Page 8 of Where Secrets Lie

Maybe someone had given it to him and he’d dumped it down the sink. She hadn’t smelled alcohol on his breath, but she’d been so upset, she might not have noticed. Tears burnedher eyes again, and she swallowed hard. Was their newfound happiness a sham?

***

Hez pushed himself out of the armchair as Savannah went into the kitchen to make coffee. He opened the door leading to the condo’s little balcony and walked out, letting the chilly breeze blow the last wisps of grogginess out of his head. He surveyed Pelican Harbor’s quaint little French Quarter. The cries of seagulls mingled with the pleasant hum of voices on the street below and jazz from a couple of better-than-average street musicians. A pair of mourning doves cooed from the power lines across the street. The familiar smells of fresh coffee and hot beignets drifted up from Petit Charms. Most days, he would have been tempted to go down for a sweet snack and jolt of caffeine, but he had no appetite after Savannah’s tenure news.

This place had just started to feel like home, but it wasn’t. They would have to pick up and start over somewhere else. He could set up shop basically anyplace that had a courthouse and affordable office space, but what about Savannah? What if another school denied her tenure in a couple of years? How many chances would she get? Had TGU been her best shot?

She seemed to be holding up well, but this must have been a real gut punch—and one that she wouldn’t recover from quickly. She’d feel it every time she set foot on her beloved TGU campus.

He shook his head. She said he’d made everything rightagain, and he wished that were true. She deserved to be happy. He shoved his hands in his pockets and fidgeted with the contents. The longing to be husband and wife again only intensified with each day. One day soon she’d be his again. He’d be able to roll over in the morning and find her warm and still groggy in the same bed. That time couldn’t come soon enough for him.

“Hez?” The brittleness in Savannah’s voice told him something was wrong even before he turned around.

Her auburn hair stood out from her head as if she’d raked her hands through it. Her green eyes were wide and disbelieving in her white face. She held out a bottle like an accusation. A wine bottle.

A chill went through him. “Where did you get that?”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Your trash.”

His heart stopped. “I—I have no idea how it got there.”

“Hez, this is Mondavi cab. You always used to have a couple of bottles in the kitchen before—” She stared down and blinked.

“Before Ella died and I became an alcoholic.” He rubbed his forehead. “I know. Look, Savannah, I never saw that bottle before. Someone must have planted it in my trash.” He winced inwardly as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He sounded so desperate and paranoid.

“Why... why would someone do that, Hez? And who would know about your go-to wine from three years ago?”

He shook his head as the implications of the bottle in her hand sank in. Someone had broken into his apartment. Someone who knew a lot about his personal history. “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”

She drew a shaky breath. “I know recovering from alcoholism is really hard. I’ll be there for you, no matter how long it takes.”

Her words cut through him like a cold knife. “I haven’t had a drink in over a year. I swear it. I swear it before God. Someone is trying to frame me.” His brain whirred, spitting out half-formed theories. “Augusta hasn’t caught the smugglers yet—maybe it’s one of them. But how would they know I drank Mondavi cab? The mole in the police department! That’s it! There must be something in the file on Ella’s death that—”

Her shoulders started to shake and a ragged sob broke from her throat. “I—I can’t do this. Not now.”

“Savannah, you have to believe me. I—” He reached out to touch her arm, but she flinched away.

“I’m sorry, Hez. I have to go.” She turned and fled.

“Savannah, wait!” He started to follow her, but she was gone. He heard the front door open, followed a moment later by the clatter of steps on the outside stairs.

He stood alone in the middle of the empty apartment and sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it. A diamond sparkled in the rays of late-afternoon sun slanting in through the living room window. It was the same diamond he gave her the first time but reset in a new band with five small rubies, one for each year of their first marriage. He’d been waiting for the right moment to give it to her.

Would that moment ever come?

Chapter 5

Savannah parked in the lot across from University Grounds and dodged a rusty blue pickup on her way across the street. After she’d shot a panicked text to her best friend, Nora Craft had promised to meet her here. Once upon a time the building that housed the coffee shop had been Hotel Tupelo. An investor had bought the grand old place with its high ceilings and had turned it into retail and office space, but it maintained its stately exterior.

She slowed to calm her racing heart and glanced around the quaint town of Nova Cambridge. It had always reminded her of a smaller, shabbier version of Oxford, Mississippi. The weedy cobbled streets held cozy 1920s bungalows interspersed with grander, newer homes. The little university town was strategically located near all the things she loved while maintaining its individuality. Just offshore, Mobile Bay and Bon Secour Bay kissed and merged, and close by was the road leading to the Sanctuary Animal Refuge over a little bridge with Mobile Bay on one side and Weeks Bay on the other. It was fifteen minutes from Pelican Harbor and about the same to Foley if she wanted bigger stores and more people.

A familiar voice called out her name, and Savannah turnedto see her sister hurrying toward her on the sidewalk. The Dior bag on her arm was a pop of bright green against her tan slacks and sweater. Savannah tried to force a smile, but her eyes filled with tears.

Jess touched her forearm. “Savannah, I’m so sorry I didn’t have more time to talk when the tenure news came down. You want to discuss your options a little more? I’ll help you find another job. Simon is at a tutoring session with Will Dixon, and I’m free for however long you need me.”

Savannah knew Jess valued her time above all else, and her willingness to offer comfort spoke volumes. “I think Nora is already inside, and I’d love to have you join us.”

They went up the steps to the wraparound porch. The outdoor tables and chairs were taken by college students in TGU sweatshirts. She opened the door for her sister, and they stepped into the warm space scented with espresso, cinnamon, and cider. Nora waved to them from a table by the window. She was a forensic tech with the Pelican Harbor PD, and the two of them had bonded in a grief group. Nora was in her thirties with thick brown hair cut in a bob. She had been Savannah’s spiritual mentor as well as a sounding board for the trials of the past two years.

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