Mayes, Casey - A Deadly Row

“Let’s just say that it might be nice to get out of the Belmont once in a while.”

Lorna looked around the beautifully furnished restaurant. “I don’t see how that’s possible.”

“Trust me,” I said, allowing a slight laugh to escape my lips.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I hadn’t really agreed on meeting with her the next day, but she was fun company, and I heartily approved of the changes she’d made in her life, and her attitude about the world. “Tomorrow it is. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”

“Make it a good one,” she said.

I left her, nodding my thanks again to our waitress as I left. She smiled brightly, but there was also an air of curiosity to her expression. I couldn’t imagine why she thought the hotel owner was picking up every check in sight for me, but I couldn’t exactly tell her, either. For now, I was just going to have to remain a mystery for the staff. I liked thinking of myself that way, Savannah Stone, woman of intrigue.

I couldn’t stall anymore, though.

It was time to create a puzzle, and do it in time to have lunch with my husband at the police station.

AFTER I FINISHED THE LATEST BRAINTEASER, IT WAS TIMEto write my snippet; a nice little addition to whatever puzzle I’d chosen to create.

Life is full of puzzles, some hard, some easy. Every now and then it’s good to revisit the basics, and that’s what I’ve done today. For those of you with Master puzzle-solving skills, remember your joy of solving your first puzzle, and take a moment to relish that sense of accomplishment. For those of you who have been waiting on the side of the puzzle pool, barely dangling your toes in the water, now’s the time to jump in and try one yourself.

That might mollify my die-hard fans, and still be enough of a nudge to get others to try a puzzle themselves. Either way, I was finished for the day, and I could see what Zach was up to, as soon as I faxed this to my editor. If I had time, I’d work on a harder one for tomorrow, but right now, all I cared about was seeing what my husband had come up with while I’d been playing with numbers.

“STEVE, HAVE YOU SEEN MY HUSBAND?”

The officer looked up at me as I walked into the hallway in front of the task force headquarters at the police station.

“He’s meeting with Davis,” he said. “The chief said to tell you if you showed up, to wait for him.”

“It must be odd having Zach back here. He was your boss a long time, and now you’re answering to someone else.”

“Davis is doing the best he can, but he can’t hold a match to your husband.” He realized how that must have sounded, because he quickly amended, “Not that I don’t respect my new boss, too.”

“Zach said you were up for the job yourself.”

He shrugged. “Sure, I took a stab at it, but I knew it was a long shot. I’m ten years younger than Davis, and he’s got more seniority on the force than me, too. My time will come.”

“That’s the spirit,” I said.

Steve’s face brightened as he asked, “Did you finish your puzzle?”

“How did you know I was doing one?”

“The chief mentioned it before he had his meeting. I’m a big fan, you know.”

“Of my husband? Of course, I understand that. I’m a big fan of his, too.”

“No, I mean of you. I do your puzzles every chance I get. Those puzzles are great. I’ve tried a few others, but I like yours the best.”

“Thanks. That’s always nice to hear.”

“What is?” my husband said as he walked into the hall.

“He was just complimenting me,” I said.

“Was he, now? What was the topic?”

“It wasn’t anything like that, Chief,” Steve said quickly. “I told her how much I liked her puzzles.”

Zach frowned for another second, and then laughed. “Relax, I’m just pulling your leg. Savannah’s a real wizard with numbers, isn’t she?”

“Just like you are with clues,” Steve said.

“Not that you could tell that so far.” Zach looked at me a second, then added, “Would you mind if we had lunch here again? I’m not fit to be around people today.”

“Hey, as long as I don’t have to get it, that’s fine with me.”

“Steve, would you mind?”

“You’ve got it, Chief. Do you need to see any menus from around here?”

“I haven’t been gone that long,” my husband said with a smile. “I’ll have a cheesesteak from Greg’s.”

“Make that two,” I said, remembering the way the cheese melted into the sandwich, and the way the peppers and onions had a smoky, grilled flavor.

“You can get something else, if you want.”

“I know, but why would anyone want anything else?”

He shrugged. “Beats me. Do you mind, Steve?”

“No, I’m on it. Be back in a flash.”

After he was gone, as Zach unlocked the door, I asked, “Is it that bad?”

“What? Steve’s doing just fine.”

“I’m not talking about that, and you know it.” I looked around the room, and noticed that since I’d been there yesterday, a large whiteboard leaned against one wall. It was already filled with my husband’s notes, and I knew it was a way he liked to think out loud. “I meant the case.”

“It’s no surprise Davis called me in,” Zach said. “I just had a meeting with him, and it’s pretty clear that Grady’s breathing down his neck. He wants results, and I’m not sure how fast I can give them to him.”

“Why the sudden urgency? We just got here yesterday.”

“This is all new to us, but they’ve been dealing with it for eight days. I don’t blame them. I just wish I had something for them.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll solve this.”

“Savannah, I wish I had your faith in me,” he said.

“You always were your worst critic.” Zach looked glum, and I had to do something to snap him out of it if I could.

“It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we go outside and wait for Steve? When he brings us our sandwiches, we’ll have a picnic across the street.”

“I don’t know,” he said as he looked around the room. “There’s a lot of work I still need to do.”

“You can’t do it if you’re focused on how much there is to accomplish. Trust me, you need a break.”

He shrugged. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get out of here for a little while. Let’s go.”

As we left the room, he pulled out a key and locked the door. “What’s wrong, don’t you trust your officers?”

“That’s the problem, I know them too well. I don’t want anyone snooping around and walking through my evidence.”

Steve was startled to find us out in front of the station waiting on him. “What’s wrong? Did I take too long?”

“No, we decided to eat outside today.”

He shrugged, then he handed Zach our lunches. “I’ll wait upstairs. There’s more work I can do while you’re eating.”

“Why don’t you take off, and I’ll catch up with you later.”

“You got it, Chief,” he said.

Zach and I walked across the street and found a weathered old wooden bench. It wasn’t exactly a park, but there was grass and some trees around us, and it felt like we were getting away from it all.

Zach immediately dove into the bag and pulled out a sandwich. To his credit, he handed the first one to me before he retrieved the other one for himself. As we ate, we enjoyed the day and tried not to talk about murder. After we finished, Zach collected our trash, but he made no move to leave.

“This sunshine feels great, doesn’t it?”

“I bet it’s not as humid at home,” I said.

Zach laughed. “You don’t have to sell me on it, Savannah. I wouldn’t mind being back there myself right now.”