Scraps of Evidence: Quilts of Love Series (8 page)

9

S
o that was a surprise, huh?”

Tess fastened her seat belt and slid on her sunglasses. “A little convenient, don’t you think?”

“A good attorney always has an ace up his sleeve. Actually, that’s a bad example.”

“It doesn’t prove anything,” she said, drumming her fingertips on her knee. “She could be lying for him. He could be lying for her.”

Logan braked for a stoplight. “They could be lying for each other.”

Her head jerked around, and she stared at him. “You don’t think . . . ”

“There have been killers who worked in tandem. It’s unlikely, but not outside the realm of possibility.”

“They’d have started young,” she mused.

“Killers have started much younger. We’ll add the lawyer and his trophy wife to our list of possible suspects.”

“A list of one,” she said. Propping her elbow on the window, she stared out the window.

“Every list starts with one.”

She turned to him. “You’re being awfully optimistic.”

“The whole business can wear you down,” he told her. “These cases aren’t solved quickly. Sometimes we don’t solve them. It’s important to keep some perspective if you can.”

She sighed. “Yeah. I know you’re right.”

“What do you want to do for lunch?”

“I don’t care. You pick.”

“How about we pick up some subs and take them someplace to eat?”

“You mean like a picnic?”

“Yeah.”

She pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. “It hasn’t cooled off enough to do that yet.”

“Who’s the wimp now?”

“I’m not picking you up and carrying you to the car when you pass out from sunstroke.” She waved her hand at a bank sign. “Look at the temp.”

“Okay. Maybe not yet. Is it going to be cool soon?”

“October.”

“October? Wow.”

“It’s Florida.”

“Yeah, I know. I just never expected it to be so warm so long.”

“Sorry to tell you it won’t snow for Christmas.”

He chuckled. “You just crack me up, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know, Yankee.” She frowned when he pulled into a restaurant parking lot. “This place? Again?”

“You said for me to pick.”

She got out and pretended to grumble. It was one of her favorite places to eat, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. The place had good food, and it overlooked the water. Today, sailboats were chasing a brisk wind.

They ordered their food and then sat staring at the view.

“Do you like to sail?”

Tess pulled her gaze from the sailboats. “Never been.”

“You’ve lived around this gorgeous water and never been on a sailboat?”

She shook her head and smiled at the waitress when she brought her sandwich. “You?”

“I used to sail a lot in Chicago. Maybe we can go sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

She wanted to go over the case with him, but they had to be careful not to do it where they could be overheard. Pretty sad, she told herself, when all you wanted to do with a handsome man was talk about work.

“So if there’s no snow, how can it feel like Christmas?” he asked her, picking up a French fry, dipping it into a puddle of ketchup on his plate, and popping it into his mouth.

“I’ve never even seen snow,” she told him.

He gaped at her. “Never?”

She shook her head. “It’s not so odd. Some people never do. Besides, what’s so great about snow?”

He glanced out the window. “It’s cold. That alone should recommend it about now.”

“Okay. What else?”

“It’s pretty and white.”

“Until it melts and becomes all dirty and slushy.”

He offered her a French fry. “I don’t believe you have no romance in you, Tess.”

She took it. “What can I say?”

“I saw the way you enjoyed the restaurant that night,” he told her. “I think you’re very romantic.” He reached across the table and touched her hand.

The sounds of the restaurant faded, and the world narrowed down to just the two of them. Tess felt a flutter of nerves.

“Logan—”

“Spoilsport,” he said as he let go of her hand.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. “So you miss sailing and snow. What else?”

She watched him hesitate for a moment and reached across the table to put her hand on his. “Talk to me. I still don’t know half as much about you as you do me.”

He turned her hand over and squeezed it, then withdrew it so that he could pull out his wallet. She watched him take out several photos and spread them on the table before her.

Tess’s eyes widened. He and another man sat on a hospital bed. Both of them were bald. It felt like her heart leaped into her throat.

“I miss my buddy, Jason, most of all. He died last year. Cancer.”

“You shaved your head when he was doing chemo, didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “A bunch of us on the force did. It was the least we could do.”

“I’m sorry.”

Logan slid the photos back into his wallet and returned it to his back pocket. “So I know a little about how you feel about losing a friend.”

She nodded. “So are you still angry?”

He pushed his plate away. “You bet. Why do people like Jason have to die and the scum live to a ripe old age?”

“I’ve struggled with that,” she said quietly. “It’s the big question, isn’t it? But I think I’m coming to terms with it. My pastor’s helped me a lot.”

“I haven’t been inside a church since Jason’s memorial service. Don’t know if I’ll ever be able to.”

“Let me know if you’d ever like to visit—”

Her cell went off. She checked the display, then took the call. When she finished, she took a last, long drink of her tea.

“We have to run by Mrs. Ramsey’s. She called in, said someone broke in. We can swing by her house and still make the meeting at the station.”

“Again?” He tipped up his drink, took a last swallow. “Why do you always take the calls for her?”

She smiled at him. “I asked to take them. I owe her.”

Logan wasn’t good with meetings.

Tess wasn’t either.

Every time he glanced at her sitting next to him she was doodling on her note pad. When Gordon walked into the room, Logan gave Tess a nudge with his elbow and slanted his eyes at her uncle in a silent message. Tess flipped a clean page over as if she were taking notes.

“People, we need some progress,” the team leader said in a resigned voice. “We’ve had a stalemate on this for two weeks now.”

The door opened again, and Logan glanced up. Maria from Records stood there, her face pale.

“Maria. I—uh, we’re discussing progress right now,” the leader said, getting to his feet. “I’ll come brief you as soon as we’re done.”

“Progress,” she said in a dull voice. “Does that mean you’ve found Toni’s killer?”

“We’re doing everything we can.”

Maria began sobbing. Tess got to her feet and walked over to put her arm around her. She spoke quietly so that Logan didn’t hear, but Maria nodded and let Tess lead her out of the room. Someone shut the door behind them, and the meeting resumed.

When Tess returned, her cheeks were pale, and Logan could see that her eyelashes were wet. She stared straight ahead as different team members gave their reports. They’d already agreed he would give theirs, and Logan sent up a silent thank you.

Strategy was discussed for the following week, assignments for follow-ups with neighbors, and the trickle of leads that came in on a tip hotline.

The meeting broke up and people began filing out of the room.

When Logan and Tess walked outside into the bright sunlight, he tried to shake off the depression he felt. He didn’t even need to look at Tess to know she was feeling the same way—he could sense it.

“We need a break.”

“Duh.” She got into the car and sat there staring sightlessly through the windshield.

“No, I mean a break away from all of this.” He started the car. “How long will it take for you to change?”

“Change into what?”

“Change into something you can wear sailing.”

She gave a short laugh as she buckled her seat belt. “Did you buy a boat while we were in the meeting?”

“They have sailboats at the marina, don’t they?”

“Yeah.”

“So we’re going to rent one for an hour or two.”

“What if I have plans?”

He glanced at her. “Do you?”

“I was going to go to my quilting guild.”

“You’re at the quilt shop an awful lot. Spend some time with me, Tess.” He said it quietly and caught himself holding his breath.

And he wasn’t real happy when she hesitated.

“I spent all day with you.”

“Not the same thing. But if you don’t want to—”

“I want to,” she said finally.

A tourist walked into the path of the car in front of the fort. Logan slammed on the brakes, and his arm went out to keep Tess from moving forward.

“Sorry,” he said when he accidentally touched her. “Reflex.”

She gave him a mild look. “It’s okay. Wow, guy’s guardian angel was on duty today.”

“I oughta give him a ticket,” he muttered. “Next time he might not be so lucky and he’ll get hurt.”

He didn’t have to worry about that. A uniformed officer sitting at one of the outdoor tables of a nearby restaurant had seen what happened. He threw down his napkin and met the jaywalker when he stepped onto the sidewalk.

Logan and Tess exchanged a look.

“Do you believe in divine justice?” she asked him suddenly.

“That was man’s justice.”

A horn honked. Logan waved a hand in apology at the driver behind him and resumed driving.

“I know. I just wondered if you believed that God takes care of punishing those who sin.”

“I sure hope so,” he said. “Because I know we’ll never catch everyone who does.”

He pulled into her driveway. “This going to take long?”

She made a face at him. “Five minutes.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said.

Tess lifted her chin. “Time me.”

Logan checked his watch. “You’re on. Winner buys dinner.”

She fairly leaped out of the car and ran to her door. In what seemed like a moment later, she was backing out, pulling out her weapon, and gesturing at him to join her.

He got out of the car, drew his weapon, and joined her.

“Someone’s been in the house.”

She went in first and he backed her, then they split up and moved through each room.

“Clear!” she called.

“Clear.”

Tess slid her gun back in its holster. “Okay, now you’re really going to think I’m paranoid.”

“Trust your gut,” he told her, still tense as he looked around. “Tell me what looks off.”

“Someone straightened up a little.” She shook her head, puzzled. “The couch pillows are in different places, and I’d left the newspaper scattered over the top of the coffee table. Stuff like that.”

“Boyfriend?”

She frowned. “You know I don’t have a boyfriend.”

He knew he wanted to be her boyfriend. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he walked around the room. Talk about neat.

“Remember that case on the news a month or two ago?” he asked her. “Woman broke into someone’s house, cleaned it, then left a bill?”

“Yeah.”

“You said your mother died. Would any friends do this?”

Tess smacked her forehead with her hand. “My aunt. She has a key. I always say she’s obsessive compulsive. She must have come by.”

She walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “Yup. Look what my burglar did.” She pulled out a baked chicken, a Tupperware container of potato salad, and one of baked beans.

“Wow.”

She opened one cupboard, then another and she grinned. “She grocery shopped for me. When I was at the shop the other day, I complained I hadn’t had time with all the overtime we’ve worked with the murder. I know, you’re thinking I went to quilting class and could have gone shopping instead.”

“Hey, you needed a break. I don’t care for grocery shopping myself.” He eyed the food. “I don’t suppose you’d consider bringing the chicken along for the sail?”

“Absolutely. Seems destined, don’t you think? If you don’t mind packing it all up while I change, there’s a picnic basket in the garage.”

“I’m on it.”

The garage was as neat as the inside of the house. Logan found the basket easily and packed the chicken, potato salad, and beans, then added the jug of sweet tea he found on the shelf in the refrigerator. He’d stop by the grocery store tomorrow and replace everything, but for now it saved time and was just what he was hungry for when he hadn’t known he’d been hungry for it.

Maybe his guardian angel was on duty for him today as well.

Tess returned wearing a baseball cap with the St. Augustine PD insignia, her hair in a long tail pulled through the back of it. Her T-shirt was long-sleeved but her shorts . . . well, they made it seem like her legs went on forever.

“I packed sunscreen for us. I have to warn you: I don’t have any motion sickness pills, and I didn’t do so well the last time I went for one of those river cruises.”

He shrugged and picked up the picnic basket. “We can stop for some if you want.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. We’re not going to be out that long, right?”

“Right.” As much as he wanted to keep her out for hours, they didn’t have all that much daylight left.