I could see an RCMP officer lounging against a cruiser on the docks.Great.We might as well get this over with.The sooner I could get through the paperwork and make contact with my team, the sooner I could get someone else to take over this case.That would leave me free to win back Kimberly.The Brotherhood owed me a favor or two, and I intended to cash in.I needed to turn the hurt in Kimberly’s eyes back to the dancing happiness and smoldering desire I’d seen last night.
One of the crew lowered the gangplank and gestured us over.The captain stood at the top and held out his hand as we approached.
“You two take care now.It was a pleasure to have a mission turn out with a happy ending.Next time you decide to explore though, make sure you don’t leave any food in your boats that might attract bears.You were lucky your radio survived or you might have been on that rock a lot longer than overnight.”He shook my hand and nodded respectfully to Kimberly before striding back toward the bridge.
“Let’s get this over with.”Kimberly started down the gangplank.“Then you can get rid of me and go back to chasing your poachers.”
I sighed.She wasn’t going to make this easy.
The RCMP officer straightened up as we approached.A woman.Well, that might help Kimberly relax a bit.I knew she’d been intimidated at the thought of being interrogated and not spilling everything she knew.
The officer smiled and opened the back door of the cruiser.Of course, to her we were just the victims of an unfortunate incident that had to be rescued by the Coast Guard.No drama other than the discomfort of being stranded overnight on a barren island and maybe worrying about the presence of wild animals such as bears and cougars.That would be enough to freak most tourists out.
“Hi.I’m Constable Sarah Tobias.”She shook my hand and then Kimberly’s.“You two must be happy to be back on the mainland.I’m sorry to hear about your trouble but at least it turned out okay.You’ll have a nice story to tell your friends at the next party.”
“Yes.Now that it’s over and we’re okay, it’ll be good for a couple of drinks.”I returned the smile and motioned Kimberly to get in the car ahead of me, hoping the officer wouldn’t notice how subdued she was, or would just chalk it up to nerves.Once we were settled, the officer closed the door and slid into the driver’s seat.
Officer Tobias made small talk on the way to the station, obviously trying to put us at ease.Once there, she escorted us inside and led us to a small conference room.
Motioning us to sit at the table in the center of the room, she handed each of us a sheaf of papers and a pen.“Just fill out these forms as best you can and you can be on your way.It’s basically just identification and a release stating the Coast Guard did what was necessary to help you.Some government agency collects the stats on all their rescues in a given period, and then they use those when they’re trying to hammer out their next budget.You know how it is these days.If you can’t prove your department is absolutely essential, they start cutting your budget.”
“Oh yeah.”A ghost of a smile played around the edges of Kimberly’s mouth as she rolled her eyes.“I know all about that.”
The officer tilted her head, looking intrigued.“Where do you work?”
“BC Conservation Officer Services.I’m a conservation officer, and we’re forever trying to justify our budgets.It gets frustrating.”
“I bet it does.But you just keep at it, don’t you?Is this guy part of your team?”She petted Diego on the head, and he obligingly leaned in to show his appreciation.
“Not exactly, but I rarely go anywhere without him.”Kimberly regarded the dog fondly.“He’s great for warning me if there’s something dangerous in the area.”
The officer looked up, a slight smile on her face.“Like bears who like to trash your boat?”
Kimberly winced.“Not his fault.We weren’t even within earshot when that happened.”
“Fair enough.”Sarah smiled as Diego wiggled against her leg to remind her he still needed attention.“He’s a beauty.”
“Thanks.”Kimberly smiled, and it was my turn to wince.I wanted her to save those smiles for me, and right now it looked like I was going to have to work very hard to get back into her good graces.
We finished filling out the paperwork and handed it over.Sarah took a quick look at it.“Okay, this looks fine.You know that we are putting the damage to the kayak down as probable animal damage, right?The boat was just a tree, so no issues there.Unfortunate they both got trashed, but only one of you could have made it back in the kayak, and I doubt you’d have been up for leaving your other half alone on the island.If we don’t call it animal caused, we’ll need to set up a case file and assign an officer.Even if, and it’s a very big if, the damage to the kayak was done by kids for some dumb reason that only makes sense to them, the chances of ever finding them or successfully prosecuting them is somewhat less than nil.It would be a waste of time and resources that are badly needed elsewhere.”
“Budget cuts.”I shrugged.“I’m fine with that.The insurance will pay off quicker this way and we saw at least one bear on that island so it makes sense.”I glanced over at Kimberly.“Are you ready to go?We can catch a cab back to the marina and pick up my truck.”I was careful not to mention we had separate rides parked in different spots.
“Nonsense.I’ll give you a lift.Least I can do since you’ve been so cooperative.”Sarah tossed the paperwork onto the corner of her desk and grabbed her hat.
Kimberly opened her mouth, and I just knew she was going to say she’d find her own way home.I raised my brows and stared pointedly at her from behind the officer’s back.
She had the grace to blush before she looked away.Motioning Diego to her side, she followed Sarah out the door.
The trip back to the marina went quickly.The officer dropped us off at the entrance to the long-term parking lot with a laughing admonition to try and stay out of trouble.
I unlocked the doors to my rental truck and opened the passenger side.Diego hopped right in, and Kimberly followed at a slower pace, mumbling something under her breath.
It didn’t sound like a compliment, and I chose to ignore it.Looping round to the driver’s side, I slid behind the steering wheel and put the keys in the ignition before buckling up my seat belt.“So, where to?I don’t think you ever told me exactly where you left your vehicle.”
Kimberly snorted.“Nice try.You can drop me off at the bus depot.I’m quite capable of making my own way home.”
“Dogs aren’t allowed on public buses.”
