A Deadly Row (14 page)

“It’s nothing, but I realized that I’m starting to get older, and there are a few things that need to be settled now.”

“Is it serious?”

“I just told you, it’s nothing. But every now and then, a man has to take stock of his life, and there are a few things I need to get off my chest.” He sighed deeply, and then added, “I’m probably just being a silly old fool. Forget I said anything.”

“Honestly, I was thinking about driving over to see you sometime soon. We’re in Charlotte right now.”

“You didn’t move back there, did you? I love your place in Parson’s Valley. It suits you, Savannah.”

“Don’t worry, we’re just visiting. Actually, Zach’s working on a case.”

“He’s still freelancing, is he? They just can’t seem to let him go.”

“What can I say, my husband’s good at what he does.” I glanced at the clock. It was just after seven, and though the shower had helped some, I was still tired from my mental exercises all day, but I couldn’t let that stop me. “Let me get dressed, and I can be there in an hour and a half.”

“Hang on, I didn’t mean you had to come tonight.”

“I don’t mind. Honestly. You’re not going to bed anytime soon, are you?”

He chuckled. “I don’t sleep much more than six or seven hours a night. I put it off as long as I can, usually.”

“Then I’m coming right now,” I said.

“Take it easy. There’s no hurry.”

“It will be fun,” I said when there was a knock on the door. I’d forgotten all about my dinner. “Hang on one second.”

I opened the door without quizzing the hotel employee as Zach had done, and I was certain he would have disapproved, but I found it awkward to do. The same man who’d delivered food to us the night before smiled briefly as I let him in, and after he was gone, I returned to the phone. “Sorry about that.”

“Is Zach there? Do you need to go?”

“No, it was just room service,” I admitted.

“Then eat your dinner, and get some rest. It would be foolish to drive up here at night.”

“It’s summer; the sun won’t go down until after I get there.”

“But then you’d have to drive back in the dark, wouldn’t you?”

I laughed. “Okay, you got me. But I’m coming up first thing in the morning. I’ll leave early enough so we can have breakfast together.”

Uncle Thomas laughed. “Then you’d better head out by four thirty, because I always eat at six.”

That was too early for my tastes, by at least an hour. “Why don’t we make it lunch, then?”

“I eat at eleven,” he said. “But I can push it back an hour for you.”

“Don’t be silly, eleven sounds fine. I’ll try to get there earlier so we can hang out a little. And Uncle Thomas?”

“Yes, Savannah?”

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Not a thing that can’t be fixed. I’ll see you tomorrow, child.”

“Bye.”

As I ate my dinner—a chicken taco salad this time—I wondered what had brought on the need for Uncle Thomas to see me. He was normally a loner, quite content to be left alone, even by those of us who loved him. For him to make a concerted effort to see me had me more than a little worried. I knew there was no use fretting over it tonight, so I tried to get my mind off it. I briefly considered getting back to the puzzle of the number and letter sequences that I was working on for Zach, but the futility of that was too depressing. If I weren’t so tired after I finished eating, I could jump on tomorrow’s submission, but puzzles were the last thing on my mind at the moment.

Zach came in half an hour after I’d finished my meal.

“You look wiped out,” I said.

“I’m not used to this grind,” he admitted. “Sometimes I forget just how hard I used to work.”

As he rubbed his chest, I asked, “Is your scar hurting?”

“Truthfully, I think it’s all in my head.”

I hugged him. “Zach, I saw you on that hospital bed with bandages on your chest and tubes coming out of you. It wasn’t your imagination.”

“You know what I mean.” He looked over at the cart I’d been too tired to shove out the door. “What did you eat?”

“Chicken taco salad,” I answered. “Would you like me to order you something for dinner?”

“I’m too beat to care about eating right now. I think I’ll just grab a shower and go to bed.”

“I’m going to see Uncle Thomas tomorrow,” I blurted out.

“I know I’m not paying enough attention to you, but you don’t have to take off on me.”

“He’s been trying to call me for two days. He wants to see me, and for him, it sounds urgent.”

“Is there anything wrong?” Zach and Uncle Thomas got along incredibly well, and there were times when the three of us were together that
I
felt like the third wheel.

“He went to the doctor, but he swears there’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Then why the sudden urge for company? Should we go right now? I’m game if you are.”

I kissed him, and then I said, “Thanks for offering, but we’re both exhausted. I’m going to see him at lunch tomorrow, if you can spare me.”

Zach frowned, and then he said, “I could probably get away, too.”

“That’s crazy, and we both know it. I don’t need to stay here, but you do. You’ve got a case you have to work on.”

“Family comes first,” Zach said resolutely.

“I love you for saying it, but we both know what our priorities are. I won’t be gone long. You won’t even have a chance to miss me.”

“There you’re wrong,” he said as he hugged me tightly. “Now, if you’re sure you don’t want to go tonight, I’m going to hit the shower.”

“Go,” I said.

After I heard the water running, I ordered him a dinner of stir-fried beef tips, despite his earlier protest that he was too tired to eat. Once Zach smelled the food, I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist it any more than I could say no to a chocolate cupcake.

When the food arrived, he was still in the shower, and I was about to go get him when he came out wearing a robe.

“What smells so good?”

“Room service,” I answered.

“Savannah, I told you that I wasn’t hungry.”

“Then don’t eat it. I might peck at it a little myself, if you’re sure you aren’t going to have any.” I was full from my salad, so at least for the moment, I was bluffing.

Zach walked over and lifted off the lid. “Stir fry. That looks great. Maybe I’ll have a bite or two after all.”

He took the plate, along with a bottled water on ice, and moved to the window. “Care to join me?”

“Sure thing,” I said as I took a seat.

As Zach ate, he nodded a few times, but conversation was kept at a minimum. When he finished, I saw him looking longingly back at the cart. “Wasn’t there enough for you?” I asked.

“I was just thinking some dessert might be nice.”

I laughed. “I thought you were too tired to eat.”

“What can I say; I just got my second wind.”

“If you’re serious, we could always order something else.”

He clearly thought about it for a few seconds, then said, “No, I’d better not. You can if you want to, though.”

“Maybe later. Were you able to make any more progress after I left?”

“Nothing worth talking about. I need to let things percolate a little right now.”

“In other words, you don’t want to discuss it.”

“If you don’t mind,” Zach said a little apologetically. “You know how I get.”

“Better than anyone else in the world. We could watch a movie, or some television, if you’d like.”

“To be honest with you, I’d rather just sit here and watch night fall on Charlotte. We’re never going to get a view like this again, and I want to memorize it as much as I can.”

“I think that sounds perfect.”

As we sat there in relative silence, I marveled at how lucky I’d been to find someone who matched me so well. There were no awkward silences between us, or words spoken just to fill the emptiness. Zach and I were in sync enough to let those quiet times envelop us, and to enjoy the lack of chatter like the gift that it was. When we went to sleep later that night, I felt as though my center was calm again, just as it had been in Parson’s Valley. It was my new home, and I loved it, but wherever Zach was, that was truly where I belonged, and everything else was just a matter of geography.

 

WHEN I WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING, THE BED WAS
empty. I started searching for a note or something from my husband when I realized that I’d forgotten all about my scheduled breakfast with Lorna. It was too early to call her, so I’d have to phone her from the road. I’d been looking forward to seeing her again, but if I waited to leave until after we had breakfast and chatted a little, it would cost me too much time. I was sure she’d understand, and if she was free, I’d have to try to reschedule for the next day.

I found Zach in the shower when I walked into the bathroom.

“I thought you’d already be gone,” I said.

“Hey, it’s only seven.”

“I know, but you get obsessed when you’re working, and don’t try to deny it.”

“I went for a run,” Zach admitted. “You know how sometimes it helps clear my head.”

As the shower stopped and I handed him a towel, I asked, “Did you have nightmares again?” When my husband was wrapped up in a case, he often had bad dreams from trying to put himself into a killer’s mind. It was no wonder he reacted that way, though he didn’t want anyone else to know that he wasn’t always the calm, levelheaded guy he presented to the world.

“Yeah, they were pretty tough.” He frowned for a second, then said, “You’ve got a big day today. Breakfast with Lorna, and then a drive to Hickory.”

“I’m canceling breakfast,” I said as I took over the shower. “From the sound of Uncle Thomas’s voice, I’m not delaying my visit by an hour.”

“Are you afraid he’s not telling you everything?”

“He’s a man,” I said. “Most of you seem to be reticent by nature when it comes to talking about your health. I’m amazed he even went to the doctor in the first place. That alone tells me it must be serious.”

“We think we’re bulletproof most of the time,” Zach admitted. “When we’re not, we try to deny it until we can’t.”

“I don’t get you,” I said.

There was no response.

“Zach? Did you hear me?”

From the bedroom, I heard him ask, “Were you talking to me?”

“No, but you could tell me when you leave the room.”

He chuckled. “Sure I could, but what fun would that be?”

I stepped out of the shower, and my husband handed me a towel in turn. “I could get used to this.”

“What, fresh towel service every morning?”

“Sure, that, too, but I mean you handing me a towel every day when I get out of the shower.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he said. In the short time I’d been in the shower, my husband had dressed, combed his hair, and was ready for work. He gave me a quick kiss, and then said, “Say hello to Tom for me.”

“I will. Zach, while I’m gone, you be careful, do you hear me?”

“Savannah, what trouble will I be able to get into when I’m locked up in that command center? I’m safer than the mayor up there.”

“Speaking of Grady, are you going to talk to him again today?”

“Why, because our last chat went so well? No, I’m probably not going to brace him again until I have something a little more substantial to say.”

As I dried my hair, I asked, “Do you think you’ll find something on him?”

“You can bet that if it’s there, I’ll find it,” he said.

“I know you will. Not that I’m not flattered, but shouldn’t you be going to work now?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No way. I just don’t want to keep you from your investigation.”

“It will wait a little bit.”

There was a knock at the door, and I asked my husband, “Were you expecting someone?”

“I called room service while you were in the shower,” he said with a grin. “I thought we could have a quick bite together before you go. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea. Give me a second and I’ll join you.”

I got dressed quickly, and then met Zach out in the living room of the suite. Dining in front of that spectacular view was quickly becoming a habit for me, and I knew I’d miss it once we were back in Parson’s Valley.

“Wow, this is really nice.”

“Hey, nothing but the best for my wife,” Zach said.

“Especially when we’re not footing the bill. I hate to admit it, but I feel a little guilty about all of this.”

As we started to eat, Zach shrugged. “I never could have accepted any of this if I was still on the force, but as a consultant, I don’t have any problem with it.”

That surprised me. “You honestly don’t mind?”

“Savannah, this man lost someone he cared about. It’s helping him knowing that he’s making my life easier so I can focus on finding the killer. If it’s a good thing for him, and it doesn’t cost me anything, why shouldn’t I accept his generous offer?”

“It sounds good to me. Do you have any new leads for today?”

“I’ve got a couple of angles I want to check out,” he said.

“Go on, I’m listening.”

“You know I can’t talk about my thought process,” he said.

“I was just wondering if that changed, too.”

“Not a chance.”

I smiled at him. “Just checking.”

He took a bite of toast, and then said, “Davis wants a progress report first thing this morning, but I don’t know what I’m going to tell him. Maybe I need to pop in on Grady after all and see if I can catch him off guard. I don’t know; I’m not sure what I’m going to do just yet.”

I pushed my plate away, too full to finish the omelet my husband had ordered for me. “That was great. Are you ready to go?”

“Are you rushing me?”

“No, stay as long as you like, but I need to get on the road.”