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From then on, her life had been turned upside down.
Oh, who was she kidding? Her life had always been in some kind of turmoil.
They reached the house, and Noah parked the car in her usual spot. Out of habit, she checked the street. No unfamiliar SUV. Noah’s Silverado hadn’t moved. Nor were there any Christmas lights blazing from the rooftop. Greta was sure to be in a state about that, as one of the neighbor’s eaves was aglow with a string of lights, and Greta liked to be the first to welcome the season.
With Remmi leading the way, they climbed the exterior staircase, walking up the steps where they’d met less than eight hours before.
Had it only been that long? It felt like a lifetime. Then, she hadn’t been certain she should allow Noah into the house, had suspected him to be an intruder, but now it felt natural that he was with her.
Did she trust him?
Not completely, of course. She still barely knew him, but at least most of the story he’d told her he’d reconfirmed with the police, and it had seemed to be the truth.
Funny how time changed everything.
Inside, Noah unwrapped the burgers and fries and packs of condiments, then spread them onto the coffee table. Remmi found the bottle of wine she’d been working on and, without asking, poured the remains of the chardonnay into two glasses. “You game?” she asked, offering him one.
His smile didn’t quite touch his eyes, but he tried to joke, “I prefer a merlot with my Animal-Style Double-Double, but this’ll do in a pinch.”
She tried and failed to grin just as Romeo strolled in. “Not yours,” she said to the cat as they dug in. Romeo took his usual spot on the back of the couch, switching his tail.
Food helped. Though she’d been dead tired and depressed, she felt a little more energy as she finished her burger and sipped the wine.
“You’re wrong,” she said.
“About what?”
Holding up her glass, she said, “I think this is the perfect pairing. If you don’t believe me, Google it.”
He laughed for the first time since they’d reconnected, and the sound touched her, almost brought tears to her eyes, as she considered the terrible ridiculousness of the situation.
“God, what’s happening?” she asked, suddenly struck anew by the spiraling events that had led them to this point.
“We’ll find out.”
“You sure? After all this time? When some kind of madman is on the loose mowing down people with a rifle?”
“A madman connected to Didi. Yeah, we’ll find him.” He took a bite of his burger and chewed.
“How can you be so confident?”
“He’ll show his hand. They always do.”
“Do they?” she countered. “Then how come it’s been twenty years?”
“We haven’t been looking.”
“The police have.”
“A long time ago. As I said, he’ll show his hand. Maybe tonight was it.” Another bite and a swallow of wine. “Pretty bold move, killing the author of the book and trying to take out her husband, who happens to be Didi’s first husband.” He frowned a little. “But unless there’s something we don’t know about the Crenshaws—like they owe money to the mob, or whatever—it sure looks like the hit was connected to the publication of the book.”
“Or Karen Upgarde’s death.”
He nodded. “Probably both.”
“So how do you think they’re connected to Karen Upgarde?”
“Million-dollar question. What we have to figure out. That techie I told you about is already on it. I texted her before we left the hospital.”
