She turned to him. “You don’t seriously think Ray has anything to do with this, do you? Because he loves Katie and would never do anything to hurt her.”
“No, but I still need to be thorough and check everyone out.”
“You should probably be looking at one of those townies hell-bent on sticking it to the rich folks on Harper’s Point.”
“Wait until they enact this new property tax on residences worth over a half a million bucks. Now, that will really piss those people off.”
“Assuming the town council passes it.”
“If it’s passed, that tax could completely change the character of the downtown waterfront.”
“And put me in the poorhouse again.”
“Who owns your building?”
“The McCallisters,” she said. “Which brings me to another matter. Have you looked into the background of their son, Julian McCallister?”
“Is there any reason to?”
“I found a few photographs of him mugging with Katie and Willow. Something seems off about that kid, if you ask me.”
“Based on what?”
“Based on a mother’s intuition.”
“A mother’s intuition is strong, but I’m not sure that’s enough proof to dig into this kid’s past.” Karl took out his pen and pad and wrote down Julian’s name. “Then again, it never hurts to check everything out.”
“I would think as a detective, it’s your duty to leave no stone unturned.”
“That’s true, but I’m not really a detective. We’re too small of a department for that.”
The sound of a door opening and closing jarred Isla out of the flow of conversation. She looked past the sad-looking cop and saw Drew walking toward them. She knew him to be mostly cheerful, but when angry, he took on a more sinister appearance. And she had rarely seen him this angry.
“Where’s Katie?”
“Relax, Drew. They’re not allowing anyone to see her just yet. And when they do, it’s family members only,” Isla said.
“That’s bullshit. I’m her boyfriend.”
“Go home, Drew. Get some rest.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I see her and make sure she’s all right.” He glared at Karl. “What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out looking for the sick bastards who did this?”
“Do you have anything you want to tell me, Drew? Something that might shed light on this case? Otherwise, I suggest you mind your manners.”
“I already told you, Katie changed after she met Willow Briggs. She wasn’t the same.” He looked close to tears. “Tell him I’m wrong, Mrs. Eaves.”
“You’re just being emotional, Drew. Willow is a good friend to Katie. Yes, she has some issues, but who among us doesn’t?”
“That’s not true, and you know it. Katie used to be sweet and kind. She wasn’t the same after she met that rich bitch and her hipster friend, Julian. I’m telling you, she changed for the worse.”
“It’s natural for people to change as they get older. Neither you nor I can stop Katie from maturing, just as you can’t keep her from going away to college. It’s a fact of life,” Isla said.
“I don’t have a problem with Katie going away to school, if that’s what she really wants. We talked about her attending Coastal Community College, so we could be together, and she liked the idea. Then she met Willow, and now she refuses to talk to me about her future plans.”
“Can’t you see, Drew? She is trying to develop her own identity.”
“You’re wrong about that. Katie loves me. Ask Swisher.”
“You can’t accept the fact that she is eventually going to leave here and go away to college.”
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I’m going inside to see her.” Tears streaked down his cheeks.
“Oh no you’re not,” Isla said.
Drew headed toward Katie’s room, and Isla moved to try to stop him. She grabbed hold of his arm, but he shrugged off her grasp. The sour scent of alcohol emanated from his breath. He opened the door to Katie’s room and burst inside, calling out her name in exaggerated sobs. Isla stopped in the doorway and watched with dismay as he fell to his knees and cupped Katie’s hands in his own. Karl pulled up beside her and stood watching this sad scene. Isla felt for the poor boy. He was an unsophisticated townie with simple needs who wanted to marry and have kids, and he knew that Katie had been slowly slipping away from him.
A nurse rushed in and saw what was happening, saw the size and temperament of Drew, and called security. Less than a minute later, two uniformed officers stormed inside Katie’s room. They stopped for a second