Page 58 of Investigate Away
Callie reached out and touched her father’s face. And then her mother’s. Tears now scorched her cheeks. They had died two years before Stephanie was murdered. “I miss you all,” Callie whispered.
While Jag didn’t fill a void in her heart, he certainly helped her out of a dark place after she’d lost her parents.
Her phone rang.
FaceTime from Kara.
She smiled and clicked the accept tab on her computer, setting it up on the table as she slouched in the chair. “Hey, Kara. How are you?”
“I’m doing good. How’s my Callie girl?”
Callie wondered if Kara heard about the murder on the island. It hadn’t made national news, because the cops had successfully suppressed any potential connection it might have to the Trinket Killer. Hell, it barely made the local news, except for Bailey, who enjoyed reporting that it was unsolved and that Jag was the chief of police, as if it was expected he would solve the murder within minutes of it happening.
“I’m hanging tough.” Callie tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she pulled her fleece tighter around her chest. “Where are you?”
“We’re still in Oregon. It’s beautiful here.”
“I bet. Are you in a hotel?” Callie leaned forward, trying to get a better look, but it was hard to make out the details on the tiny screen.
“We’re staying in an Airbnb.”
“Where’s Ivy?”
“She’s in the shower. We went for a fifteen-mile walk today. I’m so sore.” Kara lay on a bed on her stomach with her face propped up by her hand. She was a good ten years older than Callie and often acted slightly maternal, and that tended to annoy Callie, but it was nice to have someone care that much.
“I’m going to end up finishing the book early,” Callie said. “Jag’s been great.”
“I have to admit I’m shocked by that,” Kara said. “I know he’s not a bad man, nor is he a bad cop. It’s just that he said some things to you that you just can’t take back.”
“I said some things too,” Callie said. “But at the end of the day, I still love him.”
“But is he good for you?” Kara moved to a sitting position, leaning against a headboard. “And is Seattle good for you?”
“Seattle, not so much. But I like island life.”
Kara laughed. “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, Callie girl.” Kara shook her head. “I was worried that would happen if you stayed out on that island. I’m concerned about you.”
“I know and I’m fine. Really. I am. Things are good. I’ve made it clear that I’m leaving in a couple of weeks. He understands that. This is just a nice way for us to get the closure we never had before.”
“What does he say?”
It was rare that Callie lied to Kara, and she was going to do it twice in one phone call. Once by omission, since she wasn’t going to tell her anything about the murder.
And once right now.
“He agrees with me.”
Kara cocked her head, and her lips parted. “Are you serious?”
Callie nodded, making sure she kept her smile steady and her gaze locked on the screen. “Being in close quarters, sleeping together was inevitable. I mean, the sex was always fucking mind-blowing, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been with a man.”
“Maybe you should try a woman,” Kara said with a tongue-in-cheek tone.
“Now you sound like my sister.”
