A Grave Peril Read online

  Now, what was up with the damn ring?

  I walked away from the closet and into the kitchen, where Fluffy eyed me curiously from his notorious perch on the counter only inches away from the spray bottle. Wookie stood beside the cupboard where his treats were kept.

  Ignoring them both, I sat down at the kitchen table and, with my hands on my knees, I drew in deep, measured breaths until my heart stopped pounding.

  “It’s just a piece of jewelry. It means nothing.”

  Garrett had casually asked me to marry him before but, every time, I’d repeated that I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready for marriage. Did he have this ring tucked away in case I suddenly changed my mind? I found myself nodding at my plausible explanation. That was it and it made me feel sad because I hated to disappoint him over and over. We’d talk about this more later because, right now, I didn’t know whether to be angry or worried that I hadn’t heard from him for sixteen hours.

  I took Wookie for a couple miles’ jog to burn off the nervous energy. The air had abruptly cooled as bulging, dark clouds knit together. So much for putting on my summer shorts. We returned home just as the first fat drops hit my head and I was kicking off my shoes when the home landline rang, and it was such a foreign thing to happen that I stared at it from across the room. When I reached the cordless phone on the counter, the call display was not a number I recognized.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, sweetheart,” Garrett began. “Sorry for not calling earlier. My phone got damaged so I just borrowed one.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay.” I exhaled loudly. “You called the house line instead of my cell. Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. Sorry for worrying you.”

  “I guess you’re back at work.”

  I heard him cover the phone and mumble something to someone nearby then to me he said, “I’ll be home within the hour.”

  “Okay. See you soon.”

  We said our I-love-yous and disconnected.

  “I told you he was okay,” I said to Wookie who answered by leaning against my thigh and then licking my hand.

  It was not at all like Garrett to lose his phone. He was the careful, methodical one. The planner. I thought about the ring in our closet and swallowed.

  God, I want a drink.

  “Coffee,” I said aloud. “That’s what I need.”

  After I had coffee and ate an apple, I threw a load of laundry into the washer and ran the vacuum. I got in the shower and, while I was drying off, I heard the door to the house open.

  I’m going to tell him I found the ring. I need to make sure we’re still on the same page here.

  I slipped on an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants and went to greet him. Garrett had his back to me and was pouring a glass of water from the sink.

  “You must be exhausted,” I told him as I approached.

  “I am.” He took a drink. “Look, before I turn around, let me just say it’s not as bad as it looks.”

  “What do you mean it’s...”

  But the words died in my throat as he turned to face me. The left side of his face was swollen, and he had a bloody gash over his eye. It looked as though his face had made multiple contacts with a wall, or a fist.

  “Oh my God!” I rushed over, feeling my throat tighten as I slipped my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek to his chest. “What the hell happened?”

  He hesitated and, in the pause, I could feel him weighing how much he could tell me.

  “An apprehension got a little out of control. That’s all. It happens.”

  “You should see a doctor.” I released my hold on him and took a step back, cringing. “That cut above your eye needs stitches.”

  “It’s fine.” He picked up his glass of water and took another long drink. “Like I said, it’s not as bad as it looks.”

  “I guess this means you’re officially back at work. That didn’t take long. I guess all the house repairs will have to keep on waiting.”

  He put down his glass and offered me a tight smile. “Yeah. It’s been a long night. I’m going to have a shower and hit the sheets.”

  “Okay.” I stood on tiptoe and kissed the scruff of salt-and-pepper whiskers on his cheek.

  “Shoo,” he told Fluffy, swatting the cat off the counter as he walked by, but his words did not have their usual weight and Fluffy was back in the same location before he’d even left the room.

  I half listened to the sound of the shower while I folded our laundry, then opened my laptop to, once again, look over requests and think about whether to take a case. When I heard the door to our en suite open, I walked to the bedroom just as Garrett was slipping into bed. Wookie was thrilled at the possibility of napping with one of his favorite humans, so he hopped up next to Garrett and curled up on my side of the bed.

  “Just going to close my eyes for a few hours and then I’ve got to get to the store to replace my phone.” He yawned as I tugged the comforter up to his chin.

  “Okay, baby.”

  I reached and stroked the deep grooves on his forehead. As his eyes closed I was struck by how old he looked. Garrett was over twenty years past my twenty-eight. That had never mattered before but seeing him tired and hurt made me see his age and panic a little.

  I closed our bedroom door most of the way, allowing for Wookie to leave if he wanted, and returned to my laptop. I didn’t want to think about Garrett getting hurt by some druggie he was trying to take down. Possibly some crackhead or drug kingpin who could’ve had a knife and gutted him like a fish. My hands shook as I forced the thought from my head and glanced through my emails.

  An eight-year-old girl was missing and presumed dead in a park in Seattle. It was a custody battle gone in the worst possible direction, and the mother was convinced that the father had dumped her in the park. Seattle wasn’t far. I could possibly even be back before Garrett woke up. After being away from dowsing for months I knew I had to ease back in slowly. Maybe taking another job so soon after finding Douglas Prost’s body wasn’t the right thing.

  I drummed my fingers on the table as I thought about it. Bringing the remains of a young child home was always rewarding. Maybe I wouldn’t officially take on the job. I’d just take a drive to the park the mother had mentioned and see if my dowsing rods lit on anything.

  My phone chimed an incoming text from Tracey.

  Can you give me a ride to get my car?

  I replied that I could and gathered up my backpack, refilled my water bottles and grabbed a bag of trail mix. I left Garrett a note on the counter saying I was going out for a few hours. When I left the house I nearly slammed into Preston, who was just about to knock. I let out a squeak of surprise and quickly closed the door behind me so that Wookie didn’t suspect someone was here and start barking his fool head off.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Preston took a step back.

  He was in his mid-fifties, over six feet and looked like he pumped iron. His partner, Phil, was working in the front garden, pulling weeds, and he paused to wave. They were the kind of guys who wore shorts all year round. Today, in addition to a pair of colorful board shorts, Preston wore a faded yellow T-shirt with a small broken lightning bolt symbol on an upper corner.

  “I was just on my way out.” I shifted my pack onto my shoulder.

  “I won’t keep you then. Is Garrett around?” He hooked his thumb to indicate our driveway. “I saw his car so figure he’s got a day off.”

  “He’s resting. What can I help you with?”

  He hesitated, obviously wanting to talk to the man of the house about manly fence issues. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Is this about the fence?”

  “Yes.” He smiled. “I just wanted to let you guys know they’ll be taking down the old one tomorrow. Wanted to give you a heads-up because of the dog.”

  “Oh right.
Thanks.” I gave him a quick smile. “I’ll be sure to pass that on to Garrett as well when I get back.”

  I started to walk toward my Jeep, and Preston called out to me.

  “We should all get together for a barbecue.”

  And here we go.

  “Yes. Definitely.” It sounded like torture. “We’ll have to set a day to do that another time, Preston. Thanks again for the heads-up about the fence.”

  “Call me Pres!” he called after me as I walked away.

  I nodded and waved back at Phil, who gave me a garden glove salute as I climbed into my car. They were nice but the thought of making regular small talk with people living only a couple yards away made my stomach ache. But if it was important to Garrett, I’d be willing to try my best to be a good suburban neighbor.

  When I pulled up to get Tracey, she had a wrist brace on to match her knee brace.

  “Subluxed my wrist trying to get the knee brace on,” she explained. “Just need to rest it.”

  This was a normal thing for her condition and I knew she didn’t like to focus on it, so I didn’t reply. I just drove, following the directions she gave me to the garage. After a few blocks Tracey narrowed her eyes at me.

  “What’s up?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. You’re all tense like you’re about to explode.”

  I turned on the wipers to clear a few spots from the light sprinkles that started. “Garrett had a rough night at work. Came home with his face beaten up.”

  “Wow.” She looked genuinely surprised. “I always thought he was more the office type of FBI guy and not the kind actually, you know, out there wrestling with criminals in hand-to-hand combat. Hopefully the other guy looked worse off.”

  “Yeah.” I turned the corner onto the main road. “Also...” I licked my lips nervously because I felt like I needed another girl’s opinion on the matter but didn’t want Tracey to blow it all out of proportion. “When I was looking for something in our closet I found a ring Garrett had hidden in a box in the closet.”

  “Really? What kind of ring?”

  “Like an engagement type ring with emeralds and diamonds and shit that fit my ring finger perfectly.” I offered her a quick, crooked smile.

  “Shut up!” she shouted, nearly causing me to run off the road. She punched me in the shoulder. “Do you think it’s for you?”

  “Of course, it’s for me.” I slid her an annoyed look. “Who else would it be for?”

  “I thought maybe, you know, it was his dead wife’s ring.”

  “Oh.” Sheesh, I hadn’t even thought about that. “Wow. Maybe you’re right.”

  “Yeah, because he probably would’ve kept that, right?”

  I felt like an idiot for not even considering that the ring could’ve belonged to her. Suddenly I felt an overwhelming sense of relief mixed with maybe a twinge of disappointment. Maybe it was her ring and, obviously, he couldn’t just toss it in the trash.

  “Why did that make you look so happy?” Tracey asked. “And sad?”

  “The whole marriage thing...” I shuddered. “I think it’s unnecessary. Things are good. We’re happy. I don’t see the point. Getting a ring would just complicate things.”

  “I get that and there is absolutely no need for a piece of paper,” she agreed. “Unless, of course, one of you really wants it.”

  And that was what bothered me the most. Garrett did want it. I thought about his most recent proposal; kissing my finger and suggesting a simple ceremony of quick I Dos. It was clearly important to him.

  “So where exactly is this garage?” I asked.

  Tracey told me to turn into a driveway a few blocks up ahead. Once there, I parked out front.

  “You don’t have to wait,” she told me. “The guy said it’s ready to go.”

  I decided to wait anyway until I at least saw her come back out with her keys and start the car. It was a good thing I waited as a minute later she exited the building looking ticked off and stormed over, opened the passenger door and hopped back into my Jeep.

  “I thought you said it was all fixed?” I asked.

  “The car’s ready but it’s wa-a-ay more cash than I have in my account. The estimate they gave me wasn’t even in the ballpark. It was like at a different baseball field a thousand miles away.” She let out a long sigh and then a shrug. “Well, no big deal. I’ll just bus it until payday or maybe a few paydays.” She smiled. “Sorry for wasting your time. If you drive me home, I’ll make you a killer cup of coffee. That is, if you can stop at the store first so I can buy the coffee.”

  I turned off the Jeep and climbed out.

  “What are you doing?” she called after me, but I ignored the question.

  I went inside and admonished the mechanic for not being more accurate in his estimates and then put her fifteen-hundred-dollar repair bill on my credit card. I returned to the Jeep with her keys.

  “Here you go.” I tossed her keys onto her lap.

  “That’s not cool.” She frowned at the car keys. “It’s going to take me a long time to pay you back. Like, over a year or more because I’m going to be laid up after my knee surgery so I’m not gonna be able to work and—”

  “You don’t have to pay me back.”

  “Oh, yeah, I do. I’m not some charity case, okay?” It was the first time I’d ever heard her sound angry. She was biting her lower lip, obviously trying not to cry.

  “It’s not charity. It’s your cut,” I added quickly. “You helped me find the body of Douglas Prost. I was planning on paying you anyway, so this works out perfect.”

  “Really?” She slid a tentative look my way as her eyes brightened with unshed tears.

  “Absolutely. His mother paid me in full. If you hadn’t had to pee so bad we never would’ve found him,” I said seriously. “You were the best assistant I’ve ever had.”

  My only assistant but whatever.

  She leaned over and hugged me hard with her one good arm.

  “You’re the absolute best friend anyone could have.” She climbed out of the Jeep then. “Want to go to the coffee shop up the road so I can at least buy you coffee?”

  “Sure.” I smiled. “I’ll meet you there.”

  The eight-year-old presumed dead child in the Seattle park could wait an hour.

  We sat on high stools, our hands wrapped around our coffee cups, and Tracey confided that she was on a new dating site and wanted me to look at the profiles of a couple of the guys who’d messaged her.

  “I thought you were seeing someone?”

  “I was. I am. But we’re not, you know, exclusive.”

  “You need to do a criminal record check before you meet up with anyone.” I glanced through the profiles of guys who said they liked hiking and fine dining but who all looked like they hadn’t hiked farther than their driveways and for some reason liked to pose next to oversized pickup trucks.

  “No, I don’t. I check all their pics on social media and google their names and I definitely meet dates somewhere public and let others know where I’m going in advance. Isn’t that good enough?”

  I grunted in affirmation. “Wouldn’t you rather just keep dating one guy and then find someone else if it doesn’t work out?”

  “We’ve only gone out a few times. It’s a little early to narrow it down to one guy.”

  “Yeah, well, all of these guys look and sound the same.” I handed her phone back.

  “Not really. I’ve been chatting with the dark-haired one. He’s nice.”

  “My dog is nice.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion.”

  Tracey didn’t care for dogs. She was finally at the point that she didn’t nearly pass out if Wookie sniffed her crotch, but she wasn’t going to be snuggling with a pup anytime soon.

  “Too bad you don’t like dogs, because
they’re great protection and they’re a great way to meet guys,” I told her. “You go to the dog park and there are lots of single guys there with their dogs and you can tell a lot about a man just by observing him handling his pet.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m just going to have to do it the normal way. Online.”

  “Right. Well, I’ve got to get to Seattle. I’ve got a body to find.”

  We got to our feet and disposed of our paper coffee cups in the recycling bin.

  “Wish I could help. I don’t like you going alone but I have to work in an hour. Could you put it off so we can do it together tomorrow?”

  “I’m okay on my own. I’ve been doing it this way for years, remember?”

  Suddenly someone dropped something glass behind the counter and it made a loud sound. I jumped and put my hand to my chest as a vision popped into my head of running in a dark forest away from a crazy person trying to kill me.

  “Maybe it’s too soon.” Tracey took me gently by the elbow. “Dead people don’t need you to do it today, right? Go home and take it easy. You just started back yesterday. No law says you have to jump right in and go gangbusters right away.”

  “I’m fine.” I shrugged out of her grip on my arm. “Besides, I’m just going to drive around and get a preliminary look.” At her uncertain expression I added, “Really. I’m good.”

  “But if you waited for me to go with you I could help out and pay you back for the money you spent on my car.”

  We walked to our cars parked next to each other. The clouds were parting and the sun was suddenly bright.

  “You’re not paying me back. I mean it. That was your share, okay?”

  When we paused next to our vehicles Tracey pulled me into a hard hug.

  “You really are the best person I’ve ever met.” She squeezed harder. “I mean, you act like a serious old person sometimes and you have horrible taste in road trip listening tunes but...” She finally let me go. “You, Julie Hall, are the bestest best friend a girl could have.”

  “Thanks. You too,” I said in awkward reply.

  I watched Tracey drive out of the parking lot and felt my throat tighten with emotion. I’d never had a best friend before except for Katie and it turned out that Katie was more of a backstabber than a friend.