“Great day for it.”
“Yes, it is.” The mild temperature, brilliant sun, and clear blue sky were Missouri autumn in all its glory.
“Can you hear me okay?”
“Yep.” Thanks to Bluetooth, which sent the sound directly from her phone to her sound processors. A big improvement over the days when she’d had to rely on the T-coil in her processors to eliminate extraneous noise.
“I just wanted to say ciao and remind you to stay in touch.”
So this wasn’t about Micah’s death.
She exhaled.
“I was going to call you later today to wish you good luck and bon voyage. And I don’t intend to bother you much while you’re away. They’re going to keep you super busy. You don’t need any interruptions.”
“Your calls are never an interruption.”
“Says the man who almost hung up on me the night you had your soon-to-be fiancée over for dinner last month.”
“A rare exception. I didn’t want the lamb chops to burn.”
“Did you say lamb chops?” Though Jack was speaking slowly and distinctly, as he always did during their phone calls, sometimes it was hard to catch unfamiliar words.
“Yes.”
“Seriously? How come Bri and I never get lamb chops when you host the sibling Sunday meal?”
“Do you know how much they cost?”
“Oh, so Lindsey’s worth the price of lamb chops and sisters aren’t. Thanks a lot.”
A noise that could be a huff came over the line. “Fine. I’ll have lamb chops next time I host.”
Cara grinned. It was too easy to needle her brother. “I’m kidding, Jack. We know you love us. You don’t have to serve us fancy food to prove that. All we require is a regular infusion of mint squares.”
“Those, I can provide. How’s the translation coming along?”
“Fine. Picking up momentum.”
“I imagine you’re getting a ton of work done out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to distract you.”
Nothing to distract her?
Oh no, nothing at all. Just dizzy spells and a kitchen fire and a dead body in the lake.
None of which Jack needed to know.
“Productivity does tend to rise when life is quiet and there aren’t any disruptions.”
A true statement, even if it didn’t characterize her sojourn here up to this point.
“You’ll stay in touch?”
“Count on it. Expect occasional dispatches from me to arrive in Quantico. Take care of yourself.”
“You too. Love ya, sis.”
“Back at you.”
