AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s on a break,” Ella said.
“I actually wanted you, anyway. Can you start on some photocopies for me?”
“Sure, Mr. St. Cloud.”
“Hale.” He gestured for her to enter the office, and when she spied Savannah, she stopped in the doorway. “It’s the Bancroft Bluff files.”
“All of them?” She looked taken aback.
“Just these last few months’ worth,” Savvy told her.
“Okay . . . ,” Ella replied.
“I understand you talked to Detective Stone today,” Savvy added.
“He wanted information on Hillary, too,” Ella said quickly. “I gave him her address.” Ella grabbed up the files that Savannah handed to her and scurried out.
“I am really scary,” Savannah said.
“You are,” Hale agreed lazily.
She suddenly smiled at him. Really smiled. His breath caught for a moment, and then there was a rap on
his door. Hale opened it to find his grandfather standing just outside, leaning on an ebony-handled cane.
“What’s going on?” he asked, stepping into the office. His white hair had lifted in tufts, and he looked surprisingly disheveled, not his usual immaculate self.
“Savannah’s here, working the Donatella murders. I told you.”
Declan’s bushy gray eyebrows slammed together. “You’re about to have my great-grandson, miss. What in God’s name are you doing investigating Hale?”
“I’m not really investigating Hale—” she started to say, but he cut her off.
“You should be making plans to have this baby. That’s what you should be doing.” Declan shuffled around and looked out the door, asking querulously, “Where’s Sylvie?” Then, “Oh ho!”
Hale took two steps to the door. He peered out to see what had captured his grandfather’s attention just as his wife’s voice demanded, “Where is everybody?”
Kristina was just cresting the top step and was in the process of folding up an umbrella and shrugging out of her coat. She added them to the clothes tree by the reception area and gazed expectantly at Hale.
“Ella’s in the copy room, and Sylvie’s on break. Savvy’s here,” Hale said.
Kristina was marching toward his door, but his words caused her to stop short. “Here?”
“I told her she should quit this nonsense,” Declan declared. “Time to start thinking about the baby.”
Kristina headed forward again. As she entered the office and moved past Declan, who stood just inside the door, she demanded, “What nonsense?”
“My job,” Savannah said.
Hale waited until everyone was inside before closing the door. Declan worked his way to one of the visitor’s chairs, and Kristina moved to the table where Savannah was closing the files that Ella hadn’t taken to the copy room.
Hale was wondering what in the hell had brought his wife to Bancroft Development. Once upon a time Kristina might have been interested in what he did for a living, but those days were long gone. Now he had no idea what she did with her time, and he almost didn’t want to ask.
Do you believe in sorcery?
“Your job?” Kristina repeated.
“Working the Donatella homicides,” Savvy said. “Getting some background.”
