“No. It happened in a backroom at the casino near the restrooms.”
“Has the crime scene been locked down so no one gets in?”
“I don’t know. I doubt it. It’s a storage room. It’s near the restrooms. People go in and out.”
“Fuckinggreat! Has the victim been kept isolated? Told not to shower? Told not to wash the clothes she was wearing?”
“She’s in our office. I don’t know about the rest. We didn’t know to tell her that, so probably not. And we have no idea what she did before she contacted us.”
“Jesus H…” Colin spun away and leaned against the dresser. His head was low, and his breath hissed through clenched teeth.
“What’s going on?” a voice behind him asked. He turned to see Nate entering their stateroom, munching on a fancy pastry. “What’s wrong, Colin?”
Colin shook his head and grabbed a sweatshirt from the closet. “Josh, bring him up to speed.” He quickly donned the sweatshirt and shoved his feet into a pair of sneakers. “Come on, Sinclair. I want to talk to the victim, then you’ll show me the crime scene.”
“Colin?” Joshua asked. “How long will you?—”
“Baby, I don’t know.”
“We’re scheduled for a shore excursion in two hours,” Nate told him. “That trek through the old-growth forest. You were looking forward to it.”
Colin paused, staring at the floor, then turned to his husband and touched his shoulder. “If I’m not back, go with the guys.”
“YouknowI won’t do that.”
“Please, Josh. If I’m not here, go with Davy and Nate.”
“No!”
Colin opened his mouth to speak, but Joshua held up a hand. “Save your breath.” He embraced his husband, and Colin wrapped him in his arms.
“Honey, I’m so sorry about this. But I feel like I?—”
“You have to go! Ofcourse,you have to go. I understand that.” He leaned back from their embrace and placed both hands on Colin’s shoulders. “When you see her, would you please ask her if she’d be willing to speak with me for a few minutes? I might be able to help, even if all I can give her is emotional support and a safe place to express her feelings.”
Colin smiled and shook his head, then gave Joshua a gentle kiss. “Of course I will.”
Joshua leaned forward, pressing himself against Colin’s chest. “Come back safe,” he murmured into his ear.
A soft chuckle escaped Colin’s lips, and he kissed Joshua’s hair. “Baby, I’m not going off to do battle with a Columbian drug lord. I’m just going to talk to an injured woman.”
“I don’t care,” Joshua told him, walking beside Colin to where Sinclair stood waiting.
“I won’t keep him long,” Sinclair said to Joshua.
“I’d appreciate it,” Joshua replied. “It ticks me off how poorly trained you guys are.”
“Pisses me off, too,” Sinclair told him. “And that’s not the worst of it. Right now, there are two registered sex offenders on this ship.”
“Oh my god, you’re kidding me!” Nate burst out.
“They’re forbidden to approach the children’s area, but…” He shrugged. “The rest of the ship is wide open to them. And I don’t dare tell the passengers, not even the parents. It would mean my job.” He husked out a sigh. “So, I spend half my off-hours trailing them around the damned ship just to be safe.”
“Let’s go!” Colin barked, nudging his arm.
David had entered the room behind Nate and stood nearby, silently listening as the men talked. “Colin, we can cancel the old forest excursion and reschedule it so you can still go.”
“Don’t wait for me,” Colin told them, following Sinclair out the door. “David,” he called over his shoulder. “Make Josh go with you!”
