He studied it, ran his forefinger along its top, pursed his lips.
She turned away for her coat. “There may be nothing in your records worth pursuing—”
“In the ideal situation, what would you like to find?”
“A call that makes some reference to crime or money or the station’s logo.”
“But what good will that do you? You’ll have no idea who made the call.”
Lifting the collar of the coat, she turned to him. “True, but then we can put a tap on your phone. If a kidnapper called once, he’s apt to call again.”
“It’s a long shot.”
“I know.” Looking at him, she suddenly wanted to stay. But she had work to do in the morning. “Jared? What I’ve told you—it’s strictly confidential. If word leaks out about the kidnapping and the press picks it up—”
His raised hand interrupted her. “What you’ve told me stops here.”
“Thanks,” she said softly. Again, she had an overwhelming urge to stay. There was something about Jared’s strength, the gentleness of the hands that had touched her, the understanding in his expression. Going out into the cold night and back to a dark and empty apartment didn’t appeal to her in the least. But it had to be done.
And, besides, he hadn’t invited her to stay.
“I hope I haven’t put you out in any way.”
He tossed a glance at the control panel. “My ‘string of six’ still has a few to go. Maybe I’ll interrupt it just to remind people I’m here, but I sometimes think they do just fine without me.”
“No, no. They tune in because of you.”
“Because of my voice. They like it, so they fantasize. But they’re not tuning in because of me. Any guy with a deep voice and a lazy drawl would do.”
Savannah didn’t argue further, because to some extent she wanted to believe he was right. Let any guy with a deep voice and a lazy drawl take over for him. Then she’d have him all to herself, without half the female population of Rhode Island as competition.
Then again, she was being foolish. If she had Jared Snow all to herself, she wouldn’t know what to do with him. She was constantly busy and the only time she missed a man was during the late-night hours, and she couldn’t ask a man to wait around for just those few moments. Besides, that was when Jared worked.
“Go on in,” she said, tossing her chin toward the sound booth. “I’ve kept you long enough.” She put the straps of her briefcase in place.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
The thought warmed her. “Thanks.” She glanced at the pizza, which had to be stone cold. “Don’t, uh, forget to eat.”
Following her gaze, he grunted. “I’ll heat it in the microwave when I play a reel-to-reel. That will buy me ten minutes.”
Nodding, she headed for the door. “Bye,” she said softly.
He dipped his head in a short salute, then turned into the sound booth. Returning through the hall, then the front foyer, Savannah let herself out.
As soon as she started the car, she turned the radio on.
“WCIC Providence, 95.3 on your FM dial, this is Jared Snow keepin’ you company in the heart of the night. That last song was a former chart-topper by Rosanne Cash. She’s gettin’ some competition from Kathy Mattea, who’ll be singin’ live at the Severence Coffee House next Monday night. Catch Conway Twitty this Saturday at the civic center, or catch him right now at 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence. Listen good on the long drive home.…”
The drive home wasn’t really long, but Savannah listened anyway. By the time she pulled into her garage and went upstairs, Jared had spoken twice. Each time, her pulse raced. And she let it. Thinking about Jared was better than thinking about Megan, and Jared Snow was a distraction of the sweetest kind. He said it himself—people fantasized about his voice. Now Savannah could fantasize about more. Nothing would ever really happen between Jared and her. She knew that. And that was why fantasizing was fun. It was convenient, comfortable, and safe.
She climbed into bed, pulled the covers up high, and listened in the dark to his voice.
“… so get tucked in and enjoy. I’ll be right here, listenin’ with you in cool country, 95.3 FM, WCIC Providence. Jared Snow in the heart of the night.”His voice became deeper, more intimate.“And now, I’ve got ‘Georgia on My Mind’.…”
It was a long time before Savannah’s heart slowed down enough to allow her to sleep, but when it did, she slept more soundly than usual, which was a good thing. Shortly after seven the next morning, Sam called to say that the kidnappers had phoned. The switch was scheduled for that night.
It was going to be a long, tense day.
