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“I have no idea.” She looked around the room. “Doesn’t look like it.”
“Even though we’re supposed to look like we’re not talking about the Timberline Trio case,” he said as he took her hand across the table, “doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.”
“Did your brother open up to you any more today?”
“No, but he did say he met with Chewy.”
Her fingers toyed with his. “Your brother, Chewy and Rusty were all in town at around the same time and one of them ends up dead. Then Granny tells us that a couple of members of the old Q-gang show up out of the blue, including my uncle.”
“I think they’re all here for the same reason, and it has something to do with their association years ago at the time of the kidnappings.”
“I think you’re right, but nobody’s talking.”
The waiter approached their table and took their drink orders.
“You don’t mind if I have a beer, do you?”
“No, but if you have more than one, I’ll take the wheel on the way home.”
“That’s a deal. I’ll probably need about five after the day I had.” She held up her hands. “Just kidding.”
“Go ahead and have five, Scarlett, if you want. I’m not a leading member of the temperance movement or anything.”
“When did you give up drinking?”
“When I was in the army.”
“Helluva time to swear off booze.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Did you call Dr. Shipman this afternoon?”
“By the time I thought about it, she’d left for the day. I’ll try again tomorrow.”
The waiter returned with her beer and Jim’s soda. “Are you ready to order?”
When they’d placed their orders and the waiter left, Jim asked, “You don’t mind that I ordered pork chops, do you?”
“I’m not the leader of the vegetarian movement, either.” She clinked her glass against his and took a sip of her beer.
Jim hunched forward and touched his finger to her upper lip. “Foam.”
“Smooth move, Kennedy.”
“That wasn’t for show. You really did have some foam on your mouth.”
She licked her lips. “What if you just gave it up? What if you just let that particular sleeping dog lie? Something unexplainable happened to you as a child. Can you let it go?”
“Not sure.” He stirred his ice with his straw. “It haunted me when I was...imprisoned. Funny, all the things they did to me in captivity and my constant nightmare was the attempted kidnapping.”
“Maybe because it happened to you as a child, it holds a special terror. I’m not sure we ever get over our childhood fears.”
“And what was yours? All I ever saw was a confident, pretty girl who knew what she wanted in life and went out to get it.”
“I put up a good front.” She took a long pull from her beer, savoring the warmth in her belly. “You know I lost my parents and my baby brother in a car accident. I was supposed to be in that car.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother. I’m sorry.”
“He wasn’t even a year old. I should’ve stopped all of them that day.”
“How old were you?”
“Six, and before you start in with the ‘you were too young’ business, I believe that was my first experience with my special gift, only it wasn’t so special.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was supposed to be on that trip, but I faked a stomachache so I wouldn’t have to go. I had a feeling, even back then.”
He brushed his knuckles along her forearm. “And Evelyn was telling me to deal with my guilt. I hope she told you the same.”
“I’ve worked through it. How do you think I know Dr. Shipman?”
“This is supposed to be a date. We’re way too serious over here. People are going to have their suspicions confirmed that we’re working on something together.” He hunched forward on the table and kissed her mouth. “Do you think that’ll convince them otherwise?”
“It’s a start.”
She wouldn’t have minded practicing a little more convincing, but the waiter showed up with their food.
