Page 32 of Silent Ridge

I didn’t do so well with Dan last night. He walked out of the bar on me and was in a foul mood. No, he was hurt. I don’t blame him for thinking I’m lying about the pictures, because I am, and Dan is pretty attuned to my thoughts.

Maybe going out with another detective would be easier. Out with the old, in with the new. Clay might understand when I don’t want to answer questions about a case. Or not. Maybe it would be worse. Considering his police background, Clay would be more of a problem to lie to.

I decide to call him. Make it clear that I’m dating someone. Not that Dan will ever ask me out again. But I definitely don’t want to date a cop.

I look up the call he made to me yesterday and punch the number. “Detective Osborne, this is Detective Carpenter.”

“Hi, Megan. You can still call me Clay, even though Iamsomewhat of a hero. Thanks, by the way, for cleaning up that mess for me.”

He is referring to the case last month where I unveiled two serial killers and helped him and another county clear several homicides. I felt he owed me one. That was why I called and asked him to guard Gabrielle until she arranged to stay with someone.

He asks, “Am I supposed to call you Detective Carpenter now?”

I could hear the humor in his voice.Shut up, I’m trying to be serious, I think. “No. Megan’s fine.”

He’s laughing now. It’s not really funny. I ask, “So what’s going on with Gabrielle? She didn’t call to tell me she’d arrived. Did she call you?”

“She didn’t call me, but I told her to avoid using that phone and get another one. She’ll call you and give you her number. She probably hasn’t had time to get one.”

He is right, of course.

“I’ll have someone go by her house randomly and check it for a couple of days,” he adds. “She’ll do fine. I told her to contact you or me before she comes back to get the all clear.”

“Thanks for doing all this, Clay.”

“Hey, I owed you one. Right?”

Yes, you did. You still owe me. “You don’t owe me anything. We’re a team, right?”

He laughs. “Speaking of which, I wonder if you and Ronnie would like to come have drinks with me tonight. Not as a date. Just coworkers that kick ass and chew bubblegum. I’m buying.”

I almost say I already have a date, but Dan may be a thing of the past. And I may have to set up a protection team to keep an eye on Dan now. But I can’t afford to piss Clay off because I might need another favor. I say, “Maybe some other time, Clay. We’re going to be busy for a while on this.”

“Gotcha. If I can do anything on this end to help out, just let me know.”

“Thanks, Clay. I will.” And I mean it as I disconnect. I wonder how I’ve gotten so popular all of a sudden. It can’t be because of the pile of dead bodies I seem to attract. Maybe it’s not being emotionally available? Men seem to like that. And big breasts. I don’t have those. But Clay also invited Ronnie, and she can give Dolly Parton a run for her money.

I pull up in the Sheriff’s Office lot and can’t help looking up into the woods where my stalker was. I think about putting a bear trap out, and an image of Nan with a trap attached to her bare ass makes me smile.

Thirty

Back in the office, Nan approaches me and whispers, “Dr. Andrade’s office called.”

I whisper back, “What about?”

She gets a hurt look on her face. “Well. You should call them.”

“I was just about to. Thanks, Nan.”

She doesn’t know whether to be insulted or pleased. She leaves. That’s good. I’m not in the mood to feed her need for gossip today. Ronnie comes to my desk.

“Dr. Andrade called.”

“I know. Nan just whispered in my ear,” I say. I hear papers being stacked hard against Nan’s desk. She has heard me with her super-hearing. I really don’t care.

“I’ve called all the people in Mrs. Delmont’s address book. The ones who were answering. I got nothing more than what we have already.”

“Clay told me you took the samples to Marley at the crime lab,” I say.

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