Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(54)

“Of course.” Kate took the water the server brought and sipped it.

Drake watched the sheriff scoop up the items and place them back in the bag. “Those are all compromised by now, right? I mean, you can’t test them for DNA or fingerprints. We’ve all handled them before we realized how important they might be.”

Colton closed the bag. “Yeah, I’ll give it a try, but it’s a long shot. Any fingerprints would be smudged by now. Who all touched this?”

“Me, Drake, and Dixie. Claire too.”

“I’ll need DNA samples from all of you. Stop by the lab as soon as you can.”

Was no one going to mention the obvious here? “What if it’s related to Heath’s and his wife’s murders? Maybe this guy targeted Melissa first.” Out of the corner of his eye, Drake saw the deputy roll his eyes, but he didn’t care. His brother was murdered and he would prove it. He wasn’t about to tell the sheriff about Melissa’s plans with Chen. It would only reinforce his opinion that Heath killed her.

Colton paused and a frown crouched between his eyes. “They were staying at the Tourmaline. We’ve had some reports of a Peeping Tom out there. I suppose it’s possible. But you both need to let me worry about it and quit getting so excited about everything you find. Let me find the chowderhead.” He glowered at Kate. “You know better than to interfere, Kate. It shows a lack of trust in me too.”

Drake ignored the sheriff’s comment and stared across the table at Kate, who was looking down at her hands. “What all do you remember of that day?”

“Just what I told you. Finding the bodies.”

“Back up to before that. Tell me about your morning, what you saw on the way there, what you did after you parked. All of it.”

Kate’s blue eyes clouded. “I don’t remember a whole lot. Finding the bodies wiped out most everything else from that day. I’m sorry. That stupid chemo brain strikes again.”

Maybe a hypnotist? What could he do to help jog her memory?

The sheriff cleared his throat. “I do have one suggestion, though I think this is a wicked waste of time. I’ve used a forensic artist by the name of Gwen Marcey before. She’s been trained in helping witnesses recall things. She’s holding a seminar in Ellsworth tomorrow. Let me see if she’d have time to talk to Kate.”

It sounded like a long shot to Drake, but he was ready to try anything. Ellsworth was only twenty-five miles northwest from Summer Harbor. “Call her.”

*

It was a perfect afternoon for the beach and a great way to forget about the looming interview tomorrow with the forensic artist. Kate laid out a red-and-white tablecloth onto the sand and weighted it down with rocks to keep the wind from tearing it from the shore. Jackson offered his help by plopping down on one corner. The girls squealed as cold waves hit their ankles. Sunset Cove was a great place for kids since the water deepened gradually.

She found it hard to tear her gaze away from Drake. His tanned legs were strong and muscular as he ran from the waves with the girls, and his dark thatch of curly hair glistened in the sunlight. He hadn’t said much after their talk with the sheriff at lunch, and she had been glad to let the topic drop. No matter how skilled the forensic artist was, Kate was sure she wouldn’t be able to remember anything important. It was just going to be more stress with no reward.

She set the basket in the middle of the tablecloth, then removed her cover-up. Though her bathing suit was a modest one-piece, she felt exposed as she went to join Drake and the girls at the water’s edge. “Bunch of sissies. The water isn’t that cold. Come on in.” She bit back a gasp as the frigid water hit her ankles, but she wasn’t about to show it to the girls or she’d never coax them in the water. The gentle roller coming her way was perfect, so she held her breath and dove into it as it reached her.

The shock of being immersed in the sea took her breath away, and even when her head popped out of the water, she couldn’t quite catch her air. She caught a glimpse of Phoebe’s shocked face and waved. “Come on in! I’ll teach you to swim.” Her wet hair obscured her vision, and she pushed it out of her face, then struck out for the rocks that rimmed this small cove.

When she was in the sea, she felt at one with it. Her feelings of powerlessness melted away in the water, and she didn’t have to worry about what other people thought of her. She didn’t have to strive to measure up but could let the water strip all those fears away.

She flipped to her back and floated in the waves, facing the warm sun. It had been weeks since she’d gotten a chance to go swimming. Gulls squawked overhead and a tern glided by on the wind.

She turned her head at the sound of a splash and saw Drake dive into a wave. The girls shrieked as he spun and splashed them. She swam closer and angled her hand to the water to throw a large spray of water over his back. The surprise on his face when he whirled around made her giggle as hard as the girls.

“Come on, girls, let’s get her,” he called.

The girls finally dared to run to the water and jump in. Emma brought her bucket in with her and scooped water into it. Instead of dumping it on Kate’s head, she upended it onto her uncle’s head.

He faced her. “Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

“You’re bigger than Miss Kate. She needs help.” Emma leaped onto Drake’s back as he crouched in the water.