She nods in agreement.“Althof is already on that.I put him in charge of the investigation, and he’s trying to track Chance down for a word.”
Rick Althof is the Edwards County Sheriff’s Office newest addition.A transplant from Coeur d’Alene where he was a detective for the police department, he now fills the newly commission-approved role of sheriff’s investigator.The guy is a bit of a loner, keeps to himself most of the time, but seems decent enough.
“Now…about you,” Savvy redirects the conversation.“What did the doctor say?”
“No concussion.Just a scratch on my scalp and my right ear is a bit messed up, but?—”
“Messed up, how?”
“Ruptured eardrum but it should heal on its own.”
“I bet he told you to take it easy, and yet, here you are,” she says pointedly, gesturing at me.
“But I’m heading home now to do just that,” I quickly announce, getting to my feet.
“Is there any point in me telling you not to show your face tomorrow?”she asks when I’m halfway out the door.
I shoot her a grin over my shoulder.
“Probably not.”
Chapter3
Bess
“Do you have a minute?”
Dana lifts her eyes from the chart she’s reading and registers surprise, seeing me at the clinic.She immediately gets to her feet.
“Bess?Sure.Everything all right?What are you doing here?”
She fires off questions as she ushers me into the nearest treatment room.
“I’m fine.I was passing by on my way to Sacha Levy’s place to pick up some eggs and thought I’d pop in.”
Dana looks at me expectantly, knowing full well I wouldn’t just drop in at the clinic unless there was a good reason.
“And…” I continue.“I figured I could ask you about a sleep issue I’ve been having.”
“As in…what kind of issue are we talking about?”she prompts
“As in, I can’t get any.Sleep, that is.”
“That explains a lot.”She nods.
“Like what?”
She shrugs.“You’ve seemed a bit…absent.Not all there.And, I’m sorry to say it because I love you, but you look like a dish rag.Wrung out with that slightly gray tinge.”She pinches her thumb and index finger together.“I was this close to pulling you aside the morning of the fire, but it wasn’t the right moment for a concerned friend talk.”
She gestures for me to sit on the edge of the bed while she pulls a rolling stool from under the small desk and sits down right in front of me.
“What are we talking about?Can’t fall asleep?Can’t stay asleep?”
“Neither.It takes me hours to finally doze off and then I sleep maybe half an hour, at best, before I wake up again.”
“More frequent bathroom breaks?”
I shrug.“I go a lot more, not because I have to, but because it’s something to do in the middle of the night.”
