Bitter Legacy: A Matt Royal Mystery (Matt Royal Mysteries) by H. Terrell Griffin
Authors: H. Terrell Griffin
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Nothing much going on in paradise.
Easter had come early that year and most of the tourists and snowbirds had left the key. It was part of the annual migration. Easter marked the tail end of the northerners’ stay and if Easter came early, they left early. They were as imprinted with that need to head north as were the white pelicans who wintered with us before heading back to northern Canada. We were entering the season that the locals cherished, the quiet of late spring. Summer would bring the younger crowd of tourists, those with kids enjoying their respite from school. The island would be busy again, not like in the winter, but more so than in spring and fall.
“I’m sorry about coming on so strong earlier,” said J.D. “First day jitters, I think.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I wouldn’t want strangers interfering in my job either.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from the chief. He says you’re a stand-up guy who knows when to back down.”
“Sometimes,” I said, smiling. “I’m afraid not always.”
“I’m new,” she said, stating the obvious. “I know there’re a lot of stories on this island, a lot of people with backgrounds in police work and the law. It was the same in Miami. The retired guys find it hard to stay retired, and sometimes they get in the way.”
“I promise I won’t get in your way. But there are things I have to do to protect myself and my friends.”
“I’m supposed to protect you. That’s what cops do.”
“But you can’t be with me every minute of the day and the bad guys can come anytime.”
“The chief told me that you’re a pretty good investigator and that you don’t always stay inside the lines.”
“What lines?”
“The lines that society draws around the bad guys. The parameters that the constitution guarantees every citizen. Even the bad ones.”
“J.D., I was a lawyer for a long time. I believe in the constitution. There’re bad cops who need to be reined in. Those constraints hobble the good cops sometimes, but it makes us a better country. But I’m not a cop, and those restraints don’t apply to me.”
“So you think you can just bull yourself through life? Do what you want to do?”
“No. I don’t. But sometimes, when danger threatens, it’s necessary to blur the lines, to color outside of them, if you will, to do what is necessary to protect yourself or those you love.”
“Take the law into your own hands.”
I shrugged. “I don’t exactly see it that way. The law is your domain. Survival is my goal. Sometimes you have to break a few rules in order to continue breathing.”
“I don’t agree with you.”
“I didn’t think you would. Can we still be friends?”
She laughed. It was the first time I’d heard that. It was a sound that would have pleased the gods on Olympus. A bright, tinkling, infectious giggle that made my heart skip a beat. “We’ll see, Counselor, we’ll see.”
I stuck out my hand to shake. She took it and held on, looked me inthe eyes and said, “You’ll share any information you get? You’ll keep me in that loop the chief talked about?”
“Yes. I’m assuming that’s a two-way street.”
“It is.” She shook my hand once and withdrew hers. A deal had been made, a bargain sealed, and I regretted that she had taken her hand back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I drove J.D. back to the condo where I’d spent so much of my last few years, watched her go up in the elevator. I drove south to Sam’s house. I left the sunroof open and the slightly chilled breeze blowing off the Gulf filled the Explorer with the trace of brine that defined our sea air.
I mentally slapped my head, laughing at myself. I’d met a ball-busting woman whose steely exterior seemed to dissipate with one burst of laughter. I’d gone all squishy on the margins, thinking about her as a woman instead of a tough cop. One laugh was all it took. And Jessica had been gone less than two days. I was turning into a satyr.
I
Easter had come early that year and most of the tourists and snowbirds had left the key. It was part of the annual migration. Easter marked the tail end of the northerners’ stay and if Easter came early, they left early. They were as imprinted with that need to head north as were the white pelicans who wintered with us before heading back to northern Canada. We were entering the season that the locals cherished, the quiet of late spring. Summer would bring the younger crowd of tourists, those with kids enjoying their respite from school. The island would be busy again, not like in the winter, but more so than in spring and fall.
“I’m sorry about coming on so strong earlier,” said J.D. “First day jitters, I think.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I wouldn’t want strangers interfering in my job either.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from the chief. He says you’re a stand-up guy who knows when to back down.”
“Sometimes,” I said, smiling. “I’m afraid not always.”
“I’m new,” she said, stating the obvious. “I know there’re a lot of stories on this island, a lot of people with backgrounds in police work and the law. It was the same in Miami. The retired guys find it hard to stay retired, and sometimes they get in the way.”
“I promise I won’t get in your way. But there are things I have to do to protect myself and my friends.”
“I’m supposed to protect you. That’s what cops do.”
“But you can’t be with me every minute of the day and the bad guys can come anytime.”
“The chief told me that you’re a pretty good investigator and that you don’t always stay inside the lines.”
“What lines?”
“The lines that society draws around the bad guys. The parameters that the constitution guarantees every citizen. Even the bad ones.”
“J.D., I was a lawyer for a long time. I believe in the constitution. There’re bad cops who need to be reined in. Those constraints hobble the good cops sometimes, but it makes us a better country. But I’m not a cop, and those restraints don’t apply to me.”
“So you think you can just bull yourself through life? Do what you want to do?”
“No. I don’t. But sometimes, when danger threatens, it’s necessary to blur the lines, to color outside of them, if you will, to do what is necessary to protect yourself or those you love.”
“Take the law into your own hands.”
I shrugged. “I don’t exactly see it that way. The law is your domain. Survival is my goal. Sometimes you have to break a few rules in order to continue breathing.”
“I don’t agree with you.”
“I didn’t think you would. Can we still be friends?”
She laughed. It was the first time I’d heard that. It was a sound that would have pleased the gods on Olympus. A bright, tinkling, infectious giggle that made my heart skip a beat. “We’ll see, Counselor, we’ll see.”
I stuck out my hand to shake. She took it and held on, looked me inthe eyes and said, “You’ll share any information you get? You’ll keep me in that loop the chief talked about?”
“Yes. I’m assuming that’s a two-way street.”
“It is.” She shook my hand once and withdrew hers. A deal had been made, a bargain sealed, and I regretted that she had taken her hand back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I drove J.D. back to the condo where I’d spent so much of my last few years, watched her go up in the elevator. I drove south to Sam’s house. I left the sunroof open and the slightly chilled breeze blowing off the Gulf filled the Explorer with the trace of brine that defined our sea air.
I mentally slapped my head, laughing at myself. I’d met a ball-busting woman whose steely exterior seemed to dissipate with one burst of laughter. I’d gone all squishy on the margins, thinking about her as a woman instead of a tough cop. One laugh was all it took. And Jessica had been gone less than two days. I was turning into a satyr.
I
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