“What?” the room basically gasped in unison.
“With the chopper being out of commission and us only needing one pilot for a while, Finley has decided to take some time off.” I chanced a glance down the table. Dax’s expression said he was as shocked as us about this news, and utterly heartbroken. “She’s leaving soon to stay with family in San Diego for a few weeks?—”
“When?” Dax asked, voice cracking before he cleared his throat. “When are you coming back?”
Brandon looked at Finley, who just nodded.
“The vacation is open-ended.” Before Dax could ask for more details, Brandon continued. “We will keep everyone updated as the case develops, but remember to be extra vigilant wherever you go. If you see something strange, let Oliver, Hudson, or the sheriff know.”
“Like he’ll do anything,” Liam stated. “I’m wondering if he’s mixed up in this somehow. Why else would he block this investigation at every damn turn?”
“While I don’t think my dad has ties to the cases, I do agree that him pushing back has hindered the investigation, which is why I’ve asked him to step down.” I felt my jaw go slack in utter shock at Oliver’s words. “Yeah, I know, he was just as surprised by my balls to confront him.” He took off his hat and tossed it onto the table. “While he hasn’t agreed to retire, I’ve at least set the stage and informed him that I will take the official lead on these cases from now on. No more going through him or having to wait; it’s all on me now.”
“Damn,” West murmured. “Fucking finally. Maybe now something will actually get done. I heard he was pushing back because he was pissed Brandon brought in Hudson.”
I nodded in agreement. That was what I’d heard too, but it didn’t make sense unless the sheriff was really that much of an asshole that he believed help meant he was failing somehow. There had to be more to it.
“Everyone has their schedule for the week,” Brandon said, “so that’s it for now. Stay safe out there.”
The room was noticeably quieter than it had been before the start of the meeting. A shoulder slammed into my side, pushing me against the wall as Dax made a path wide enough to get between me and Juno.
“What the hell?” I snapped, not that he heard me. His full attention was locked on the door where Finley had disappeared the second Brandon stopped talking.
“I need to talk to her,” Juno said, more to herself than me or West, before she stood and followed Dax.
I turned to West, who shrugged. “No clue what’s going on there. I’m just as in the dark as you are. Come on, let’s go do what you do best.”
“What’s that?” I grumbled, following him as we made our way to the door.
“Stalk Juno from the shadows while she talks with her friend.” I shoved his shoulder hard, making him stumble forward. “Just saying, you’ve had a lot of practice lately. While we watch and wait, we can make a plan for your day date.”
That sounded good to me. This was one date I couldn’t afford to fuck up.
“Ugh,”Juno groaned. “How do I keep getting this tangled?”
My boots dug into the rocky bank when I turned from my line, brow furrowed. A laugh escaped at the pitiful and dramatic pout on her face as she messed with the knotted fishing line. Her aqua eyes cut my way, making me fight my smile. Apparently, she didn’t find it as adorable and funny as I did.
Setting down my pole, I gently took hers to inspect the damage.
“This pole hates me,” she grumbled.
“And the last two?” I chuckled.
“They’re all ganging up on me.”
“It’s okay that you’re not good at fishing, you know. That’s not a requirement for this.” I gestured between us. Setting the rod down beside the other two to fix later, I pulled her into my chest, wrapping both arms around her.
“I know, but you love it, so I’d at least like to be not terrible at it.”
But she was. She really was. Staring out over the crystal-clear water, I couldn’t help the smile that pulled at my lips.
“I think West packed us some food.” I inclined my head to the stuffed backpack near the rest of the fishing gear. “How about you take a break?—”
“Oh, snacks,” Juno exclaimed like I’d just told her something exciting. Which I guess snacks were by her response. Stepping out of my hold, she moved around me to the pack and squatted low to rummage through the contents. “I’ll eat, you fish and talk.”
“Talk,” I grumbled, bending over to pick up my discarded rod. “About what?”
“Life, you, Mattie, your nephew, anything. I want to know more about you.”
