Becoming Forever (Waking Forever Series) (10 page)

Ela took the card, and traced the edges with her index finger. “Not to worry Ash, like I said, always glad to help the men
, and especially the women, in blue.”

Ash nodded, and opened the driver’s door
. She knew she should take the high road and simply drive away, but this woman had irritated her a couple different ways. Ash decided the high road was overrated. “Ms. Jacobs, I’m picking up a faint European accent when you speak. Polish, maybe?”

Ash slid into the leather driver’s seat. “Regardless, you should know that in this country, and particularly in the South, we don’t use people’s first names or nicknames unless they give us permission.”

Then Ash looked pointedly at Ela’s dress. “And generally, it’s a sign of good taste, breeding and respect to wear black to a funeral.”

Before Ela could respond, Ash shut the car door, and started the Jeep’s engine. When she finally decided to look up, Ela was gone. Ash peered around the
cemetery, but the woman in red was nowhere to be found. Ash wondered if the woman had any idea how suspicious her actions made her seem, and more to the point, if she cared.

Ash pulled out of the cemetery parking lot, and took several deep breaths. In spite of what she was confident
had been a calm exterior demeanor, Ash had been sweating and her heart racing through most of the awkward interview. In spite of being beautiful, Ela Jacobs had rubbed Ash the wrong way, and she was convinced, now more than ever, the strange woman was involved in Paul Garrett’s death.

Chapter 5

“Are we doomed to continue this on-again-off-again relationship?” Alan put his menu down as Ash approached their booth at Sushi Zushi, a
contemporary sushi restaurant in town.

Ash slid into the black
leather booth across from Alan. She was happy for the distraction her friend offered after what had been a stressful week. Ela Jacobs had been at a Spurs game the night Paul Garrett was murdered, having parted ways with the victim earlier that evening. Several fellow fans had vouched for her.

The timeline was tight, but she would have had to traverse nearly the entire city
scape in less than fifteen minutes to arrive at Paul’s apartment, according to the timeline the Medical Examiner’s Office had provided.

To further add to her stress, the Garrett crime scene just kept getting stranger by the day. The final M.E. report was released, and it didn’t shed any new light on the situation.

Ash had read and re-read the file trying to understand how a fit, healthy man in his mid-thirties had been restrained by a single individual without fiber evidence of ropes, or ligature marks from leather or metal restraints. Not to mention the enormous strength it would take to crush every bone in Paul Garrett’s torso. The fibrinolytic enzyme found around the bite marks that nearly covered all of Paul’s body only added to the disconnects that seemed to comprise the case.

Ash sighed as she looked across the table at her friend.
“Calm down, you’re not well. It’s only been a week.”

Alan put his hand over his chest and looked shocked. “I’m hurt.”

Ash picked up her menu, and began flipping through it without looking at Alan. “I hadn’t thought that possible.” Alan laid his menu down, and grasping his hands in front of him on the table, stared at Ash.

Ash glanced up at her friend, and then down at his hands. “Are
you praying?”

“No!” Alan pulled his hands off the table. “Don’t even joke about that.”

The waiter arrived, and Ash ordered water without lemon. As counterintuitive as it was, the citrus and raw fish never tasted right to her.

“And can I get an order of
edamame too, please?” The waiter nodded and left Ash alone with the incensed Alan. “What?” Ash put her menu down.

“How much do you love me?” Alan smirked.

“More than I have words for.” Ash saw a glint in Alan’s eyes that made her uneasy. “Why?”

Alan took a sip of his martini and cleared his throat. “Well, dear friend of mine, I have found you a date.”

Ash sighed. “I hadn’t realized I was on the lookout for one.”

“Always.” Alan took an olive from his cocktail and popped it in his mouth. “Or at least you should be.”

The waiter came back with Ash’s water and steamed edamame. “Are y’all ready to order?”

Alan looked up at the man. “Can you give us a few more minutes please?” Winking at the man, Alan then turned his attentions back to Ash
, who was trying desperately to see how low in her seat she could sink. “Ah, ah, ah. Sit up, and be prepared to be amazed at my thoughtfulness and ingenuity.”

Ash pushed herself back up in the booth. “And don’t forget your humility.”

“That’s assumed.” Alan quipped. Clapping his hands together, Alan grinned broadly. “I have a new client who spent thousands of dollars with me, and - wait for it - she has a friend of your persuasion that she and I think would be just perfect for you.”

Ash felt physically ill, and took a long drink of her water. “Alan, let me see if I have this straight -”

Alan laughed. “Pun intended?”

Ash frowned the churning in her stomach getting worse. “What? Oh, the straight part? Ha - yea
h, so you think I would be perfect for this woman you’ve never met, who was recommended by a client I’ve never met?”

Alan rolled his eyes. “Yes. This is how great romances start. You and
I sitting in a restaurant, and you’re convinced I’ve done you some terrible injustice, and then boom, the love of your life enters stage left.”

Ash grimaced. She had to admit her social l
ife had been lacking lately, and she knew Alan had nothing but the best intentions. Still, the idea of making small talk with a complete stranger was not high on her list of to-dos. “I really don’t want to do this, Al.”

Alan shook his head. “Maybe
not, but you
need
to do this, Ash. When was the last time you went out on a date?”

Ash
chewed on her lower lip. “Longer than I care to admit.”

“Then it’s settled. My client is giving her friend your phone number, and I am giving you her friend’s number, and presto - match made in heaven.”

Ash continued to chew on her lower lip. “Fine. What’s her name?”

Alan leaned in as if he was about to impart a state secret to Ash. “Lara, and it’s spelled L-A-R-A because she’s from Mexico and exotic.”

Ash laughed. “Alan, I hope that wasn’t your client’s line, because you got scammed, my friend. Mexico is not Spain, and parts of the country are downright third world.”

Alan huffed. “Christ
, Ash, I’m not an imbecile. I know the difference between a country in Western Europe and a country in North America. Lara is from interior Mexico. Somewhere near Mexico City.”

Ash held up her hands in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. Of course you know the difference.” Ash looked around for the waiter. “I’m hungry, where did the waiter go?”

Alan slid a piece of paper across the table toward Ash. “No subject changes. Here’s her number. Go forth and be gay together.”

Ash pulled the paper toward her, and without looking
, folded it and put it in her pant pocket. Alan had always approached dating like Christmas morning, full of possibilities, merriment and wonder.

Ash also compared dating to Christmas morning.
The people involved were the presents being offered to each other. They opened each other up, only to find they were not the anticipated gift. And if you were unfortunate enough to be going through the gift exchange on a blind date, you still had to smile in spite of the disappointment.

***

It was nearly six in the evening when Ash pulled into the parking lot of the Blue Star Arts Complex in the King William District of San Antonio. The development was adjacent to the San Antonio River, and consisted of renovated historic warehouse buildings. It offered an eclectic blend of arts-oriented galleries, urban style loft and studio apartments, restaurants and bars.

Lara Ramirez
and she had exchanged a few text messages over the past two days, and had decided to meet at Bar 1919 for drinks. Ash had discovered the speakeasy style bar by accident when she had been at the complex with her sister-in-law Katy for a photography exhibit. The bar was small and not too noisy, which allowed for conversation.

Walking down the non-descript
concrete stairs, and through the unmarked metal door of 1919, Ash blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit interior of the bar. The wood flooring, booths and bar itself were all dark stained oak. Looking around, Ash saw a woman sitting in a corner booth across from the bar. Based on their text exchanges, she assumed this was Lara, who had said she would be wearing a red silk scarf and a gray V-neck sweater.

If there was any doubt in Ash’s mind she would be attracted to the woman, it was immediately put to rest. Lara was in her early thirties, with long brown hair that had a luster and framed her defined angular features and perfectly proportioned lips. As she looked up, Ash’s breath caught. Lara’s eyes were nearly clear and, in the dim light of the bar, seemed to glow.

“Ash?” Lara slid out of the booth, a smile on her face.
She wore a pair of denim Lucky Brand jeans tucked into black Steve Madden riding boots. This complimented her sweater and scarf, and accentuated her height which was close to Ash’s.

“Lara.” Ash extended her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Absolutely.” Lara took Ash’s hand. “I’m glad we were able to get our schedules to work.”

Ash no
ticed Lara’s hand was incredibly warm, verging on hot, and she reprimanded herself silently for allowing her mind to associate that with Emma Atman’s cool hands. “Me too.”

The two women slid into the booth, and
Ash enjoyed the earthy scent of Lara as the size of the booth forced them into proximity of one another. “So what are you drinking?”

Ash knew
Matt the bartender from her previous visits, and looked to see that he was on shift. “I usually leave it up to Matt. He’s a great bartender, and basically you can tell him what you like and he creates something delicious.”

Lara nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll defer to you and Matt then. Anything with vodka is okay with me.”

Ash smiled and slid out of the booth. “I’ll be right back.” Ash waved Lara off when she attempted to hand Ash a twenty dollar bill. “First round is on me, you can catch the second.” Ash winked as she walked toward the bar.

“Hi Ash. How’ve you been?” Matt
stepped around a bartender Ash didn’t recognize as he greeted her.

“Can’
t complain.” Ash leaned on the bar and looked over at Lara who was typing quickly on her phone. Ash hoped she wasn’t one of those people who couldn’t put the phone down. Ash’s mind began to spin, imagining Lara was telling her strategically stationed friend in the bar to be ready with a call that would provide her with an excuse to leave the crappy blind date.

“What will it be?” Matt broke into Ash’s paranoid musings.

“I’ll have an Appleton and coke, please. My friend said anything with vodka is fine by her.” Ash nodded toward Lara.

Matt’s eyebrows shot up as he looked at Lara
. Ash knew that look. It was the same look she assumed was on her face when she first saw Lara. Something akin to lust and hope. “How about a Vodka Collins. A Tom Collins with vodka instead of gin?”

Ash nodded, and put her credit card on the bar. “Just open a tab
, please.” Matt pulled the credit card off the bar, swiped it on the adjacent card reader, and handed it back to Ash. Within a minute, Ash was walking back to the table with two drinks in hand.

“You
ended up with a Vodka Collins, which is a Tom Collins with your liquor of choice instead of gin.” Ash set the glasses on the table, and then slid into the booth next to Lara. She was relieved to see the phone had been put away.

Lara lifted the cocktail to her lips, and before drinking took a deep breath through her nose.
“Mmm, lemon.” She looked at Ash’s drink. “What did you get?”

Ash took a sip of her rum and coke. “Appleton rum and coke. I’m usually a beer person, but this place makes me want to branch out.”

Lara smiled. “I feel that way about restaurants. Especially the ones with seasonal menus; so you can try new and fresh items.”

Ash nodded. “Any places in San Antonio you enjoy?”

Lara took a drink of the cocktail. “Feast. Which is actually not too far from here.”

Ash knew the restaurant. They specialized in tapas style plates that were a twist on American comfort food. “I know it. Haven’t been, but my brother and his wife went there last year for their anniversary and said it was great.”

Ash couldn’t help but stare at Lara’s eyes. She knew there were parts of Mexico where people looked Caucasian, and frequently had blonde hair and blue eyes. She had not seen anyone with dark skin and hair with the piercing light blue eyes Lara had. They reminded Ash of the Caribbean Ocean.

“You have siblings then?” Lara asked.