Today the excuse that brought her to his door was mail. Smiling and dressed in a designer suit guaranteed to bring out all her best features, Brenda met Paul at the garage door before he could even get close to his car. Last night he’d been vigilant and parked inside the garage. No getting lazy again. He’d patted himself on the back for being proactive and figured he’d avoid another encounter that way. Of course, he was wrong.
His mail for some strange reason had showed up at her house. Considering he’d rarely been at her house, either before or after the split, the probability his mail would end up there was about a million to one, not that the reality of it stopped her from claiming exactly that. She smiled and fluttered her long lashes, undoubtedly thinking she looked irresistible. She was always certain she was the center of attention. He’d been around a lot of narcissists in his career and should have been able to spot the defect in her. She probably banked on the rush of testosterone to blind men to the truth, and at least in his case, it had worked. At first.
Without even looking at the envelopes she handed him, he’d grabbed them and left Brenda standing at the edge of the driveway with her neon smile still at full power. His behavior was flat-out rude, and all he thought at the time was “so what!” He couldn’t get away from his house and to the safety of his office fast enough.
Nothing he said or did seemed to make a damn bit of difference, and he was running out of ideas about what to do next. He’d been sitting here at his desk for an hour fuming and running through a list of what-if scenarios. There had to be a way to make this stop.
“Sorry,” he muttered to Diana. “I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”
“Don’t we all? Like three murdered women buried down by the river.”
He ran both hands through his hair and again thought about the haircut. “Yeah, but believe it or not, they’re the easy part of the equation.” Murder he could deal with. Former girlfriends who turned into stalkers was a whole other ballgame.
Diana’s eyes narrowed and he knew he was out of time. Even her legendary patience had limits. “Seriously, Paul, what in the hell is going on?” she asked. “Everything points to a serial killer, the kind of case you usually obsess about, yet I can’t get you to focus for more than about three minutes. If I didn’t know you better I’d suspect drugs or alcohol. You going off the deep end, partner?”
Maybe she was done giving him time to work out his problems, but he wasn’t quite ready to fess up. “Diana, I’m sorry.” It was as far as he planned to go.
“Brenda.”
The name fell like a hot rock and left him speechless. Considering he was never at a loss for words, it was a pretty good feat on her part. Also made him wonder how transparent he was being about the whole Brenda thing. He thought he was keeping it on the down-low. By the look on her face, he wasn’t so sure he was keeping anything down or low.
Diana rolled her eyes. “Look, you dumb-ass, we’ve worked together how long now? You don’t think I can figure out when you’re neck deep in crap? You’re a good guy, Paul, and you don’t typically do stupid things, but I gotta tell you, pal, that Brenda was bad news from the first minute.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Wish somebody would have told me.”
She smacked him in the arm. “I did tell you, dummy, and not just once. You chose not to listen. I have to think she possessed some skills that kept you thinking with the wrong head.”
No shit. Easy to see it now. At the time, it hadn’t occurred to him she had him by the balls, and even if it had, he wouldn’t have wanted to hear. In guy-speak, she was a tiger fucking his brains out, and it did wonders for his ego. Most of the time, he was a fairly intelligent guy. But sadly it had taken a while to see past the sex to the reality of his entanglement with a crazy woman.
He opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. The jig was up. Meeting her eyes he said, “I’d argue, except when you’re right, you’re right.”
This time she smacked him on the back of the head with an open hand. “I know I’m right.”
Rubbing the back of his head, he muttered, “Humble too.”
She smiled and shrugged. “I do what I can.”
A crash made him spin and the heavy scent of coffee drifted into the air. A red-faced deputy had dropped a full mug of coffee and was busy trying to clean it up off the floor. Those around clapped and laughed.
Paul turned his attention back to Diana. What the hell, he’d gone this far. Might as well spill it all. “She doesn’t want to let it go and she’s driving me insane.”
“Anything I can do?” All the cockiness in her voice was gone.
Take her out? Arrest her and throw her in jail? Burn down her house? He pushed the thoughts away as quickly as they flashed through his mind. He was a cop, and cops didn’t do things like taking out old girlfriends or throwing them in jail on manufactured charges. They were not firebugs. Well, most of them anyway. There was a guy a few years back…no, he wasn’t going there. He wasn’t that guy and never could be.
What could she do? Nothing. He just shook his head.
“Come on,” Diana said. “We need to run out and talk to the K9 handler. We’ll discuss this in the car without any of our friends around.”
He protested. “Nothing to talk about.”
“Let me decide. Come on.”
“Yeah,” he said and grabbed his jacket. “Let’s take a ride.”
He might as well talk it out with her because once she was on something, she wouldn’t give it up, and frankly, she had a point. Too many ears here.
In the car, Diana driving, of course, he stared out the side window. The trees grew thicker as they made their way out of the city and headed north. Houses thinned, although not as much as he remembered from the last time he was out this way. Urban creep, he thought, and for some reason he felt sad. A city boy through and through, he still appreciated the nature so near the urban center. How many people could journey just a few minutes from downtown and see eagles, deer, moose, and porcupines all in the same drive? It would be a sad day when houses pushed the wildlife from their homes.
Diana’s eyes were steady on the road, though he felt she was waiting on him. No sense in trying to avoid the conversation so he picked up where they’d left off in the squad room. “Sooner or later she’s going to have to give it up and realize whatever we had is long gone, if it ever really existed at all. I’m beginning to think the whole thing was a figment of my imagination.”
“She is a looker. That certainly wasn’t your imagination.”
He turned to stare at her and then laughed. It felt good and seemed to break something loose inside him. She was the only one he knew who could take whatever he said, turn it around, and make him laugh. “Yeah, she still is. Who knew crazy could package up so pretty.”
Diana made a tsking sound. “Ah now, partner, crazy isn’t politically correct. She’s mentally ill.”
“Oh, without a doubt she’s one hundred percent mental. It’s more than that though. I still think she’s pure old-fashioned crazy, PC or not.” He’d bet the farm on it.
“Maybe she is or maybe it’s more simple that than. You broke her heart, partner. Once she gets over it and moves on, this will all fade away.”
Man, he hoped that was true, but deep in his heart, he didn’t believe it. Diana might be taking the optimistic route, but he wasn’t. At this point, it would take a lot to convince him Brenda was anything except crazy. Plain, old-fashioned, bat-shit crazy, and he was the dummy that let himself get suckered.
He was still thinking about the future and fantasizing about one without Brenda in it when Diana pulled the car into a long, tidy driveway in the area north of Spokane known as Suncrest. The small bedroom community sat on the shores of Long Lake, although this house was up on the bluff away from the expensive waterfront properties. Might not be right on the lake but it was no starter home either. He liked the massive expanse of green grass and tall Ponderosa pines that spread out in front of the two-s
tory home.
They were still getting out of the car when the front door flew open and a woman stepped out. For a moment he wondered if they’d pulled into the wrong driveway. It wasn’t Circe Latham. He didn’t know who she was, but for the first time today, thoughts of Brenda disappeared.
“Hi,” she said as she strode forward with her hand outstretched. “I’m Lisa Roma. Circe said you were coming by. She went out to run Zelda through a little problem and will be back in a few. You must be Detective Erni?”
Diana nodded and took the outstretched hand. “Call me Diana.”
After Lisa shook hands with Diana, she extended her hand to him. His big hand dwarfed her little one, but he felt strength in her grip and it was nice. She wasn’t anywhere close to being the classic beauty Brenda was, yet he felt an immediate draw to her. He was pretty sure she felt it too because when his fingers closed around hers, he saw a flash in her eyes. It was gone as fast as it appeared. Still, it was there.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a smile. “Circe didn’t tell me anyone else was coming.”
“Paul,” he told her. “Detective Paul Garland.”
“I can call you Paul?” Her smile lit up her eyes.
He nodded. “Please.” She could call him Paul anytime, anywhere. Especially if she was holding onto his hand and gazing into his eyes like right now. Reluctantly, he released her grip.
She inclined her head toward the open front door. “Come on in. Like I said, Circe and Zelda will be back any minute.”
She moved with the grace of a seasoned athlete. He liked it. A lot. “Do you live here?”
With a nod, she answered. “Yes. I’m in grad school at GU and rent the downstairs apartment from Circe. I love it out here and she’s a fantastic landlord. I got real lucky the day I met her.”
Gonzaga University wasn’t known throughout the country just for its championship basketball program. It was a highly rated academic university as well. He’d considered GU when he was ready to go to college but ended up at Eastern Washington University instead because the scholarship they offered was too good to pass up. If Lisa had crossed his path back when he was making his college decision, he was certain he’d have waved good-bye to that scholarship and his diploma would now say Gonzaga University.
*
Circe was always amazed how much better she felt after an evening with a good friend followed by a great workout with Zelda. They’d started with a four-mile run around the neighborhood. Before the run even began she’d planted two jars out in the woods of the state park a couple miles from the house. She’d removed both jars from her freezer marked Hazardous Fluids, and one held blood and fluids while the second contained a piece of blood-soaked cloth. Marked and inventoried, each sample, or source as they referred to them, was on file with the sheriff’s department. Staying certified required constant training, and so she used the various sources she had in her freezer to keep Zelda’s skills sharp. Well, and her skills as well. After all, they still worked as a team, even if she could see the dead.
She’d set them out earlier so the scent would have time to move and pool before she let Zelda run the problem. It was warm this morning and the southwest wind light. Still it was enough to move the scent and give Zelda a good exercise.
Both were ready to go by the time she parked the car off Tormey Road. Though Zelda was trained and field certified, Circe still tried to set her up for the best possible chance of success. She worked her into the wind, running her grids east and west so that Zelda’s nose picked up the wind coming from the southwest.
She’d intended at the start to work for an hour, but Zelda didn’t share the same timetable. By the time they’d worked for a little less than half an hour, Zelda’s ears went up, her back straightened, and her head whipped to the right. No doubt about it, she was on scent. No more than ten minutes later she had alerted correctly on both sources.
With Zelda waiting in the SUV, Circe had gone back into the field and retrieved the sources. Now they were on their way home. She was feeling pretty great, thanks to both the run and the workout she got following Zelda in the field. Zelda’d calmed down too. The success of her search had satisfied her earlier drive to begin working. Zelda loved the job, and her joy showed on her contented face as they drove home.
Circe regretted that she hadn’t discovered working with a search dog earlier. How much better would her world have been if she’d have been side-by-side with a dog even ten years ago? She wasn’t going there because it didn’t matter. It was enough they were together now, and she was grateful every day for what Zelda brought to her life.
She was smiling as her house came into view. The car in her driveway surprised her a little. She was expecting detective hottie, as she’d called earlier and asked if she could stop by. It had taken her about two seconds to say “come on out,” and she’d said it with a smile. But she wasn’t expecting Diana would be here so early. She hated to greet her visitor with sweat-soaked hair and a shirt sticking to her back. Then again, she sensed that evidence of a workout wouldn’t offend Diana.
Had the other detective come with her? It made sense they’d come together, though when Diana had called her she hadn’t mentioned if he wanted to interview her as well. To be fair, she was paying attention to Diana’s request to visit, and that’s pretty much all she heard when she called. The rest of the details sort of flew right by.
Actually, if she was into guys, Garland—she thought that was his name—wasn’t bad-looking. Oh, who was she kidding? He was really good-looking, and even she could appreciate the level of studliness in the guy. It was a sucker’s bet Lisa would notice too. When she thought about it, they would make a striking couple. Lisa wasn’t that cover-girl pretty most guys went for. What she had was something better. It was an aura of beauty and passion so natural it was irresistible. It was particularly strong because Lisa was so unaware of it. If Garland had come along, she’d be curious to see if the detective was pulled into Lisa’s orbit like everyone else was. People were just drawn to her, which was one of the reasons Circe knew she’d be an exceptional psychologist.
As soon as she stepped inside the house and saw the three of them sitting at the table she almost laughed. No need to wait for the answer to her question; it was right in front of her face. Lisa was working her magic on the man, and whether he realized it or not, he didn’t stand a chance.
Of course, Lisa was quite adept at avoiding romantic attachments. Somewhere along the line something had happened, and her lovely friend put a new spin on the term “gun-shy.” Curious as she was about what caused her to steer clear of romantic involvements, she tried to respect Lisa’s privacy and never asked. She had the sense that someday, when the time was right, Lisa would share.
So far, Circe had managed to stay out of her love life, or lack thereof. Until right this second. All of a sudden she had a really good feeling about this guy, and it was high time for her much-too-serious student tenant to let loose. It was time to let go of whatever in her past was holding her back and take a good hard look at what the future had to offer. Good old intuition was guiding her on this one, not a degree in psychology. Lisa might like to default to her education in instances like this, but not Circe. She’d bank on that indefinable feeling any day of the week.
Zelda did what Circe called a “drive-by,” meaning she stopped by each person seated at the table for a total of about three or four seconds and then hit the dog door leading to the backyard. It was her normal routine after a workout. In good weather, she would go outside and nap beneath one of the shade trees in the yard. If the weather was cold, rainy, or snowy, she opted for the sofa. Today was a good day, and by now she’d be sprawled out in the shade.
After pouring herself a glass of water from the dispenser in the refrigerator, Diana took her drink and joined the three at the table. “So,” she said after taking a sip. “What’s up?”
This follow-up visit was a little unusual. Unless, God forbid, she was called into court to te
stify in a homicide case, her work in the recoveries ended once the body was located. She and Zelda had found the three women, and the rest of it was up to the police and the sheriff’s department. When Diana had called and asked to come by, she was a bit vague on why. Circe didn’t question her because…well, she thought a little time around the cute detective wasn’t a bad thing. That was a little unusual too. Not that she was totally oblivious to attractive women. Not the case at all. It was more that she chose not to pay attention. Easier to keep all her secrets if she kept to herself and avoided involvements.
Still, her willingness to spend some time with Diana aside, she was more curious about the impromptu visit. What exactly could she help with beyond what they already did? She and Zelda helped bring the dead home. End of story. What else was there to report? That anyone would believe anyway?
“This is going to sound odd,” Diana said.
Circe smiled. Okay, it was a good way to lead. She could deal with that. Odd was pretty much the definition of her life. “I’m okay with odd.”
Diana nodded and gave her a small smile. “Appreciate that. Here’s the deal. I have nothing to back this up, but I’m wondering if you and Zelda would do an unofficial search for me?”
“Unofficial?” Now that was odd and not at all what she was expecting. As part of the county’s mission-ready search-and-rescue volunteers, she worked only through Brian. Frankly, it had never occurred to her, even with her special talents, to do anything else. Keeping her life ordered and playing by the rules gave her a sense of being normal. Considering how abnormal she felt before she’d discovered K9 search and rescue, she hesitated to consider anything that could possibly upset the life she’d so carefully crafted for herself. Besides, she loved working with Brian and was not inclined to mess up a great relationship even if the person asking was damned hot.
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