She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to wrap up a few things back at my desk. Do you need a ride to your car, or do you want to come in with me?”
“No offense, but hanging around in a law office all afternoon isn’t my idea of a good time.” I looked around and took in the beautiful day. “Why don’t you take me back to the Crest Hotel so I can get my car?”
“What are you going to do in the meantime?”
“I’m not leaving town, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I said with a laugh.
“Good. It wouldn’t be a smart thing to do right now.”
She was deadly serious.
“Jenny, am I really a suspect?”
“Until the police get a better one, you’re the only one on their radar.”
“I can give them more names, if that’s what they’re looking for,” I said.
That certainly got Jenny’s attention. “Who did you have in mind?”
“There’s at least two other columnists he fired today. Either one of them could have done it. I don’t know what Derrick’s personal life was like, but I can’t imagine he left anyone behind that he didn’t infuriate at some point.”
“Enough to murder him?” Jenny asked.
“I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but yes, he was just that kind of guy.”
“Then I have to make a phone call when I get back to the office. Shawn’s not a bad guy, but once he gets his teeth into an idea, he hates to let it go. The faster I can send him looking in another direction, the better off you’ll be.”
She drove me to the hotel, and as I got out at my car, I said, “I’ll see you at your place in a few hours, if you still want me.”
“Of course I do.”
“You’re going to hide your steak knives though, aren’t you?”
She shrugged. “Oh, yes. A girl can’t be too careful these days. See you soon.”
“Thanks, Jenny. For everything.”
“What are friends for?”
“If not this, I can’t imagine what,” I said as she drove away.
I had a couple of hours to kill in Raleigh, so I headed for the art museum. There might not be anything in the world that could perk me up at the moment, but the collection’s pieces would do it if anything could.
I was wrong.
As I tried to take in the artwork, my thoughts kept going back to Derrick’s body slumped over the table.
It was not an image I relished, and yet I couldn’t drive it from my thoughts, not even staring at my favorite Georgia O’Keeffe, or the Monet that always touched me.
I was still trying to appreciate the artwork in front of me when my cell phone went off, earning me an angry glance from an elderly gentleman standing nearby.
I didn’t even need to glance at the screen to see who was calling as the quacking of a hundred ducks suddenly filled the air.
Chapter 4
“YOU’RE OUT EARLY,” I SAID AS I HURRIED TOWARD A PUBLIC space in the museum where we could talk.
“It’s all over,” he said, the sound of pure defeat filling his voice.
“He’s free?” I asked, not believing what I was hearing.
“I guess you could say that. They found him hanging in his cell this morning. He was too big a coward when it came down to facing the world with what he’d done, I guess.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. My husband believed in justice, and I knew that this wasn’t any approximation of it in his eyes.
“It happens. At least he’s finished terrorizing this part of the world. How did your meeting with Derrick go?”
“Not well,” I admitted. I hated to add to his misery, but there was no way I could keep what had happened to myself any longer. As I brought him up-to-date, he interrupted more and more until I finally said, “Just let me talk, Zach. I’ll answer your questions when I’m through.”
“I can do better than that,” he said. “I’m catching the next flight to Raleigh. I’ll leave my car in Knoxville at the airport and we can pick it up later.”
“Jenny’s handling things. There’s no need to rush here,” I said, though I was heartened by my husband’s reaction.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I’ll call you back as soon as I get a flight time,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“Just hang in there, kiddo,” he said.
And that’s when I felt myself breaking down. “I will,” I managed to get out before I hung up. I’d been bottling everything up inside, but hadn’t realized it. Hearing my husband’s voice had triggered something in me, and it all came rushing out in a sudden avalanche of tears.
I was standing in front of a modern piece, a collection of paper butterflies and flowers hovering overhead. An older woman walked up to me and handed me a tissue. “It affects me the same way, dear. You have the soul of a poet seeing its beauty as strongly as you do.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her why I was really crying. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“You’d be surprised.”
I walked back out to my car and sat there until I got myself composed again. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been there when my phone rang.
“Where are you?” It was Jenny.
“I’m at the art museum. Why?”
“Well, get over to my place. I’ve got a pitcher of sangria waiting with your name on it.”
“You know I’m not much of a drinker,” I said.
“Trust me, now is as good a time to start as any.”
“I thought you had work to do.”
She laughed. “I put most of it off on some of the associates at the firm. Rank does have its privileges. Now, are you coming, or do I have to drink this all by myself?”
“I’m on my way,” I said.
AS I WAS DRIVING TO JENNY’S PLACE, MY PHONE STARTED quacking, and I’ve never been so happy to hear that sound in my life.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
“Don’t worry about a thing,” he said. “I’ll be in Raleigh by seven.”
“Tonight?”
He laughed. “Yes, tonight. I got lucky. I found a flight and weaseled my way onto standby. They just told me I got a seat, so I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“I’m so glad,” I said, letting the remaining tension flow out of me. I was a brave, independent woman who wasn’t afraid to fight her own battles, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t love having my husband by my side, especially when things got dicey. I knew he felt the same way about me. It wasn’t weakness on either of our parts, but we both knew that we were stronger together than we were apart. Our marriage was a partnership, and that was the way we both liked it.
“You can’t be any happier than I am about it,” he said.
“What time should we pick you up at the airport?”
“Don’t bother,” he said. “I’m going to rent a car and drive to Jenny’s.”
“Nonsense. We’ll be happy to come get you.”
He said solemnly, “Savannah, there are some things I need to do on my own. I can’t drag you back to the police station while I’m there asking questions, now can I?”
“Do you know anybody on the force here?”
“I’ve got a few connections,” he admitted. “In fact, there’s one—hang on, they just called my flight. I’ll call you when I land. Love you.”
“Safe flight,” I said, but he was already gone. Suddenly I felt a world better knowing that Zach was going to be on the case. If anyone could get me out of this jam, it was my husband.
By the time I got to Jenny’s, I was actually beginning to feel a little better. I started to knock on her door when I saw an odd little man staring at me from the porch next door.
“Hello,” he said with a wave.
“Hi,” I replied.
I knocked, and Jenny answered, dressed in slacks and a casual blouse. “Who’s your friend?” I asked as I gestured toward him.