now that I was awake and thinking about all my worries, I didn’t think I could go back to sleep anyway.
I gave Holly a quick call to check on Chloe and let her know I was meeting with Dimples this morning. She reported that everything was going well for now, but I could hear the tension in her voice.
“Did Scott and Kira make it over for a visit?” I asked.
“Yes, and they came late, so I don’t think anyone noticed. I’ve had a few calls from the media this morning already, asking for information, but I’ve referred everything to the police like Dimples said to do.”
I puffed out a breath. “You know it makes me nervous when you call him Dimples, right?”
“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Why do you think I do it? Anyway...other than that, we’re just waiting for news, so keep me in the loop, okay?”
“Sure,” I agreed. “How’s Chloe holding up?”
“Better since Scott brought over her phone last night.”
“What? Wait...she’s not texting her friends is she?”
“No of course not...just her parents and...Josh,” she replied.
“Josh?” That surprised me, but I should have seen it coming. “Oh Josh...right.”
“Scott brought the phone over. I guess he got it from Dimples. Chloe’s supposed to text him a few times during the day, which I can certainly understand.”
“Oh, for sure...me too. Well, I’ll let you know what happens with...uh...Dimples today.”
She laughed and we disconnected, but it made me think that maybe I shouldn’t call him that anymore. I wasn’t sure I could do that since it was such a habit, but I could probably try.
I ate breakfast and mulled over everything I needed to do. Finding the dirty cop for Chloe was imperative, but so was finding out who shot Billie. I also had the thumb-drive and needed to figure out what to do about that, but if I could talk to Billie about it, maybe she’d help me figure it out. Then there was the guy who’d seen me last night. It would certainly be nice to know who he was.
The file on my old flame, Tom Souvall, sat on my dresser where I’d left it last night, and I knew that his murder case would have to take a back seat for now. There was also Uncle Joey’s old friend Blake Beauchaine to consider but, until Uncle Joey asked for something specific, there was nothing for me to do about it.
With all that to worry about, it didn’t help my mood that the sky was covered in gray clouds and it was raining off and on. The drop in temperature meant it was time to turn the heat on in the house. I had put it off as long as possible, not wanting the good weather to end. I loved fall, but a dreary day like this meant winter was coming for real.
At least I had some really cute boots to wear, and I’d wanted to get a motorcycle jacket...black leather, of course. Maybe when this was all over I could see what they had at the mall. That cheered me up enough to get into the shower.
***
The hospital doors swooshed open for me, and I hurried inside, anxious to see how Billie was doing. As I got to her room, I stopped to glance through the glass in the door. Dimples slouched in the chair beside her bed, his eyes closed and his head slumped forward. But he sat close enough to hold Billie’s hand, and my heart warmed to find them like this.
Billie’s pale face gave her a vulnerability I’d never seen before, and I sighed with gratitude that she’d survived. With her dark hair framing her face, she reminded me of a princess waiting for her prince charming to kiss her awake. My mood lightened and I smiled, knowing how much she’d hate that image of herself.
Dimples jerked his head up as I came inside. He quickly let go of Billie’s hand and checked his watch. “Wow...is it nine-thirty already?”
“Um...yeah,” I said. “Did you stay here all night?” He glanced at the floor, embarrassed to admit it, and nodded. “How’s Billie doing?”
“Good. She’s doing really good.”
Our voices woke Billie, and her eyes fluttered open.
I gave Holly a quick call to check on Chloe and let her know I was meeting with Dimples this morning. She reported that everything was going well for now, but I could hear the tension in her voice.
“Did Scott and Kira make it over for a visit?” I asked.
“Yes, and they came late, so I don’t think anyone noticed. I’ve had a few calls from the media this morning already, asking for information, but I’ve referred everything to the police like Dimples said to do.”
I puffed out a breath. “You know it makes me nervous when you call him Dimples, right?”
“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Why do you think I do it? Anyway...other than that, we’re just waiting for news, so keep me in the loop, okay?”
“Sure,” I agreed. “How’s Chloe holding up?”
“Better since Scott brought over her phone last night.”
“What? Wait...she’s not texting her friends is she?”
“No of course not...just her parents and...Josh,” she replied.
“Josh?” That surprised me, but I should have seen it coming. “Oh Josh...right.”
“Scott brought the phone over. I guess he got it from Dimples. Chloe’s supposed to text him a few times during the day, which I can certainly understand.”
“Oh, for sure...me too. Well, I’ll let you know what happens with...uh...Dimples today.”
She laughed and we disconnected, but it made me think that maybe I shouldn’t call him that anymore. I wasn’t sure I could do that since it was such a habit, but I could probably try.
I ate breakfast and mulled over everything I needed to do. Finding the dirty cop for Chloe was imperative, but so was finding out who shot Billie. I also had the thumb-drive and needed to figure out what to do about that, but if I could talk to Billie about it, maybe she’d help me figure it out. Then there was the guy who’d seen me last night. It would certainly be nice to know who he was.
The file on my old flame, Tom Souvall, sat on my dresser where I’d left it last night, and I knew that his murder case would have to take a back seat for now. There was also Uncle Joey’s old friend Blake Beauchaine to consider but, until Uncle Joey asked for something specific, there was nothing for me to do about it.
With all that to worry about, it didn’t help my mood that the sky was covered in gray clouds and it was raining off and on. The drop in temperature meant it was time to turn the heat on in the house. I had put it off as long as possible, not wanting the good weather to end. I loved fall, but a dreary day like this meant winter was coming for real.
At least I had some really cute boots to wear, and I’d wanted to get a motorcycle jacket...black leather, of course. Maybe when this was all over I could see what they had at the mall. That cheered me up enough to get into the shower.
***
The hospital doors swooshed open for me, and I hurried inside, anxious to see how Billie was doing. As I got to her room, I stopped to glance through the glass in the door. Dimples slouched in the chair beside her bed, his eyes closed and his head slumped forward. But he sat close enough to hold Billie’s hand, and my heart warmed to find them like this.
Billie’s pale face gave her a vulnerability I’d never seen before, and I sighed with gratitude that she’d survived. With her dark hair framing her face, she reminded me of a princess waiting for her prince charming to kiss her awake. My mood lightened and I smiled, knowing how much she’d hate that image of herself.
Dimples jerked his head up as I came inside. He quickly let go of Billie’s hand and checked his watch. “Wow...is it nine-thirty already?”
“Um...yeah,” I said. “Did you stay here all night?” He glanced at the floor, embarrassed to admit it, and nodded. “How’s Billie doing?”
“Good. She’s doing really good.”
Our voices woke Billie, and her eyes fluttered open.
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