Savannah nodded before returning her attention to her monitor. Chloe closed the door behind her only to reappear moments later.
“I did have a message for you, sorry. It’s from someone named Cori, who says she’s an old friend. She’d like to set up a time for lunch?”
Savannah quickly looked up from her keyboard, amused. “Schedule it.”
* * *
Micki looked at the bulletin board she’d rigged and shook her head in defeat. She’d wanted so badly to have one of those cool link charts with locations and people tied together by yarn or string. But hers just looked stupid. And didn’t really make any sense.
“You do know that computer technology has made those obsolete, right?” Savannah asked, leaning in the doorframe of the conference room that Micki had made her command post.
Micki jumped. “Listen, you can’t be here. This is an ongoing investigation, and you’re tampering with my thought process. And ruining my CSI vibe.”
Savannah looked down at the floor and smiled. “Did you get in touch with Cori, by chance?”
“I did. Talked to her for a while this morning. Why?”
“She reached out to my office to set up a lunch date. I assumed something had prompted the contact.”
Micki’s eyes narrowed. “Are you planning on meeting her?”
There was something about the way Savannah was looking at her that made Micki’s stomach flutter. “Yes. I told Chloe to schedule it.”
Micki nodded and went back to her bulletin board. “Mmm-hmm,” she said. She carefully moved the yellow piece of yarn to the pushpin with Cori’s name on it.
“Why did you do that?” Savannah asked.
“Like I said, ongoing investigation. You’re on a need-to-know basis, Ms. Castillo.” Micki grinned to show she was teasing.
“Will you be home for dinner?” Savannah asked, sounding like a wife checking in.
Micki pounced on it. “Why yes, darling, I will. Should I bring anything home for you or the girl? Perhaps some fresh-cut flowers for you and a fancy new yo-yo for Eliana?”
Savannah made a face but couldn’t hide her smirk. “Forget I said anything.”
Micki laughed. “Yes, I will. Oh, wait. Rebecca wanted me to eat at home tonight because her dad is in town. Apparently, he likes me. But I’d really rather not, to be honest. Gary treats her like a child. It’s kind of weird. What are you making?”
“Salad.”
Micki hissed through her teeth. “Yeah, I think I might have to suck it up and eat with Rebecca and Daddy Dearest.”
“Chicken pot pie.”
“I will see you at seven.” Micki winked dramatically at Savannah before turning back to her board.
“You really are an idiot.”
“So I’ve been told. Let me know before you go out with Cori, yeah?”
Savannah demurred but didn’t say no. She stood tall and straightened her suit jacket before heading back to her office. Neither of them acknowledged the fact that Micki had slept in Savannah’s bed the previous night. Somehow, speaking the words aloud would make it real. Micki remembered lying on her back, stealing glances at the back side of Savannah every few seconds. Her body had been warm and confused because she was mildly aroused. She’d always thought Savannah was breathtaking, but other than her infrequent fantasies of sexual one-upmanship, she didn’t realize just how attracted to her she was. She had tried to drive the thoughts from her mind and body because that was not what staying with her was supposed to be. She was there for comfort. For strength. For camaraderie. Maybe even friendship. By the time Micki had woken up, Savannah was already showered, dressed, and downstairs with Eliana. That made it easy enough for her to slink over to the guest bathroom and pretend like it was any other morning. Maybe the whole under-covers-hand-holding was just a figment of her imagination.
Micki sat down at the oval conference table and plugged her phone into her laptop. She downloaded the recorded phone call and saved it as an MP3. She pressed play and sat back in her chair.
“This is Deputy Chief Mackenzie Blake from the Winter Valley Police Department. Is this Coriander Girard?”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“I’m going to record this phone call, do you consent?”
“I guess so, that’s fine. What is this about?”
Micki fast-forwarded to a later point in the conversation, bypassing all of the standard questions and procedures.
“…about your relationship with Ms. Castillo?”
“What would you like to know?”
“How long were you together?”
“A little over a year. Somewhere around there.”
“Can you describe the dynamics of your relationship for me, please?”
“Well, I guess I would say that things were good. We had a lot of fun together. We fought, of course, but we knew how to make up.”
“In your own words, how would you say the relationship ended?”
Cori cleared her throat. “I broke it off. It all just felt too…settled. I wanted to keep my options open, I guess. So, I packed up and moved to Boston. It was good for a while, then I was bored there, too. I came back and told her I’d made a huge mistake. Begged her to take me back.”
“And what did she say?”
“She said no,” Cori said with a light laugh. “So, rather than have to see her every day, I decided to just stay in Boston. That’s pretty much it. We still talk once in a while. I’d never hurt her, if that’s what you’re thinking. She’ll always be my one that got away. Have you talked to her assistant yet? That guy gave me the creeps.”
“Why did he give you the creeps?”
“He was just always around. Like, even on the weekends. We’d go to the movies and boom, what’s-his-face was sitting three rows behind us. And he always acted like it was a coincidence.”
“What did Savannah think?”
“She suspected that he was into her, but she figured he was harmless enough. And she always said he was the best assistant she’d ever had. Jamie. That was his name.”
She continued her line of questions, and Micki glared at the laptop, listening. She’d have to revisit Jamie Gagnon, but so far, his alibi, albeit a weak one, had checked out.
There had to be something she was missing. Just a tiny reference, an alibi that had a few holes. Someone flying under the radar. A past grievance Savannah had forgotten about. Something.
Micki closed the lid of her laptop angrily and shoved it into her messenger bag. Another day, another file full of leads that went nowhere. It was a good thing that town was so quiet otherwise; Micki had been spending nearly all of her time on the stalker. Poor Jack and Billy were the ones dealing with all the uncontrollable roosters and skateboarding infractions.
Micki had to stop by home to pick up her ancient but still-totally-necessary iPod before going to Savannah’s for the night. There wasn’t much a little 90s alt-rock couldn’t fix.
Rebecca was bringing in her mail from the lobby when Micki walked in. Her face lit up. “You changed your mind? I’m sure Dad will be happy to see you.”
Micki shifted uncomfortably. “No, I still have a few things to go over with Savannah before bed tonight. I just wanted to grab my iPod.”
“Oh, okay.” Rebecca grabbed Micki’s sleeve before she reached the staircase. “So, what’s going on with you and Savannah? Like, what’s really going on?”
“What?”
“I know you’re working on the case; I get that. But sleeping over? And having dinner together? Eliana was gushing about how much fun it is having you around all the time. Are you staying in her room, too?” Rebecca scoffed, obviously joking.
Micki smiled and started to say something but it was too late. Rebecca could read her like a book.
“Oh my God, Micki, you’re staying in her room? Are you sleeping together?”
“No!” Micki yelled and then shushed herself. She regained her composure, though her cheeks were twelve shades of crimson. “Look, I can�
��t talk about this. There’s an open investigation.”
“Um, yes you can. I’m certain that sleeping with the town hard-ass is not part of any confidential investigation.”
“Rebecca, I am not sleeping with her! I just want to be close by, and if something were to happen, it would probably happen in…there. There’s a trellis, you know.”
“Mmm-hmm. Okay, so you’re not sleeping with her. But you want to.”
“I have to go,” Micki said, shaking her head, mildly amused and wholly irritated.
* * *
“I suppose I should be relieved that nothing happened today,” Savannah said, applying lotion liberally to her hands, arms, and shoulders.
Micki stood in the doorway, rapt.
“You didn’t find anything worth noting?”
Micki snapped back to reality, quickly shaking away the cobwebs of impure thought. “Nothing yet. But he or she made a mistake along the way. I’m pretty sure we’re not dealing with a career criminal here. I just need to find it.”
Savannah nodded. “I’m sure you will.”
Micki paused for a minute, deciding if she should ask or assume or just walk away. “So, good night?”
“Good night.”
They locked eyes for a fleeting second before Micki nodded, smiling softly. She was about to close the door when Savannah gave a single nod toward her bed. Micki raised her eyebrows in question, but Savannah didn’t answer. She simply slid into her side of the bed, folding down the comforter in the same way that she had the night before. Micki took the hint and suppressed a smile.
“So comfy,” Micki muttered as she pulled the blanket up around her neck.
“So you’ve said. Is that the only reason you like spending the night in my bed?” Savannah asked with a smile but immediately clamped her mouth shut. “Sorry, I was joking. It was in poor taste.”
Micki lay beside her, a thousand and one responses flying through her mind, none of them appropriate. What was Savannah doing? Was she being snarky, hoping to elicit some playful banter? Was she being serious? Micki had no idea, but her pulse quickened. It was meant as light humor, Micki was sure, but with whatever weird vibe had been hanging in the atmosphere over the last few days, it didn’t feel light. She decided it would probably be best if this was the last night they slept in the same bed together. Things were getting very murky, very fast.
“It wasn’t in poor taste, Savannah. I mean, it is kind of strange. Your bed is the very last place in the entire world that I could have pictured myself in. I would have had an easier time imagining myself riding a whale at Sea World. Naked. With wings.”
Savannah chuckled. “It has been an interesting few days, there is no doubt about that. I do want to stress, if you’re uncomfortable in any way, I won’t be offended if you choose the guest room.”
“I know you think I’m an idiot, but I’m not that much of an idiot. Come on. I’m sleeping on trillion thread count sheets next to the most beautiful woman…with…in a…room…with…” There was no coherent thought with which to finish that sentence. Micki cringed, waiting to be asked to leave.
Savannah’s eyes widened, but she didn’t acknowledge Micki’s compliment. “I don’t think I ever apologized for hitting you the other night when I thought it was you who was coming after me. I lashed out. It was completely out of line, and I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted. I shouldn’t have been hanging around like a creeper without letting you know what was going on. My lips were nice and full the next day, so there’s that.”
Micki started to turn over but propped herself up on her elbow instead. “Where did you learn to hit like that, anyway? Did you get in a lot of schoolyard fights or something?”
Savannah laughed. “Of course not. I was a good girl. No fights, no suspensions, nothing like that. Besides, my mother would have killed me.”
“You don’t talk about your family much. How come?” Micki asked, wandering cautiously into uncharted territory. Talking about the past was always a treacherous venture, especially with someone like Savannah.
Looking down, Savannah touched a wrinkle in the sheet. “Not much to say, really. I loved my father very much. He died when I was seventeen. He went to bed one night with a stomachache. He never woke up.”
Micki gently touched Savannah’s hand. “What happened?”
“An aortic aneurysm. It ruptured sometime during the night, and by the time my mother called an ambulance the next morning, it was too late. They pronounced him DOA. Everything changed after that.”
Savannah paused, and Micki sensed that she was contemplating whether or not she should go on. Micki rubbed her index finger along the top of Savannah’s hand. She hoped that Savannah would continue. It was the most she’d ever opened up to her, and Micki didn’t want her to stop.
“My mother and I grew apart. It’s strange, you know, you read all these stories about how a tragedy brings families together and causes people to cherish what they have in their lives. It didn’t happen that way for us. At first, my mother was so wrapped up in the details, she didn’t have time to grieve. When I’d go to her for comfort, she’d find a task for me to do. I had to survive my father’s death completely alone. I realized that even when someone says they love you, they love you on their terms. When the time is right, when the situation is right. A parent’s love may not be conditional based on what you do, but it is conditional based on what the world around them does.” Savannah cleared her throat. “I love my mother. I’d do anything for her. But that kind of best-friend-confidant support system is just a myth. I’m convinced. If it does exist, I’ve never seen it. And that’s why I have to create it so that my daughter can have those things in me. Maybe I can be the one to make that happen.”
“I’m sorry, Savannah. I had no idea that your dad was taken so suddenly or that you and your mom were so distanced from each other. Have you talked to her recently at all?” Micki asked quietly. Her heart was shattered. Savannah seemed so buttoned up and together. She concealed her losses with expert precision.
“You mean about this whole thing? I did, actually. Just the other day. She even offered to come here to stay with me. It was so nice to have that option for once.”
“But you didn’t take her up on it?”
Savannah shook her head. “No. I want to work on our relationship under different circumstances. I don’t want to feel like there’s a cause for her affection. It needs to happen organically, or it won’t happen at all.”
“It’s a good first step, though. I’m sure once she sees the woman you’ve become and the mother that you are to her granddaughter, she’ll realize how much time she’s wasted being away from you. Both of you.” Micki searched the depth of Savannah’s eyes for something other than sadness but found nothing else.
“Maybe. We’ll see.” Savannah smiled. “We should get some sleep. I have meetings all day tomorrow, and I’m sure you have holograms to consult with.”
Micki laughed softly. “We really should invest in some of those cool things they have on TV. Imagine how quickly we would have solved this if I had a psychic on the payroll?”
“Good night, Micki.”
“Night.”
Micki rolled onto her side, facing the wall. She wanted to turn over, to pull Savannah close to her, to promise her the safety and trust that she’d been lacking. She knew it wasn’t her place to do so, even if she could hold Savannah in her arms. Their relationship was built on sniping and frustration. Micki fully realized that she couldn’t solely shoulder the blame for that, if at all, but she wished that she’d tried a little harder with Savannah instead of writing her off as a giant bitch so early on.
Even through the exhilaration of being so close to Savannah and that light floral scent infiltrating every aspect of Micki’s existence, she felt calm, peaceful. She wouldn’t allow herself to think about the state of their relationship once this was all over. What would it feel like to go back to “Chief Blake,” who only saw Savannah when she was
picking up Eliana or at council meetings where she would attempt to embarrass her in front of the entire town, or the times she would just scoff at her if Micki needed something approved at her level? Bad. She was pretty damn sure it would feel bad. Would things go back to the way they were before? Could they?
As her thoughts became restless, she felt movement as Savannah’s hand made its way slowly through the space between them where it rested lightly on Micki’s hip. Micki sucked in her breath and steeled herself, a mannequin, so there was no chance that her hand would accidentally move away.
Chapter Fifteen
Morning light filtered into the bedroom. Savannah shifted slightly, coming up slowly from her appreciated state of unconsciousness. When she finally did open her eyes, she looked down to find a feminine hand splayed out on her bare stomach. Her nightshirt must have ridden up at some point during the night, but she didn’t feel any urgent need to cover herself. Micki had called her beautiful. It could have been a statement, a thought, something Micki had simply noted. Or maybe she meant something more. Maybe she had meant that she was attracted to Savannah, and that would certainly complicate things. More than they were already. Savannah felt a surge of elation that she didn’t want to rationalize. It was easier to ignore it.
She sighed, unwilling to let her thoughts scatter like seeds in the wind. There was no need to dwell; Savannah just wanted to enjoy the comfort of having someone safe in bed with her. Micki was a security blanket; that was all.
Safe. Not a word she would have assigned to Mackenzie Blake three months ago, hell, three weeks ago. She was the enemy. An adversary. Someone who would always push back against her, someone who never backed down like so many others did. Someone who would take her down at a moment’s notice. It was possible, Savannah realized, that the fear of Micki being some cartoon villain with a nefarious plot against her was all in her head. It was exhausting, assuming the worst all the time. But it was safer. That fear of Micki had suddenly lifted like a bad dream; Micki no longer seemed like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Maybe she really was who she presented herself to be. That was a concept Savannah wasn’t altogether familiar with.
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