Free Against the Tide by Melody Carlson

“And in that case, doesn’t it seem unlikely that my dad’s death resulted from natural causes? Or was even accidental?”
    â€œI’m waiting for the coroner’s report.”
    â€œI respect that. But don’t you think that time is of the essence?”
    â€œTime is always of the essence.” His tone sounded slightly defensive, which she found aggravating.
    â€œAren’t you curious as to why someone would break into my dad’s office last night, the day after his death? And then someone breaks into his house, as well? Isn’t that more than just a coincidence?” she demanded.
    â€œThat’s what I plan to find out.”
    â€œAnd his Jeep, too,” she added. “What are these people looking for, anyway?”
    â€œWhat’s this about his Jeep?” Detective Greene looked up from his iPad.
    â€œMy dad’s Jeep was broken into, as well. Garret just discovered it early this morning. He called Lieutenant Conrad about it.” She explained about their predawn awakening. “Rocky heard someone out there. And when Garret went out to investigate, he felt certain the intruder had just been there.”
    â€œNo one told me about that.”
    â€œFrom what I can see, that’s four crimes. Five counting my dad’s death. This is a big case, Detective. I hope you’re taking it seriously.”
    â€œOf course I’m taking it seriously.” He frowned. “Are you questioning me?”
    She tried not to take offense at what seemed a rude reaction. “Well, I have to admit you seem rather young to be a detective.”
    He sat up straighter. “I have a masters in forensic science from a highly reputable university. Graduated top of my class. Be assured, Miss McCallister, I know what I’m doing.”
    â€œGood,” she said nervously. “Glad to hear it. The truth is I’m feeling pretty scared right now. I grew up in Cape Perpetua. I’m not used to feeling unsafe in this town. I mean, it was never like this before.”
    â€œWell, things change. I’ve only been here a few months, but from what I hear, Cape Perpetua is evolving into a real tourist town. It’s not unusual for crime to follow growth.” He stood up. “And since this is Memorial Day weekend, the town is busier than usual. It’s not surprising that there are some rowdies acting up. We’ve already had twice as many calls this year than the previous Memorial Day weekend. And it’s only Saturday.”
    Megan felt indignant, wanting to point out that most of those calls had probably been related to her dad and herself. “Certainly, you’re not suggesting these recent incidents are the result of tourists behaving badly?”
    â€œI’m sorry to say that discharging firearms from fishing boats, although illegal, isn’t highly unusual on a holiday weekend in a small fishing town. Just ask the coast guard.”
    â€œYes, but—”
    â€œIf you’ll excuse me, Miss McCallister, I’d like to question Mr. Larsson now.”
    She nodded. “Don’t let me keep you.”
    As he left, she felt irritated. She didn’t know what she’d expected him to do—or how to react. But his casual attitude about this case was truly aggravating. As she stood up, she suspected that she’d offended him by questioning his age and inexperience. But she’d only wanted some reassurance—some encouragement that he was taking this thing seriously. Was that too much to ask?
    She went over to the front window, watching as Detective Greene waved to Garret. Several uniformed officers were still out there, but mostly they seemed to be standing around, admiring the boats. Why weren’t they looking for something? Or someone? Was no one taking this seriously?
    At the same time she knew that there probably wasn’t much to investigate out there. The shooting had occurred from the river. It