I snorted. “You just won’t quit, huh? Is Rob short for Robin?”
“I…” He paused. “Yes.”
I laughed out loud again. “Officer Robin Hood? Really? Okay, three out of ten points for names this go ’round. The candle fragrance was a better schtick. But to be fair, you were never gonna fool me a second time no matter what name you used. Be honest, did you come up with the Robin Hood thing, or did Jay?”
“My Grandmother Jennings came up with it, Lord rest her soul! And my parents allowed it.”
He sounded so genuinely put out, I almost hesitated… but no. Oak was just really good. “Grandmother Jennings, huh? Was she Maid Marian? Or…”
“As it happens, shewasnamed Marian, yes.” He sniffed impatiently. “Sir. I was calling to offer you a police escort so you could get to Whispering Key faster—”
“Again?” I hooted. “No, no. You’ve gotta change it up. You can’t kidnap me again! Especially since the kidnap van is in Wyoming, and the guy who kidnapped me is in South Dakota. Two out of ten for originality.”
“Mr. Goodman, are you… are you reporting a felony abduction? Are you in a safe place right now?”
I frowned. The dude was really convincing. “Solid ten out of ten for genuine emotion. You almost really sound worried. Listen, Robin Hood, thanks for calling, but I really am in a hurry to get to the Key, so—” I pushed through the sliding doors and out onto the humid sidewalk.
“Cousin Littlejohn and Cousin Dale are going to hear about this,” the guy grumbled. “For wasting my time.”
I stopped dead. “Wait, Dale and Littlejohn? Littlejohn… Jennings?”
“How many Littlejohns do you know, Mr. Goodman?”
He had me there.
“Our grandmother happened to have an appreciation for the Robin Hood stories,” he said indignantly. “Cousin Littlejohn and I paid the price, while Cousin Alan-a-Dale and Cousin Sherwood got off easy.”
Alan-a-Dale? Was that Dale’s real name?
No one could make up a story like that.No one.
“So…” I cleared my throat. “So when you say you’re a police officer, you mean…”
“I mean that I’m employed by the City of Sarasota as an officer of the law. With a badge. And a weapon. And the power to arrest criminals. Yes.”
Fuuuuck.
“So, um. About that ride…?”
What followed was an extremely uncomfortable but very quick trip to the Key, during which Officer Hood had me sit in the back of his squad car, behind the cage.
I couldn’t entirely blame him. I’d probably have done the same.
He drove down Godfrey Pass toward the center of town, and for the last mile and a half, both sides of the street were lined with so many cars, I had to wonder whether the island could support them all without just sinking into the Gulf. I’d never seen that many vehicles on the Key in my lifetime, and it made my heart swell.
The place was coming back to life.
Officer Hood got as close as he could to the center of town, where the street barricades began, then pulled over to let me out. He had the sirens off but the lights on, which gave the whole thing a definite perp-walk feel.
“There you go, Mr. Goodman,” he said, as he opened the back door to let me and my suitcase out. “Take care of yourself.”
“Thank you. I just want to say again howtrulysorry I am for the confusion, Officer Hood—”
“Save it.” The man tucked his thumbs into his belt, reminding me a lot of Deputy Freckles… not that I was ever, ever going to say anything like that. “You Whispering Keysters have a unique sense of humor. And strange taste in casseroles.”
I nodded slowly. He wasn’t wrong.
“Tell my cousins they owe me. And good luck with your little festival.”
