“I’m sorry, you’re right.”
Simple and straightforward—without any justifications—appears to be the way to go.
After a moment she merely nods and moves on.
“Have you seen Lola?”
“Yes, after she was checked out, she chose to go back to the station with KC to give her statement, while everything is still fresh in her mind.”
“Okay, good.I’m gonna need to start making some phone calls; let Emmet know what’s going on, call my suppliers with urgent orders to replenish my inventory.Then I have to figure out how I’m gonna clean up this mess before we open on Monday,” she rambles, suddenly full of energy.
“Slow down and breathe,” I urge her, placing my hands on her shoulders.“It’s late, you’ll be calling people out of bed.All that will have to wait until tomorrow.This is a crime scene, and you won’t be able to do anything until we’ve gone over the coffee shop with a fine-tooth comb,” I explain gently.
She looks deflated.“Oh…”
“Look, Savvy just arrived and she’s got things here.You and me are going back to my place, where Carson is waiting with your dog.We’ll take Ragnar for a walk and then we should try to get some sleep.We’ll have a better idea tomorrow of everything that needs to get done, I’ll help you.”
I wait to see if she needs more convincing, but to my surprise she easily concedes.Almost too easily.
“Okay.”
On the way to my cruiser, I call out to Lloyd we’re heading out.I’m sure he’ll let Savvy know.
We’re just pulling away from the curb when Bess pipes up.
“Can we stop at the convenience store on the corner?”
“You need something?Want me to run in for you?”
She shakes her head.“No, I just need a few necessities.”
I resist the urge to argue, realizing she may not feel comfortable having me pick up toiletries or personal items for her.Instead, I park right out front so I can keep an eye on her as she gets what she needs.
But I can’t keep quiet when I see what she has in her hands as she gets back in the cruiser.
“Seriously?”
“What?”she counters innocently.
I gesture at the familiar box she’s holding on her lap.
“Necessities?Twinkies?”
She shrugs.
“Essential comfort food.”
Chapter10
Bess
I refuseto open my eyes.
I’ve been lying here, listening to the unfamiliar life of this house, but I know as soon as I open my eyes I’m going to have to face the day, and I don’t want to.
I’m not sure what time my body finally gave in to sleep, but it was a little after four the last time I checked my phone.My systems were on overload, unable to process the chaos of events of the evening.Starting with the unexpected invitation to dinner and what turned out to be an amazingly fun time until it shifted into a nightmare.The whole night just kept playing in my head like disjointed movie scenes pasted together.Anytime I would attempt to sort my thoughts in some order, try and zoom in on one thing so I could determine what my next step should be, another wave of random flashes would knock me off my focus.
The fact I ended up in Hugo’s massive bed, wearing his T-shirt, didn’t help matters.
