ed and Ed’s office, the other authorities, and then get in touch with everyone.

Kenny drove while Nolan sat in the backseat of their car with Betsy, holding her. He took the Interstate back, and when he turned toward her apartment, she asked, “Where are we going?” in a rather shrill tone.

“I was going to drive us to your place and stay with you there, sweetie.”

“I want to go home,” she said. “I want to go home with you.”

His first instinct was to say, “Your wish is my command,” and spin the wheel around right there in the middle of traffic.

But he didn’t want her to make a decision she’d regret. “We hadn’t talked about you moving back yet,” he said. “I didn’t want to assume—”