by Gaines, Liza
Chapter Three
It was seven o’clock when they pulled into Lee’s driveway and Mike parked the BMW behind Lee’s truck again. Savannah was reaching for the door when Mike said, “Hey, wait a minute, Savannah. I want to talk a second.”
Savannah rolled her eyes and settled back in her seat. They’d ridden in silence most of the drive and now he decided he wanted to chat? “What’s up?”
“I know you’re not excited about this and I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate it.”
Savannah smiled. “I know, Mike. You and Ginny have done a lot for me. I’m happy to return the favor.”
She started to reach for the door again but stopped when Mike cleared his throat. He stared straight ahead and appeared strained and maybe a little embarrassed. “One more minute, please. I just…there’s obviously some tension between you and Lee. And I don’t think…”
Savannah laughed and interrupted him. “You have nothing to worry about. He obviously doesn’t like me and I’m not wild about him. But I’ll be nice until we get the job done and then I never have to see him again. We have lots of clients I don’t like, Mike. I’ve really honed my skill for pretending to be nice to jerks.”
Mike turned to look at her. “That’s not really what I meant by tension. Just remember, he’s a client, okay?”
“Yeah, of course, Mike. I…” Savannah’s voice trailed off and she stared at him, comprehension dawning. Did he really think she’d fall into bed with that asshole? “Wait. Are you talking about the whole womanizer thing you mentioned this morning? That’s ridiculous. So far, he seems like a bastard and I mean, sure, he’s good looking but so what? Lots of guys are good looking and I somehow manage to keep from throwing myself at them. Plus, I know he’s a client and I know clients are off limits. Really, you don’t need to worry about this.”
“It didn’t even occur to me this morning when we came up with this plan but…” Mike stammered a little before continuing, and she was pretty sure he was blushing. “…when I told Ginny about it, she kind of freaked out. Don’t get me wrong, she loves Lee, but she knows what he’s like. And you’re a pretty girl and you’re going to be out here alone with him. And he’s not a jerk, despite your first impression. He can be very charming. And I just think…well, I care about you both and I think it would be a big mistake for you to get involved in any way.”
Savannah laughed and rolled her eyes. She loved Ginny to death but the woman did have a very wide streak of mother hen, and apparently that was rubbing off on her husband. “Won’t happen. Trust me, Mike.”
Mike nodded and moved to get out of the car. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”
Mike led her to the front door and knocked. They could hear Toby barking inside and then Lee opened the door. “Come on in.”
Entering the house, she noticed Lee had cleaned up. Barefoot, he wore a pair of jeans sitting loosely on his slender hips and a T-shirt just a little too tight in all the right places. She was surprised to see his eye hadn’t bruised nearly as badly as she thought it might, but she guessed he still hadn’t gotten any sleep because he looked exhausted and the house had been completely put back together. The front door entered directly into the living room, which had been tidied up. To the right were the bathroom and a closed door that she assumed was Lee’s bedroom.
They followed Lee into the kitchen, which had also been straightened. “There’s beer and wine in the fridge. Help yourselves. Dinner’s just about ready.”
Mike got a beer for both himself and Savannah before sitting down at the table. “You don’t look like you’ve slept today.”
Lee laughed. “Nah, I’m running on adrenaline and coffee.”
Savannah tried to smile politely. “Do you need any help with dinner?”
Lee shook his head as he took a pan out of the oven. “Thanks but I got it covered. Make yourself comfortable.”
Savannah sat down next to Mike and took a long drink of beer while Mike asked, “I don’t suppose you thought to call Cara’s parents?”
Lee started bringing the food to the table. He’d made a roasted chicken, sautéed vegetables, and frigging risotto. If it was even half as good as it looked this guy seriously knew how to cook.
“I thought of it but I couldn’t figure out how to call and ask if they’d heard from her without worrying them.”
Mike frowned. “I see your point.”
Savannah smiled triumphantly, pleased to have found such an easy way to prove herself. “That’s simple. What’s their number?”
Lee glanced at Mike, who just shrugged, so Lee went to his bedroom and came back a minute later with an address book. He laid it open on the table in front of Savannah and leaned over her shoulder, pointing. “Right there, Jack and Eva Dalton.”
Savannah felt him brush against her back and couldn’t help but notice he smelled amazing, fresh and clean and soapy with just the faintest hint of cologne. She swallowed hard trying to focus on the page in front of her. “Umm, thanks.”
Lee went around the table and sat across from Mike as Savannah pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Setting the phone to speaker, she dialed the number and waited while the phone rang on the other end.
“Hello?” An elderly woman answered. Savannah looked up at Lee and saw his nod. He recognized her voice.
“Uh, hi, Mrs. Dalton? This is Emily Jones. You probably don’t remember me, but I went to school with your daughter, Cara.”
“I’m sorry, dear, I don’t remember you.”
Savannah smiled. Cara’s mother sounded very sweet.
“That’s all right. It’s just that over the years I’ve lost track of Cara. I don’t think I’ve talked to her since shortly after she married that guy, shoot, I can’t even remember his name.”
“Levon. He was such a good boy. I was so sorry things didn’t work out for them. And, oh was he a looker. They’d have had such beautiful babies!”
Savannah put the back of her hand over her mouth, trying to hold in the sudden overwhelming urge to giggle while next to her Mike nearly choked on his beer. When she glanced across the table at Lee she was surprised to find him looking embarrassed for once.
“Levon? Are you sure? I mean, I’m sure you’re right but that just doesn’t sound familiar.”
“Oh, everyone called him Lee.” The old woman laughed quietly. “He used to get so upset when people called him Levon, but I always thought it was such a nice name.”
“That’s right, Lee. Lee Jackson, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, dear, that’s right.”
“I see. Well, I was wondering if you could get a message to Cara for me. We’re planning a class reunion and I’d love to get her involved. She was always so good at planning parties.”
“Yes, I can get a message to her for you.”
Savannah nodded, feeling confident. This was going well. “I hate to be pushy, but I was just wondering when you thought you might talk to her again? I mean, we’re kind of on a deadline planning the reunion.”
“Oh, she comes over for dinner every Sunday. It’s a bit of a drive for her but she never misses it. She’s so busy, and travels so much for work. We don’t talk often during the week but she always comes on Sundays.” Mrs. Dalton sounded proud her daughter made a point to come home once a week even though she led such a hectic life.
“That’s fine, Mrs. Dalton. When you see her this weekend just tell her Emily Jones is trying to reach her.” Savannah gave Mrs. Dalton her number and hung up.
Mike smiled proudly at Savannah. “Well, she certainly didn’t sound worried, so we know her parents just saw her last weekend. If Cara’s missing, she hasn’t been missing for long.”
Savannah looked down at Lee’s address book thoughtfully. “They live in Richmond? I think if we haven’t figured this thing out by Sunday, we should go to Richmond and keep an eye on her parents’ house that afternoon. Maybe she’s in hiding on her own but will show up to keep them from worrying.”
“Good thinking,
Savannah.” Mike started passing the food around the table as he heaped his plate. He sounded apologetic when he added, “Sorry, but I’m hungry.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes and Savannah was surprised to find the food was excellent. She smiled across the table at Lee. “This is really good.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
Savannah gritted her teeth. It grated on her every time he called her sweetheart. So patronizing. But now she had a little ammunition of her own.
“You’re welcome, Levon.”
To Savannah’s disappointment, Lee didn’t react, and instead spoke to Mike. “I dug out that box Cara dropped off awhile back. It’s out in the living room. I thought we could take a look after supper.”
Mike nodded. “I’ll see if I can work some magic and pull her credit reports, bank statements, and credit card statements tomorrow at the office. I’ll email it all to Savannah.”
Savannah ate quietly while the men’s conversation drifted. Lee asked after Mike’s wife, Ginny, and their two boys, and they reminisced a little about college, but Savannah wasn’t really listening. She was first to finish eating, so she got up and started to clear the table. She looked through the cupboards and found some Tupperware, putting the leftovers away. She was running water in the sink and starting her third beer when Lee and Mike noticed what she was doing.
Lee looked over his shoulder at her. “Just leave that. I’ll do the dishes later.”
“It’s all right, it’ll keep me busy while you two rehash the glory days.”
Lee laughed and brought her the rest of the dishes. “Suit yourself.”
Lee left the room and returned a minute later with a pack of cigarettes and a book of matches. He sat down next to Mike and tapped two cigarettes out on the table, offering one to Mike. Savannah had her back to them at the sink and didn’t realize they were smoking until she smelled it. She turned around, expecting to see Lee smoking and was shocked to see Mike was, too.
“That’s so gross. Mike, you don’t smoke!”
Mike shrugged. “Sometimes I smoke when I drink.”
“Does Ginny know?”
Lee’s bark of laughter surprised her. “Sweetheart, Ginny would burn one too if she were here.”
Savannah gritted her teeth and returned to the dishes. When she finished, she neatly stacked them on the counter to dry and turned back to Lee and Mike, who were deep in conversation about some party they’d been to a hundred years ago.
“That’s right, I was there with that girl from the bar. Shit, what was her name? That blonde with the big…” Lee laughed as he hit Mike on the shoulder but his words trailed off when he realized Savannah was looking at them both with an arched brow.
“I hate to interrupt what appears to be a riveting conversation, but maybe we should go see what’s in that box?”
Mike stood up and headed for the living room. “Right. It’s after nine o’clock and I need to get back to the city, so let’s get this show on the road.” Lee headed to the refrigerator for more beer, so Mike added, “No more for me, I’m driving.”
“Sure thing, Hoss.” Lee got another beer for himself and they all trailed into the living room.
Lee flopped down on the couch, leaning against the armrest, and put his feet up on the coffee table next to the unopened box while Mike took the recliner. Faced with the option of sitting next to Lee on the couch or sitting on the floor, Savannah chose the floor. Crossing her legs under her, she reached for the box.
As she started to open it, Lee and Mike leaned forward to look inside. “I came home before they got to the bedroom on their search and destroy mission last night so it should all be there.”
Three Tshirts were folded on top. Savannah removed them from the box and handed them to Lee, who unfolded them and shook them out before tossing them onto the couch next to him. Next were about a dozen books, and they each picked one and started thumbing through the pages.
Lee happened to look up as Mike reached for another book. “That’s not my book. I’ve never read it, or even heard of it before.”
Mike looked down at the book he held. “Are the others yours?”
Lee glanced through the remaining books. “Yeah, just not that one. I’m sure of it.”
“Well, either she made a mistake and gave you the wrong book or…” Mike started leafing through the pages when a slip of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. He reached down and picked it up, setting it in the middle of the coffee table.
They all leaned over, their heads close, to look. It was a short note, written in rushed cursive.
Sorry, Lee. I don’t know who else I can trust.
Lee sighed, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. “Fuck, I wish I’d opened this box when she gave it to me.”
Mike shook his head. “I’ll bet she was counting on the fact that you would probably stuff this in the closet or attic and forget about it unless something happened to remind you. She was married to you for god sakes. She knows you. If it was a message she’d wanted you to have right then she’d have found a far less subtle way to get it to you.”
Savannah started rummaging through the rest of the box. Beneath the books were three CDs, various refrigerator magnets, and other knick-knacks. Lee frowned and shook his head. “There must be something else in here, some other clue or something; otherwise her note doesn’t mean anything. But that all looks like my stuff, or at least, stuff we had together when we were married.”
“Wait, what’s that? It looks like another T-shirt all balled up in the corner.” As Savannah carefully pulled it out of the box she could feel something wrapped inside of it.
“Hey, that’s my Springsteen concert shirt. I’d forgotten all about it, but I used to love that shirt.”
As Savannah shook the shirt, two keys fell on the floor. She picked them up and held them out toward Lee. “Look familiar?”
Lee shook his head. “The one looks like the key to a safe deposit box. But I don’t know which bank it would be at. The second one I have no idea, maybe her apartment?”
Savannah chewed her lip. “Well, we need to get into her apartment anyway, so we might as well try the key. Do you know where her apartment is? I should go tomorrow.”
Lee frowned. “Yeah, I know where it is. We’ll go in the morning. I’m not keen on sending you over there by yourself when we know these thugs are running around out there somewhere.”
Mike dug through the box for a minute and then looked at his watch. “I don’t think there’s anything else important here. And I need to get home before Ginny sends out a search party.”
They all walked out to Mike’s car together and Savannah pulled her bags out of the backseat, setting the first two on the ground and folding the dress bag over her arm. “This reminds me. I have a thing in the city I can’t miss Thursday night. So Thursday evening, I’m going to have to split for a while. I’ll just call a cab to take me to Vienna and metro in. And then I’ll probably just crash at my apartment after and come back out in the morning.”
Lee picked up her duffle bag and computer bag, slinging them over his shoulder. “You can take the truck to Vienna if you want and just leave it there overnight. Or I can probably drop you off. No need to waste money on a cab.” He turned to Mike and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll bet she has a hot date.”
Mike laughed. “Maybe so. Look, there’s no telling when those thugs will be back, if they do come back. Make sure Savannah has your number in case, well, just in case anything happens.”
“Hell, I’ll give her a gun if she wants it.” Lee gave her a thoughtful look before adding, “As long as you promise not to shoot me, sweetheart.”
Savannah offered him her sweetest smile. “I can’t make that promise.”
“You two just may kill each other before this is over,” Mike laughed as he spoke, but Savannah could see the concern in his eyes.
Lee and Savannah stood awkwardly in the driveway and watched Mike pull away. When he
was out of sight Lee turned and started walking across the lawn to the cottage Savannah would inhabit, calling over his shoulder, “Let’s go get you settled.”
Savannah hurried to catch up, and when she pulled even with him she said, “You don’t have to carry my bags. I can take my stuff and let myself in if you’ll just give me the key.”
Lee looked down and smiled at her. “I got it. It won’t take but a minute. Besides, I owe you one for doing my dishes. The cottage is furnished and I had Maria put fresh sheets on the bed for you. She’s the farm manager’s wife, by the way. She helps me out sometimes so if you need anything and I’m not around she can help you. Anyway, we can stop tomorrow and pick up some food for you or you can eat with me. Whatever you want.”
“After the dinner I had tonight, I’ll eat with you if that’s all right.” Planning to eat with him every day was asking for trouble. She shouldn’t spend more time with him than necessary, but he’d proven himself a better than average cook. After that risotto, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to see what else he could do in the kitchen.
Lee laughed as he mounted the porch and unlocked the door. “I’ll tell you what: I’ll cook for you as long as you’re here if you’ll keep doing the dishes.”
“That seems fair.” Savannah smiled as he held the door open for her and she passed in front of him, catching the faint scent of him again on the evening air. Mike was right. Lee could be charming when he wanted to be.
Lee shut the door behind them and flipped the light switch. This cottage was identical to his in layout. Although being a rental, the furniture and decor were more spartan. Savannah followed him into the kitchen where he dropped her bags before tossing the keys on the counter and scribbling a number on a piece of paper. “There’s my number. Put it in your phone so you don’t have to fumble with it in an emergency. I don’t think they’ll be back this soon but you never know.”
Savannah nodded. Now that she was about to be alone out here, she was starting to feel a little scared. She gave him what she hoped was a brave smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I don’t suppose you’d consider leaving Toby with me, though?”