Carolina Isle by Jude Deveraux

“Okay, so maybe in this place we have to work a little harder to be able to see the good.” He wiped his hands over his eyes. “I could almost believe that none of what happened did. Are we really to appear in court on Monday morning to answer a charge of killing a dog?”
    â€œNo,” R.J. said firmly. “Once I get hold of my lawyer, he’ll send half a dozen men down here and drown the entire police force in paper. There won’t be any court hearing on Monday.” He glanced at Sara and gave a little smile to let her know that his plan was exactly what she’d told the cops would happen.
    Sara had to turn away so R.J. wouldn’t see hersmile. She knew how his mind worked. So maybe she’d been wrong to try to strong-arm the police here on little King’s Isle, but it was the way she’d learned from watching R.J. He had power and he knew how to use it. She had every confidence in the world that R.J. would get them out of this ridiculous situation.
    â€œShall we go to the rooming house?” Sara asked. “We might as well enjoy our time here,” she said, then her stomach gave a growl. “Sorry.”
    â€œMy stomach thinks my throat’s been cut,” R.J. said, making Sara look at him in surprise. Usually he was careful to not show his country upbringing, so he never used old sayings like that one.
    â€œDo you think they sell cosmetics in this town?” Ariel asked. “Lancôme or Estée Lauder, maybe.”
    â€œMaybe Maybelline,” Sara said as they walked down the main street and headed toward where they’d seen the house with the sign.
    People smiled at them as they walked, but no one stared. It all seemed so normal that with every step they took, it was harder to remember the events of earlier that day.
    â€œWere we really in jail?” Sara asked softly. “Or did we make that up?”
    Ariel looked at her cousin as though she’d lost her mind. “We have no car and no money. We have to spend the night here, but we have no luggage. How can you think that we made anything up?”
    â€œIt just seems so … I don’t know … normal, I guess.”
    â€œIt doesn’t seem normal at all,” Ariel said. “One minute the town is empty and the next it’s full of people who are doing their best not to look at us.”
    â€œShe’s right,” R.J. said. “The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
    â€œI agree,” David said.
    Sara sighed. “I’m just so glad to get away from work for a few days that—” Breaking off, she glanced at R.J. “Sorry.”
    â€œNo need to be,” he said. “I’m glad to get away from work too.” They could see the house with the faded sign just ahead of them. R.J. looked at David. “At work, I have an assistant who is quite efficient—”
    â€œExcept that she can’t type or take shorthand,” Sara said.
    â€œRight. But she can remember things. She’s better than any of those talking machines that you have to type things into.”
    â€œSo what’s wrong with her?” David asked, opening the little gate in front of the house.
    â€œShe hates me. Pure and simple hates me. Most of the time when I ask her a question she won’t even answer.”
    As David let the others go through the gate, he looked at Sara. “Is that true? Does his assistant hate him?”
    Sara gave him a little smile, but when she didn’t answer, R.J. laughed. “See what I mean?”
    They walked up the stairs to the porch of the big old house and R.J. knocked on the front door. They heard nothing.
    â€œThe owner’s probably in the streets with the other residents pretending to be something he’s not,” Ariel said.
    Sara raised her hand to knock again, but the door was opened by a woman—and the four of them were shocked into speechlessness. She was tall, good-looking, in her