The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor(43)

“Hard to function when your blood’s eighty proof,” Jake said. “Sorry.”

Luke shrugged. “Why? It’s the truth. My old man could barely hold a conversation let alone operate a motor vehicle when he’d been drinking.”

“Is Ozzy spending the night in the office?” Jake asked, sidestepping Luke’s inadvertent trip down a not-so-welcome memory lane.

“He and Fletch switch off about midnight.” Luke had offered to take one of the shifts, but both Ozzy and Fletch had insisted he go home. A knock on the head had been eventful enough without adding babysitter to the hostile drunk in cell three to the crapper of a week. Luke watched Holly refill coffee cups and talk with her customers. It hadn’t all been crap. “Besides—” Luke cleared his throat “—Ozzy’s still working on downloading the surveillance footage from our security system.”

“Since when does the station need a security system?” Holly deposited a plate of ham, eggs and fried potatoes, along with a homemade biscuit the size of Luke’s head, in front of her father.

“Since someone started breaking in and messing with things. We’re already on our third coffeemaker in three weeks. Didn’t even have time to name the second one.” He forced a serious frown in case Simon was watching. “Someone shorted out the power the other morning. Blew two printers, too. And that was after having to replace the locks on the front door.” Luke dodged the details as effortlessly as he danced around detonators.

“That’s despicable,” Holly muttered. Luke skimmed his gaze over to Simon, who had ducked his head as if his twisting hands had become utterly fascinating.

“Security system at the police station,” Jake muttered. “Never thought I’d see the day. Whoever did it should be ashamed of themselves.”

“Did they take anything?” Holly asked, but Luke didn’t get a chance to answer as Paige banged her spatula on the pickup bell. “Hold that thought.”

Luke felt his face flush when Jake caught him watching Holly walk away. “What?”

Jake grinned and shook his head. “Not a thing. Good biscuits this morning, Holl. You make them?”

“Paige wanted to take a crack at them. Don’t tell Ursula, whatever you do,” she said as she set a sizzling platter in front of Luke. “I guess you’re a guinea pig this morning. Paige is calling this the kitchen-sink plate.”

Luke’s stomach growled at the promise of scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, potatoes and bacon piled together and topped with enough cheese to clog the healthiest of arteries. “Is this for one or for one table?” At least he spotted the sprinkling of onions and peppers somewhere in the mix. Vegetables made it healthy, right?

“That’s what take-out boxes are for. How’s your head?”

“Still attached. Thanks for asking.” Luke wasn’t sure what unnerved him more. A teasing, friendly and public conversation with Holly or this monstrosity of a breakfast Cash would have lost his mind over. As it was, his dog was probably happily gobbling up some of the doughnuts Luke had dropped off at the station before hoofing it over to the diner to meet Jake. At least that was what he’d heard Fletch promise when Luke left Cash with his deputies.

“So this security system?” Holly nudged her father over and sat beside him, setting the full coffeepot on the table before crossing her legs. “State-of-the-art?”

Luke flittered his gaze to Jake, who gave an imperceptible shrug of silent approval.

“As state-of-the-art as the budget will allow. Assuming the power doesn’t go out, of course. One flip of the breaker box and the building is back to being made of cardboard for all the security it provides. But it’s better than nothing. I won’t get a chance to look over the footage from the past couple of nights until tomorrow, but we should know soon who installed the malware in my computer.”

Simon had picked up one of his colored pencils and was scribbling madly in his notebook.

Holly frowned, looking uneasily between her father and Luke. “Sounds as if the two of you have been commiserating about this for some time.”

“Nobody messes with my station or my boys,” Jake said in a loud enough voice that Luke’s ears rang. “I picked all of them, Luke included. I’ve already given Luke my full support when it comes to filing charges against whoever is responsible for the vandalism. Could put them away for a long time depending on past behavior. If there’s one thing we won’t tolerate in Butterfly Harbor or in the station, it’s disrespect.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like saying hear, hear?” Holly patted her father’s hand. “Glad the two of you are working together.” The bell above the door jingled and Holly sighed. “There’s my cue. Enjoy your breakfast. Dad, you coming for dinner tonight?”