Page 57 of Dirty Looks

Oscar whined as if he were offended and readjusted himself next to the fireplace where he was sleeping off his taco coma.

“Be a good boy,” I whispered to him. “You’ll get tacos for life.”

He looked at me with eyes of adoration, and I knew I’d officially gotten a dog.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

My alarm wentoff at six, and though it was still dark in the room and my eyelids were refusing to open, I reached blindly for the coffee I could smell on my nightstand.

Jack’s side of the bed was cool, and I knew he’d already had a workout, showered, and checked in with his shift commanders for the day.

The automated blackout shades started to rise, and let in a pearly glow of morning light, and I made my way out of bed with my cup and headed for the shower so I could wake up. We’d already decided to talk to Robert Lidle first thing, and then we’d drive to Prince Frederick, Maryland, and talk to Emma Lidle.

Jack came in moments later while my head was covered in suds and soap dripping into my eyes.

“You’re always a picture in the morning,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

“Shut up,” I said, ducking my head under the spray.

“Change of plans,” he said. “We’ll drive to Prince Frederick first. The hospital called and said Kitty Lidle passed away around half an hour ago.”

“And now we have three homicides on our hands,” I said, hurrying to finish my shower. I turned the water off and Jack handed me a towel.

“Let’s go ahead and move out,” Jack said. “I want to be back in time to see the entire family together and how they react to knowing their mother was murdered.”

“Is it raining?” I asked, standing in the closet in my underwear. I’d spent the last month perpetually damp, and it made a difference when picking out clothes in the morning.

“No rain in the forecast for today,” he said.

“Is it cold?”

“A little chilly out now,” he said. “It’ll warm up this afternoon. You could just check the weather app.”

“Why when I know you already looked?” I asked, pulling a pair of wide-legged gray slacks from the hanger and slipping them on.

I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what was on the agenda today at the funeral home either, but I’d check in with Sheldon at a reasonable hour. I found a stretchy turtleneck in dark purple and grabbed the suit jacket that matched the pants, and then I put my feet into soft leather boots that would need to stay away from any remaining puddles.

I looked at Jack and the black slacks and white dress shirt he wore. “I thought you didn’t have to go back to court?”

“I don’t,” he said. “But impressions matter to Robert Lidle. He doesn’t want to think of me as someone who actually works the job. Seeing me in uniform won’t make questioning him easier.”

“Yeah, I got the impression he was a real piece of work when I listened to him on the phone with Martinez.”

“Just a man who’s used to getting exactly what he wants,” Jack said. “He’s mostly harmless. A lot of bluster. I think he’s always been intimidated by his wife’s status and power. It can’thave been easy to marry into a family like that. Then he runs for Senate, using his wife’s money, and he still loses.”

“Now he gives headaches to the entire institution,” I said.

“Like his son said, it keeps him busy.”

We stopped in the kitchen to top off our coffee, and then I stuck my head in the study door. Doug and Oscar were dead to the world. Oscar hadn’t moved from in front of the fireplace, and Doug was asleep on the couch. Margot was still humming and documents were still being organized on the screen.

“Should we wake him?” I asked. “Let him know we’re headed out?”

“I’ll call him on the way back to King George. Let him get some sleep.”

Jack’s police unit was parked in front of the house like it usually was, but he pointed to the garage instead. I thought for sure he’d be taking the Porsche, but the lights flashed on his black truck. It was big and sleek and there was something about the bug-eyed headlights that were just sexy. It smelled like leather and was as comfortable as any car we had.

“Just in case there are still areas with high water,” he said. “I don’t want to take a chance in the Porsche.”

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