Page 30 of The Last Close Call

Which made it all the more annoying that she was ticked off at him for questioning her judgment.

A server walked over. Rowan ordered a local beer they had on tap and Jack did the same.

Yet another sign that this dinner was more personal than business.

“And are y’all eating tonight?” the server asked.

“I’ll have the wings,” Rowan said. “Extra ranch, please.”

The woman turned to Jack.

“Brisket sandwich, please. Chips instead of coleslaw.”

She jotted it down and walked away. Rowan looked at Jack. He’d rolled his sleeves up, and his arms were tan, probably from mountain biking.

“So, what did you think?” he asked.

“Of?”

“Joy Kendall.”

Rowan tipped her head to the side, debating how much to tell him. She had a lot of thoughts about Joy—most of them conjecture—and she didn’t want to share them with Jack at this point.

“I think we rattled her.”

He nodded. “I expected that. What else?”

“I think... she really didn’t want us inside her house once she knew why we were there.”

“She didn’t want her husband seeing us. What do you think that’s about?”

“I have no way of knowing.”

“Yeah, but what do you think?”

He held her gaze, and she felt the power of it. He had a strong personality, and he was used to persuading people. Right now he wanted her opinion, and he wanted her to feel flattered that he wanted it.

She understood what he was doing, but knowing she was being manipulated didn’t keep her from falling for it.

“I think she’s got a tough decision to make,” Rowan said. “And she may or may not decide to bounce it off her husband.”

Jack just watched her, obviously picking up on her evasiveness.

“You know from my report that they’ve only been married three years, right? And this is his second marriage.”

“What are you suggesting?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. She kept her name when she got married. I wouldn’t be surprised if she keeps her finances separate. Maybe she keeps parts of her past separate, too.”

“Like I said, I don’t think they’re close.”

“Not everyone is a love match.”

Rowan’s parents certainly hadn’t been. They had divorced when she was fourteen and barely spoke anymore.

The server was back with two beer glasses filled to the brim.

Rowan took a sip, hoping to settle her nerves. It wasn’t just that Jack was a cop that was getting to her. He had a way of questioning her that made her feel like he was reading between the lines of everything she said, gleaning information that she hadn’t intended to share.

---