A Fishy Dish (A Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) by Lyndsey Cole

phone in her bag before she looped it over her head and across her chest. She pulled her long braid free of the strap.
    “All set.” She patted Nellie’s head and made a mental note to herself to be sure to lock her door in the future. Especially when she was taking a shower.
    “How about you follow me? I don’t want anyone to see us together,” Sean said.
    “Fine with me,” Hannah replied. She was more than happy to keep this little rendezvous off everyone’s radar. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot at the Paradise Inn, in about ten minutes.”
    Sean shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t like that idea. Just follow me now.”
    “Fine.” She rolled her eyes, hoping he understood she was annoyed. Although, even if he notice the eye roll, he probably didn’t care one iota about her feelings.
    Hannah decided she would listen to the conversation between Jan and Sean, absorb the details of the interview, but say as little as possible. She followed Sean’s black Honda Civic into the curved driveway to the Paradise Inn. He found two empty spots next to each other so they could park together.
    Sean waited at Hannah’s car door and pulled it open as soon as she turned her car off. This guy was keeping a close eye on her and she didn’t like it.
    “Don’t say anything unless Jan asks you a question. I’ll do the talking. Got it?” His jaw was set in a tight clamp as he waited for Hannah’s reply. All his earlier friendliness vanished like the morning ocean fog.
    “Got it.”
    He took her elbow. His eyes darted around the parking lot. “Jan’s car isn’t here.”
    Deputy Pam Larson’s cruiser slowly passed behind Hannah’s car.
    “What’s she doing here?” Sean hissed as he tightened his grip on Hannah’s elbow. “That must be why Jan hasn’t texted me yet.”
    Hannah pulled away from Sean’s hold. “Beats me. Maybe this wasn’t the smartest place to meet. Whose idea was it anyway?”
    “I’ll have to wait for Jan to contact me with a different meeting place. If she contacts me.” He hopped into his car and left.
    Hannah couldn’t believe what just happened.
    Pam pulled into the spot vacated by Sean’s car. The window on the passenger side rolled down. Pam leaned across the seat. “You’re looking a tad confused, Ms. Holiday. Did your reporter friend just dump you?”
    “What?” Hannah instinctively knew this conversation wasn’t going in a good direction. For her.
    “Or should I say dupe you?”
    “I need to talk to you,” Hannah said, ignoring Pam’s comment. “It’s about Jan. I think I know how to find her.
    “Matt White’s sister?” Pam asked with her eyebrows raised.
    Hannah nodded.
    “Well, I sure am dying of curiosity about that subject. How about you follow me to the police station and we’ll have a little chat about what you think you know.”
    Pam’s statement and the smirk on her face worried Hannah. Was Pam setting her up to walk into a trap? She had no choice but to follow the police cruiser and she could only hope that this unexpected chat didn’t throw her whole schedule out the window.
    Hannah’s mind whirled in circles throughout the whole drive and she barely took in her surroundings. Was there ever really a meeting with Jan? What was Sean’s angle? The way he was treating Hannah had her on high alert and before she knew it, Hannah followed Pam’s cruiser right into the parking lot of the police station.
    “So,” Pam began after they were seated in her small office. Hannah had the treat of a hard metal chair that could not possibly be more uncomfortable. Most likely the intention. “Before you tell me your plan to capture the elusive Janice Jones, how well do you know your reporter friend, Sean Payne?” Pam asked.
    Hannah squirmed in her chair. These questions always ended in a bombshell she never saw coming. “First, he’s not my friend, he’s renting one of the cottages at Holiday Hideaway.”
    “Convenient for working