“Lucky you,” Dillon said. “Ryan arrested my pop.”
“My first bust after joining the Miramar force,” Ryan said. She had a cop’s smile, tight and sharpened by many hard nights. Just the same, there was a warmth to her. A depth. “Then Porter said we should let it go with a warning.”
Dillon emerged with a steaming mug. “Porter is a wise man. And a good cop.”
“Now that is something I can agree with,” Ryan said. “How did you turn out like you did?”
“My grandparents helped,” Dillon replied. “Mostly I was too busy breaking free to pay my folks any attention.” He handed Olivia her mug, then asked the detective, “Can I freshen that for you?”
“Tea sounds great. Only don’t use all of Maud’s honey. She’ll skin us both.” Ryan turned her attention to Olivia. “That picture you made of the family was really, really beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
Ryan watched him pull up a third chair, waited for Olivia to settle, then said, “Dillon tells me you left Miramar for LA.”
“Eight and a half years ago.”
“You worked as a professional photographer?”
Olivia waited as Dillon shifted closer and directed her answers at him. Not looking his way. There was no need. “I mostly worked on movie sets.”
“Making films?”
“No. That is the cinematographer’s job. A totally different field. I was contracted by a studio’s PR department. I shot supposedly casual photographs. Which were almost always totally staged. Pictures that could be shared with bloggers and the entertainment channels. Sometimes I shot taped interviews. But mostly I did stills.” They were both silent, which allowed her to drift back. Drawn by their interest and the midnight hour. Back to the good days. “Nowadays the big stars almost always demand a closed set. Meaning no outside interviewer or photographer can enter. They gradually came to trust me. I only gave out shots that put them at their best light. Then some of the older stars asked me to do some promo stills. Photos they could keep on hand for whatever. They liked the way I shaped the image.”
“I believe it,” Dillon said.
Ryan asked, “What happened?”
“The sky fell.”
Ryan looked out the front doors, to where rain had turned silver by the station lights. “There’s a lot of that going around.”
“Tell me about it,” Dillon agreed.
Ryan said, “I’ve recently remarried. Come the new year, my husband is formally adopting my son by a previous marriage. I’d love to have a portrait of us.” When Olivia did not reply, she added, “I can pay.”
“I could certainly use the income.” Olivia sipped from her mug. “For years I’ve wanted to become a portrait photographer. But the competition in LA is so fierce, and the ranks are basically closed. Work like that goes to the big names.”
Dillon was smiling now. “And look what’s happened.”
Ryan asked, “Is that a yes?”
