I walked out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen. My hands shook with emotion. Garrett had never used an angry tone with me. I shooed Fluffy off the counter and was pouring myself a glass of juice that I really didn’t even want while I listened to Garrett slam drawers in his office. After a few minutes, he came into the kitchen. He walked to the side door and dropped his duffel bag there. I was leaning a hip casually against the counter and sipping my juice. He walked over to me and pulled me close.
“I’m sorry.” He bent and exhaled against my neck as he hugged me hard. “I love you. Please just give me a few days to get this sorted and then you and I will go away. Maybe we’ll go back to that beach house on the Oregon coast and we’ll do nothing but eat...” He kissed my neck. “And stay in bed all day long.”
“I’d like that.” I felt the tension melt between us. “I love you too.”
He kissed me on the mouth long and slow until I wished I could drag him back to the bedroom where we could obliterate all the tension between us. Then he pulled his lips from mine and I could tell by the reluctant look on his face that he really didn’t want to go. I tenderly touched the swelling on his cheek and lightly traced the gray that was spreading at his temples. He leaned in and kissed me again before he stepped away.
“Gotta go.” He reached into his pocket and held up his new phone as he shoved his feet into his shoes. “I’ve got a new number since the old one may have been compromised. I’ll text you so that you have it.”
“Okay.” I followed him to the door. “Be safe.”
“Always.” He offered me a crooked smile over his shoulder as he headed out the door.
Watching his car pull out of the driveway, I realized he hadn’t said a word in reaction to my finding the body of Maryanne. Usually he’d ask questions surrounding my own feelings in a situation like that but, today, he was wrapped up with what was happening with Sid.
His old family.
That thought slipped into my head, quickly followed by an urge to have a drink.
Just keep busy.
Wookie was at the patio doors, growling deep in his throat. The workers were hauling away the fence boards that were torn down. The men glanced over at me and one waved as I closed the blinds to block Wookie’s view.
I rubbed the dog’s head. “How about a run?”
I snapped the leash on his collar and headed out the door. Preston was out in his front drive, talking to the fence guys loading up the old boards. They both glanced my way as I took off with Wookie at a dead run in the opposite direction.
Garrett told me when we moved in that I didn’t need to be friends with the neighbors, I just needed to be polite. In that moment I’d reminded him about the first time we met. He came to my small trailer on my grandparents’ farm, and I pointed a shotgun at him and only allowed him inside once he said the purpose of his business as a federal agent. So being neighborly wasn’t my strong suit.
When we returned from our run, both of us panting from the exertion, there was no avoiding our neighbors, who were sitting on the front stoop scrolling through their phones. Today’s board shorts were turquoise for Phil and yellow for Preston, who was also wearing the same faded yellow T-shirt with the broken lightning bolt logo. Wookie happily lumbered over to him and betrayed me by licking Phil’s hand enthusiastically.
“He doesn’t usually take to strangers,” I said, still trying to catch my breath as I walked over.
“He has a way with dogs.” Preston hooked his thumb to indicate his partner.
Phil sheepishly pulled a dog treat from his front pocket. “It’s bribery.” He handed the snack to Wookie, who snarfed the kibble in one loud chomp. “I speak dog.”
That made me laugh in spite of myself and I called Wookie over and we headed back inside our house. I hadn’t even kicked off my runners yet when Preston was at my door. I cursed under my breath before I answered it.
“Phil sent me over here to borrow two eggs.”
“Eggs?” I blinked at him for a second as if this was a foreign word, then nodded in embarrassment. “If we have eggs, they’re yours. Garrett does most of the grocery shopping and most of the cooking too. When left on my own, I usually have soup or popcorn.”
Sheesh, he didn’t need to know that.
I headed to the kitchen and Preston waited for me inside the front door, patting Wookie’s head. The dog was snuffling his pocket, hoping he also had treats in his pockets.
“Do you use your alarm?” He pointed to the alarm panel.
“All the time,” I said. “Garrett loses his mind if I don’t.”
“I keep telling Phil we should use our alarm all the time, but he only ever remembers to set it at night before we go to bed. Break-ins happen during the day too.” When I didn’t reply he babbled on. “I love that your house is still all original.”
And now he wanted to make small talk. Another thing I wasn’t very good at. I glanced over at him to see if he was sincere in his compliment about keeping the house original or if it was a dig. The house was still vintage because Garrett hadn’t had the time and I didn’t have the energy or desire to make a change. I shoved things around inside the fridge until I finally found the carton of eggs.
“At our old house we started off with one renovation and that snowballed until, before you knew it, the entire house from floor to ceiling had been replaced. By the time we were done, there was only one original light fixture and everything else had gone modern. Sucked the character out of the house, you know?”
By now I was standing in front of him showing him the open carton of eggs which had exactly two left. “You’re in luck.”
“Oh my God, are you sure? I don’t want to take your last two eggs. I’ll just go to the store.”
His dismay was comical as if he was committing some kind of neighborly crime.
“Take them.” I shoved the carton into his hands. “Garrett’s gone out of town for a couple days and he’s the big breakfast eater. I’m more of a toast person.”
Again. Too much info.
“He’s out of town a lot, huh?”
“Is your T-shirt from some grunge band?” I changed the subject by pointing to the broken lightning bolt symbol on his chest. “It looks so familiar.”
He laughed then, a loud raucous sound that filled the room. “I wish it was from some cool band and then maybe Phil wouldn’t always be threatening to toss it! All my old T-shirts and my cool car. He hates both. I wear it for working around the house, mostly because Phil won’t let me wear it in public. I probably would’ve trashed the shirt a couple years ago, but it’s become a bone of contention between us. The more Phil wants me to toss it, the more I want to hang on to it. I think I picked it up at a convention or something.”
“What is it that you do?” I asked.
He hesitated, and I had the awful feeling I was supposed to know the answer to this question. Probably he’d already told me, and I’d completely not paid attention like usual.
“Sales.” He held up the carton. “Thanks so much for your last two eggs. I’ll be sure to replace them right away.” He opened the door and stepped out.
“You saved my dog from running away so I think we can call it even.” I stepped forward to close the door behind him. “In fact, I probably owe you a few dozen. I’d hate to lose Wookie.”
“I love his name,” he said as he walked away. “We need to have a movie night, right? All four of us.”
I’d sooner remove my eyeballs with a spoon.
“See you later,” I shouted and closed the door.
“You are a suck-up.” I pointed a finger at Wookie. “There was a time when nobody could get near my trailer without you threatening to rip their ass off and now you can be bought by a biscuit or two.” I clucked my tongue. “You’re getting soft.”
Wookie made a whining noise that could’ve been agreement and
then he went to his plush dog bed.
After I showered, I shrugged into sweatpants and a T-shirt and brought my laptop in front of the television. Later that evening Tracey called and mentioned excitedly that she saw on the news about Maryanne being found in a dumpster.
“That was you, right? You found her! Good for you!” she exclaimed.
“Thanks. I’m glad to bring closure for her mom but I’m not exactly throwing a party over here.”
“Oh yeah, of course it’s pretty sad, but it woulda been even sadder if you didn’t find her, right?”
“Right,” I admitted.
“You sound distracted. Are you and Garrett in the middle of something? Oh my God, did I catch you in the middle of...you know...”
A laugh burst from my lips. “If we were having sex, I can guarantee I would not have answered the phone.”
She giggled a little and shared news that she’d gone out on another date with the guy she’d already seen a couple times. “I think you’re right about just dating the one guy for now. He’s kind of sweet.” Then she added excitedly, “Oh, did you ask Garrett about the ring? Is it from his dead wife or is he going to propose to you?”
“Actually, he was hardly home a second, so that conversation will have to wait. He’s gone away working. Hopefully only for a day or two but could be longer.”
“We should do a girls’ night then. Manicures. Do each other’s hair. Watch sappy romcoms.”
“It’s like you don’t even know me.”
“Okay, I know all those things are my kind of thing and not yours.” She laughed. “What are you doing for excitement while your man’s away?”
“I’m just looking at my emails.”
“Wow. You really know how to live it up.”
“Well, I’d love to crack open a couple bottles of wine, chug them dry and then dance around the kitchen naked but, unfortunately, I gave up drinking.” I licked my lips involuntarily at the thought of wine hitting the back of my throat.
“Nothing stopping you from dancing around naked. I highly recommend it, in fact.”
“With my luck the neighbor would drop by.” I clicked Delete on one of the dozens of spam emails in my inbox. “I’m going to make myself some popcorn for dinner, so I’ll let you go.”
“I just wanted to ask what you were doing on August third.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hell, Tracey, I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow, never mind months from now.”
“Okay, well, I was just wondering if you think you could bring me to the hospital for my surgery or, even, like drive me home after or something and I could take a cab there. I just won’t be able to drive because it’s my right knee, so-o-o-o...”
“Oh-h-h! Yeah. Sure. Of course, I’ll take you for your operation. Are you going to be okay to stay on your own afterward? Do you want to come and stay here?”
“I was thinking of asking my mom to come but she doesn’t drive so that would be a pain in the ass.” She paused. “Wookie is getting better with me, isn’t he?”
Tracey had made pretty good strides with Wookie but having her stay here after surgery might be expecting a bit much.
“I could even stay with you,” I offered. “We’ve got a few months to work out the details. Think about it and let me know.”
“I appreciate it. Hey, I have an idea. I’m sure Garrett has some pictures of his dead wife and kid, right? You should just find one of those pictures of her and take a look at the ring on her hand.”
“Wow. That’s a really good idea.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. Underneath this pink hair there’s a for-real brain, you know!”
We ended the call just as Wookie and Fluffy decided to brawl. The cat bolted down the hall and Wookie was hot on his trail.
“Wookie, stop!”
He screeched to a halt, skidding on the linoleum until he’d stopped with a thud against the wall, then offered me a reproachful look that said the cat started the altercation.
“I know.” I walked over and patted Wookie’s head. “Cats are mostly just assholes. Sorry, dude, but you can’t just chase him around. Avoid him. You’re bigger. Walk away.”
I heard a crash in the office and ran down the hall where I found Fluffy on the bookcase and the picture of Garrett’s son on the floor. The glass from the photo was smashed and shards were scattered across the room.
“Bad cat!” I exclaimed. “Argh! Why do you have to be like this?”
As I swept up the mess I had to lock Fluffy out of the den because he kept attacking the broom. And my feet. And the dust bunnies under the desk. Cats were a different kind of crazy.
The face of Garrett’s son smiled up at me from the floor, causing my heart to squeeze a little. He had Garrett’s kind eyes and it hurt me to know that my guy had once been a dad, and I was guessing he was a pretty good one.
I gingerly picked up the frame and shook the loose glass into the trash can under Garrett’s desk. The dust and glass covered crumpled paper in the can and one paper caught my eye. The letterhead logo was the same broken lightning figure that was on Preston’s shirt. I put the picture down on the desk and, avoiding the bits of broken glass, I pulled the sheet out, put it on the desk and smoothed it flat. It was some meaningless form letter advertising a percentage off for new customers. The company’s name was Flash Imports Inc., and the catch phrase beneath the name read International imports and exports.
It felt awfully coincidental to see the logo so much that I now recognized it but, then again, I may have seen it a hundred times in my life and never realized it until now. I crumpled the letter again and dropped it back into the trash. I ran the vacuum to make sure I got all the glass and made a mental note to keep the door to the den closed from now on. Only two days ago Garrett’s desk had been pristine, and the top drawer locked. Now the desk was littered with paperwork and... I tugged open the top drawer to find it empty except for a couple of pens and a few paperclips.
As I took the picture of his son and propped it on the bookshelf, my mind went to the ring. I felt a little guilty snooping, but I knew he had a picture of her around here somewhere and I did find it tucked between some books on the bookshelf. It was a family photo. He could’ve displayed it prominently, but he kept it tucked away. Maybe out of respect for me, or maybe because it was just too painful.
In the picture Garrett had no gray in his hair. His eyes were bright and his smile wide. He looked impossibly happy. Did he ever smile like that these days? It made my chest hurt. I brought the picture close to my face and looked hard. Garrett wore a plain gold band, like my father’s that I wore now on a chain around my neck. My fingers went to the ring and gave it a familiar pat. Then my gaze traveled to Faith’s finger. She wore an emerald surrounded by diamonds. The ring I found in the box in our closet was hers.
I felt a small twist in my chest of something that might have been disappointment. That was silly because I didn’t want Garrett to propose. Still, I admitted that part of me liked the idea of wearing a ring on my finger. What a contradiction! I tucked the picture back into its location and felt guilty as if I’d spied on something private not meant for my eyes. I left the den, carefully closing the door behind me.
The sun was going down and Garrett still hadn’t sent me a message from his new number as promised. I had no way to reach him and, based on his already swollen face, he could be involved in a dangerous situation.
“He’s working,” I mumbled under my breath as I tossed a catnip mouse to Fluffy. “He’ll call when he can.”
Fluffy looked at the mouse with scorn, hopped onto the kitchen counter and sat next to the heavy pewter urn that contained my mother’s remains.
“Don’t you dare!” I reached for the spray bottle while Fluffy looked at me with a challenge in his eyes. Finally, he got up and sauntered across the counter to the far end to look out the kitchen wind
ow.
“Fine. You win,” I told the cat. “But you leave Mom’s ashes alone.”
Wookie and I went to the sofa where I watched sitcoms, the dog’s head in my lap. It was after midnight when I climbed into bed, placing my phone on the table next to me with the volume on the highest setting. My anxiety bounced painful memories of the past into my head and tossed in jagged half-truths about my current situation. Talking about things with Garrett, or even hearing his voice, would’ve helped but I tried to find comfort in a phone app that played mindfulness meditations to help me count down to sleep. My fingers played with my father’s wedding band around my neck. It was a token of love given to a man I never met but it gave me comfort.
Even on the third round of the meditation segment, my mind was racing and overthinking. I was worried about Garrett’s safety and, if I was being honest, I had to admit that the self-doubt demons were planting seeds of concern in my head about our relationship too. Garrett was hell-bent on helping his brother-in-law, Sid, and he was doing it for Faith. His wife. My man was now focused on people who were his family. How was I ever going to compete with that?
Chapter Six
When the sun pierced through the slats of the bedroom blinds I bolted upright and snatched up my phone. No missed messages from Garrett. No unanswered calls. The panic and nervousness that had sat heavy on my chest while I drifted off to sleep ramped up as I sat up in bed.
I soothed myself with reassurances that he was busy. For all I knew he was undercover and had been in stealth mode all night and unable to take a break to use his phone. The fact that he’d always managed to find a way to message or call me before only made matters worse.
A loud hiss and meow followed by Wookie’s painful yelp had me out of bed and shuffling toward the kitchen.
“Listen up, kids.” I stifled a yawn. “This behavior is beneath both of you.” The cat took a swat at my feet. “Okay, maybe it’s not beneath you,” I admitted, giving Fluffy’s ass a light tap with my hand. “But unless you want to find yourself locked up in separate bedrooms all day, you’re going to have to learn to get along.”
A Grave Peril Page 7