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Afterward, I headed back home. Afternoon had slid into sunset, and the clock on my dashboard told me it was just past six-thirty.
Archie was going to be ticked.
Well, he’d survived his supper being late before, and he’d survive it today, too. Besides, I was getting home only a few minutes after his usual feeding time; it wasn’t as though I’d disappeared until midnight or something.
Judging by the way his tail was swishing as I entered the apartment, however, it seemed clear enough that he thought having to wait even an extra ten minutes for dinner was a bridge too far.
“And where haveyoubeen?” he demanded as I set my purse down on the dining room table.
“Out,” I said shortly. Kimberly’s secrets were hers to keep, and I had no intention of saying anything to anyone until she’d gone to the police and turned herself in.
Without adding anything else, I headed into the kitchen and got out a can of salmon surprise, then tipped it into Archie’s bowl. At once, he pushed past me and started eating.
I wondered if he’d been this demanding about his mealtimes when he was a man, or whether he’d latched on to food as a security blanket after so many years of being a stray on the streets of Globe.
Speaking of which….
I went back to my purse and got out my phone, and waited for Archie to finish wolfing his dinner. After he was done and had delicately lapped up some water to wash it all down, I said, “I have something I want to show you.”
“Really?” he returned, looking as uninterested as only a cat could.
“Really,” I echoed. “I had to do some research at the library this afternoon, and I found this.”
I held out the phone with the image I’d snapped from the yearbook displayed on the screen.
For the longest moment, he only stared at it. His tail flicked back and forth, but otherwise, I couldn’t see any change in his expression. Then he said, “Why would you show that to me?”
Uh-oh. I had the feeling I’d just made a huge miscalculation. Still, I’d already stuck my foot in it, and so I had no real option but to soldier on. “I guess I thought you might want to see it. I was curious after that story you told me about one of your students having a crush on you.”
Another long pause. His eyes slitted just a bit, and he inquired acidly, “You assumed I wasn’t attractive enough to elicit that kind of interest?”
“No,” I replied at once, although I had to admit to myself that wasn’t precisely the truth.
“Hmm.” He sniffed, then said, “I think I need to rest after my meal.”
And he stalked past me and went into the office where his bed was located. He couldn’t exactly slam the door, although I guessed that was precisely what he wished he could have done.
Quietly, I shut my phone wallet and returned it to my purse.
Maybe one day he would forgive me for reminding him of everything he’d lost.
16
Dust to Dust
No one seemed too surprisedto see Kimberly at the funeral, but then again, she and Danny had once been co-workers. I wished Calvin could have accompanied us, but even though we’d talked on the phone during his dinner break Saturday evening and I’d told him as much as I could, he was scheduled to work on Sunday morning and couldn’t switch shifts with one of his deputies at such late notice.
I told myself it was all right. This was about being here for Kimberly, not having Calvin here for me. He hadn’t said word one about his parents during our call, and I knew better than to try broaching the subject. In fact, I got the impression he was relieved I had so many other things to talk about, since that meant we could avoid such a sticky topic for the time being.
We made plans to get together for dinner on Tuesday night, since he’d be off at a decent hour on that day, and then he’d had to get back to work. I’d hung up, wishing I could have spent the evening in his arms, even though I knew I should be glad that we were still very much together. Neither Danny nor Kimberly were able to enjoy that luxury.
My sensation of discontent didn’t hang around for very long, though. After all, I was only dealing with Calvin’s sometimes annoying work schedule. He was still very much in my life, and I knew I’d put up with a lot more inconvenience than a few missed weekend days together in order to be with him.
This morning, as I showered and put on my one good black dress, I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake. I’d promised to go to the funeral with Kimberly, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. What if people started to wonder what I was doing there, or why I was there with Kimberly Parker, someone I hadn’t even met — except casually at the shop — until the day before?
I did my best to reassure myself that all the attendees would be preoccupied with their own grief and so would have absolutely no reason to pay any attention to me…or Kimberly, for that matter.
At least during our conversation, Calvin had reassured me that she probably wasn’t looking at much jail time…if any. Involuntary manslaughter didn’t exist in Arizona, but negligent homicide did, and the sentences involved were pretty light. Since Kimberly had no priors and the whole thing had been a horrible accident, she might only have to serve probation, although that outcome depended entirely on the judge who heard her case.
