The Unrelenting Tide (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans - Christian Romantic Suspense) Read Free Page B

Terror surged, sapping her of the strength to fight.

Chapter 4
    Carcen tapped the steering wheel with the fingers of one hand as he drove towards Devynne’s house.
    After the game he had made arrangements with his parents for Marissa to stay the night with them so he would have a chance to talk to Devynne uninterrupted.
    His mother was more than happy to watch her granddaughter, saying she didn’t get the chance often enough. Carcen knew she and Dad worried about Devynne as much as he did since Kent’s death four years ago.
    He sighed. He and Kent had always been close and when he arrived on the scene too late to save his twin’s life it had torn him apart.
    Carcen had run the scene of Kent’s death over and over in his mind.
    Could he have gotten there quicker after Devynne’s call? Done something different? Anything that might have changed the outcome of that terrible day?
    Yet all of his musing and pondering continually came back to the same realization. No matter what he had done differently Kent would still be dead. The shot to his head had killed him instantly.
    He pressed thumb and forefinger to his eyes for just a moment, wishing he could erase the memory of his brother sprawled amidst the jumble of cracker boxes in the center aisle of Island Grocers. Erase the memory of Devynne’s stricken face as she’d carried the newborn Marissa out of the restroom at the back of the store and caught a glimpse of Kent’s body. Erase the memory of the moment he’d realized Marissa would never get to know her daddy.
    Carcen’s thoughts turned to his niece.
    At the end of the game tonight Marissa had been beside herself with excitement. “We did it Uncle Cawce! We did it. We beat that mean ol’ team!” She danced a little jig around his legs, then suddenly stopped, becoming serious. “Mama’d a had fun. I wish she’d a come tonight.”
    He ruffled her hair. “Maybe next time.”
    Her lip protruded. “That’s what she always says.”
    Carcen glanced away. Yes, the time had definitely come to talk to Devynne. He looked at his mother and saw tears spring into her eyes.
    His father, Lamar, pulled her into a one armed embrace and looking down at his granddaughter, said, “How about some ice cream on the way home tonight? Would you like that?”
    Marissa’s eyes lit up, the change of subject going unnoticed. “Bubble gum. I want bubble gum kind.”
    Carcen softened at the memory. The little girl got along just fine without her daddy. Her mother, well now, there was a different story. Was her grief really still so debilitating? Or was there something deeper going on? He intended to find out.
    He slowed to a stop in the half-circle driveway, cut the engine and sat staring down the steep stairs toward the house for a moment. Devynne’s house, a gambrel-shaped, cedar-paneled, tri-story, sat out on a rocky promontory surrounded by ocean, cedar, and salal. Here the slope down to the water was very abrupt, and her house stood out against the early evening dusk glimmering on the ocean. The kitchen’s garden-window glowed with light.
    Good. That probably meant she’d left off sewing for the evening. At least she won’t be able to use work as an excuse not to talk to me about this . Stepping out of the truck, he headed down toward the kitchen door.
    A loud crash of shattering glass sounded from inside the house.
    Devynne ! Snatching his backup piece from his ankle holster, he squatted on a landing halfway down the steps. The kitchen door stood ajar several inches. From inside the house he heard a loud bang and a shriek.
    Heart clogging his throat, he grabbed out his phone and pressed 9-1-1. He didn’t wait for Jennifer, the dispatcher, to finish her greeting before he said in a low voice, “Jen, this is Sheriff Carcen Lang, reporting a crime in progress at 1020 Seamist Drive, Friday Harbor. I’m off duty. Requesting backup. Looks like a break-in.” He punched the off button and sprinted down the last few