Inwardly Joel groaned. He had hoped, rather foolishly, that Piper would turn down the chief"s challenge, but he should have known better. Not only was her son involved, but she felt a sense of moral obligation, and he"d witnessed this before.
As for himself, although he was under no obligation to help the chief of police, Joel resigned himself to working on the case. The chief had been supportive of him since he moved to Pelican Harbor. Plus, there was the added fact that he was a good friend of his stepfather, often playing bridge with him and Piper"s mothers. Making any of those three unhappy could seriously put a crimp in his lifestyle. Besides, if Piper was determined to get involved in this, he wanted to be there to have her back. She had great intentions, but more times than not, sh
