The sheriff’s department had erected more of those sheet walls to prevent onlookers from viewing the scene on the store’s front porch, but I couldn’t help but imagine the sight. A mixture of what I’d seen a few weeks ago and the worst my brain could conjure. I shivered, and Brody wrapped an arm around me.

“Me, too,” Griffin gritted out.

Caelyn gave a little tug on the hem of his shirt. “I’m okay. No need for a grumpy giant.”

He scowled down at her but soothed the expression with a gentle kiss. “I’m not grumpy.”

“Just very scowly,” she said with a small smile.

The interaction had me taking my first deep breath since Brody had told me what’d happened. Caelyn would be okay. The next few weeks would be hard, but the images in her mind would eventually soften and fade. She wouldn’t be traumatized forever.

“What have you guys heard?” Brody asked.

Griffin looked away from Caelyn, even though it seemed to be a battle. “Not a whole hell of a lot. Sam was brought in for questioning yesterday, but they didn’t make an arrest. No word on whether they’re doing that now or not.”

“It seems like a pretty ballsy move to kill someone the same day you were brought in for questioning,” Bell said, looking towards the store. “Do you really think he’d do that?”

I doubted any of us knew for sure. The only thing I was certain of was that Sam had a darkness to him. One so similar to Michael’s, I wanted to stay as far away from it as humanly possible.

Caelyn burrowed deeper into Griffin’s hold. “I wouldn’t have thought anyone on this island was capable of what I saw today.”

“Could be an outsider,” Griffin offered. “Tourists aren’t out of the norm, even this early in the season. It wouldn’t be hard for someone to slip in and out. And plenty of folks do long-term rentals for the spring and summer.”

God, I hoped Parker and his deputies caught whoever was doing this before months passed and who knew how many lives were lost. Just as the thought passed through my mind, Parker strode from behind the curtained wall and headed towards our group. He donned that impassive mask of professionalism, but Michael had taught me how to see what was just below the surface so I could try to predict when he might lash out. I could see hints of anger, frustration, and grief beneath Parker’s blank expression. I wasn’t a big hugger, but I had the sudden urge to wrap my arms around the man and tell him that everything would be okay.

He nodded to Brody and me as he approached. “Thanks for coming over. It saves me a trip.”

“Of course,” I answered.

“Is it the same?” Brody asked, not wasting a second.