He was getting himself in deeper. She fought a smile. “My father is part of the Newport crowd. So are two aunts and uncles and numerous cousins.”
“And you became a lawyer,” he said without blinking. “Why, Savvy? Why not a society willow like Susan?”
Savannah sat in quiet admiration of the way he had turned the discussion to his advantage. Then she said softly, “I needed something more. That’s all.”
“And Susan?”
“She chose the world she knew.”
“But she’s not happy.”
“She’s almost thirty-one. Are you going to tell her to leave what she knows and try something new?”
“Someone should.”
“You’ve seen what she does. She just leaves the room.”
“She does that to you?”
“Sometimes. When I hit a raw spot.”
“Like the booze?”
Savannah fell quiet again. When she spoke, it was in a softer voice that asked what the words themselves didn’t. “She didn’t seem drunk.”
“She’s not,” Sam said. “Yet. You worry about that, don’t you?”
Savannah looked at her hands. “Yes, I worry. She’s my sister. I worry a lot.”
“You look tired.”
She glanced up. “I am. But it’s not supposed to show.”
“Why don’t you go home?”
She wanted to. “Soon.”
“Nothing’s going to happen here until morning. I’ll keep an eye on Susan for you.”
Savannah gave a sad chuckle. “That could be tragic for both of you. At the rate you’re going, I’ll arrive here in the morning to find bits and pieces of you two strewn around the house—” She stopped short, all humor gone as she pictured the parody with far too much clarity. It reminded her of a murder case she had worked on, in which the victim had been mutilated. She’d gone through hell trying that case, and she still felt the bile rise in her throat each time she recalled the exhibit photos she had shown the jury. For a split second, she saw the fleeting image of Megan’s face attached to that limbless torso. Then she closed her eyes and took a slow, shaky breath.
“Savvy?” Sam asked. He was rising from his seat just as she opened her eyes, but he continued around the table to where she sat. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” She forced a smile.
“You look green.”
“Must’ve been something I ate.”
“Maybe I should drive you home.”
She shook her head and, as though to prove her point, stood up. “I’m fine. Really. You stay here and guard the fort. I’m counting on you.”
Nodding, he took a step back to let her pass. She came face to face with Hank at the door.
“No watch,” he told her. “Will just checked her jewelry box upstairs and it isn’t there. She must have it.”
Fighting the image of a detached wrist wearing that watch, Savannah swallowed hard. “I’ll see that someone contacts the pawn shops first thing tomorrow.”
