The reasons for Connor to dislike the guy kept piling up.

Sylvia and Maddie took the other chairs and Ben and Connor stood by the door. Connor thought it might be good to be this close to the exit. He didn’t see a reason to be trapped in here any longer than necessary.

“We have notes without fingerprints.” Ben took over the conversation after the initial passing out of water and coffee. Liquor and pie would need to wait. “Threats that might link back to the dead PI, but why would he leave them for Maddie? What does a PI gain from that sort of behavior?”

“He could be working for someone else,” Evan said. “Completely unrelated. It’s possible we’re jumping to conclusions.”

Ben shrugged. “Possible but not likely.”

Maddie had turned her chair around so she could face everyone in the room. Up until that point she’d been busy staring into her coffee cup, but at Ben’s comment she perked up. “There is no way the PI on an assignment thousands of miles away from home—a home where I once lived—just happens to pick this island where I’m hiding out. That coincidence is too much to believe.”

“Agreed. That’s why I’ve made a request for a review of his client files and computer.” Ben talked in clipped sentences, fully back in command and clearly not ceding the floor to Evan. “Tomorrow I’ll start a search of the island to figure out where he was staying before he was killed and see if we can find anything to direct us there.”

“I can do that,” Evan said, as if anyone asked him to step up.

Connor shook his head. “You’re out of your jurisdiction.”

“Maddie is my responsibility,” Evan shot back.

“Okay, let’s stop this.” Maddie raised her hand. “And, Evan? Not anymore.”

Evan ignored her comment and kept his attention on Connor. He sat back in the big chair. Lounged there, looking like he was running a meeting. “Are we in the middle of a turf war?”

Because that’s probably how the guy saw this, as some sort of battle. “My only goal is to keep her safe.”

He was trying to prove another point. He wasn’t even sure what it was but he hated the idea of letting Evan win at anything.

Evan folded his hands over his stomach. “And your qualifications to guard her are what?”

“That’s enough. Evan does have the expertise. No one is debating that.” Ben made the point, then winced as if to apologize after the fact.

Maddie sighed at him. “You’re not helping.”

“I want you safe.” Evan delivered the comment as if it was news. “I’m not going to dick around, feeding your boyfriend’s ego at your expense.”

Fuck this guy. “You being the only competent male on the planet.”