Page 16 of Little Dark Deeds
CHAPTER 8
It was a somber flighthome, but with Giovanni at my side, I managed to get through it.We didn’t speak much, and we didn’t need to—just being together and sharing the same space was all the support I needed right now.
We landed at a small airport a few miles out of town, and once we were off the plane and through the lobby, I saw Whitlock standing outside his vehicle, waiting.He greeted me with a nod and walked over, shaking hands with Giovanni and then wrapping his arms around me.
“How are you holding up, kiddo?”he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.“I’m numb, I guess.It doesn’t feel real.It’s hard for me to accept that she’s dead.”
“I get it, and I’m sorry.Hey, ahh ...Harvey called me after you left Giovanni’s family estate.He told me you two were on your way home, and I wanted to be here to greet you when you arrived.Figured you’d have a lot of questions.”
“I do, but our driver is here to pick us up,” I said.
“It’s not a problem,” Giovanni said.“I can send him home and stay with you, or if you prefer, I can head home and leave the two of you to talk.”
I considered my options.
“I’d like to talk to Whitlock and Foley, and I want to go to Tiffany’s house,” I said.“Why don’t you go home, and I’ll touch base with you later?”
Giovanni nodded and leaned in, kissing me on the forehead.“If you need me for anything, call, and I’ll be right there.”
We said our goodbyes, and I climbed into the passenger seat of Whitlock’s SUV.
“What would you like to do first?”Whitlock asked.“Would you like to talk for a spell?Or would you like to talk while we drive, do a little multitasking along the way?”
“Let’s talk on our way to Tiffany’s house.”
“You got it.”
He started the vehicle and pulled out, turning down the music so it wouldn’t get in the way of our conversation.
“Has Silas been to Tiffany’s house yet?”I asked.
“Uh-huh.Silas, Foley, and I went straight over as soon as we returned to town.When I left to come here, he was processing the scene with his new assistant, Kiera.Bet they’ll still be there when we arrive.”
“It’s surreal, you know, to catch up with a friend not knowing you’re never going to see her again,” I said, reflecting.“Life has a way of throwing curve balls, things we don’t see coming.All we can do is find a path through it, a way to keep on going, even when it’s hard.”
