Page 30 of Dirty Valentine
My heart started racing, but I looked straight at Sheldon.“I’m going to be straight with you, Sheldon.That all sounds like a lot of hooey to me disguised with smoke and mirrors.But it does sound like she knows something.We’ve not released any information about what was inscribed on those gravestones or whose graves they were.”
“You think she could be in on it?”Emmy Lu asked.
“I think she’s worth talking to,” I said.“And Leena too.”
Emmy Lu turned back to Sheldon.“Where is Leena?And did you sleep in the woods?You’ve got twigs in your hair.”
“I slept in Leena’s car.I don’t remember a lot after the smoke and the séance, but I think we ended up at the cemetery to keep watch.There were cop cars blocking the entrance, but she had some night-vision binoculars.They were pretty cool, but my glasses kept getting in the way.Then she smoked some more and I fell asleep.When I woke up this morning she was gone.”
“Gone where?”I asked.
He shrugged.“No clue, but she left a note that said Bridget was counting on her and she needed to meditate.”He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me.“But she left the keys in the ignition so I drove straight here.Now that I think about it, maybe I should go home.That smoky smell is really giving me a headache.”
“I’m going to text Jack what you told me,” I said, grabbing my phone.“Do you know anything else about the woman besides her first name?”
“Am I in trouble?”Sheldon asked.
“No,” I said.“You’re just a poor judge of character.We’ll work on that.”
“Oh good,” he said.“I’m afraid of prison.I don’t look good in orange.”
“I’d think that would be the least of your problems in prison, darling,” Emmy Lu said.
Sheldon let out a defeated sigh and said, “I remember we passed Portobago Trail and took a left toward the marshes.We stopped the car when the road ended and then walked the rest of the way to her cabin.I don’t know her last name.She just told me to call her Evangeline.”
“What’d she look like?Give me a description.”
He seemed to remember he had coffee in his hands and took a hasty sip.“Oh, uh, she was old.Lots of wrinkles.Mixed race I think.Dreadlocks that looked like the steel wool my mother uses after she makes a pot of chili.Wore a lot of jangly bracelets.”
“Well, that ought to narrow it down,” Emmy Lu said, squeezing Sheldon on the shoulder.“Go home and get some sleep.But maybe shower first.And if your head starts spinning around and you vomit pea soup make sure you call us.I’ve always wanted to see an exorcism in person.”
CHAPTERTEN
The soundof Jack’s Tahoe pulling under the portico was a welcome relief from the morning’s revelations.Through the window, I watched him climb out, his movements sharp with the kind of focused energy that meant he’d shifted into full investigation mode.The bruises on his knuckles from the morning’s altercation were already darkening, a reminder of how quickly things could turn violent.
I met him at the side door, grateful to escape the funeral home’s suddenly oppressive atmosphere.The spring air was crisp against my skin, carrying the scent of fresh grass and the distant promise of rain.Storm clouds were building on the horizon, turning the sky a moody gray that matched my growing unease about this case.
“Sounds like you had an interesting morning,” Jack said, taking my bag and holding the door of his Tahoe open for me.
“Just another avenue to check out,” I said.“Maybe we can find more about Evangeline from Leena.”
He closed the door and then came around and got into the driver’s side.“I’ve got to say, I can’t wait to meet the mysterious Leena.Maybe we can put the fear of God into her because it sounds like she’s taking advantage of Sheldon.”
“My hero,” I said, buckling my seat belt.“I was thinking the same thing.You’ve never met Leena?I see her every time I go to Lady Jane’s.”
Jack’s mouth quirked as he gave me an incredulous look and he said, “It might be hard to believe, but I’ve never actually been to Lady Jane’s for donuts.”
“What?How can that be?I see cops there every morning.”
“Because they’re weak,” he said, shaking his head.“If I ate donuts every morning I’d start to look like Sergeant Hill.And then I’d either die on the job because my heart couldn’t take the ups and downs of adrenaline rushes or you’d leave me for someone who didn’t eat donuts every day.”
“I eat donuts every day,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Doesn’t count,” he said, grinning.“You’re pregnant.And you’ve got those French genes that allow you to eat bread and cheese all day and never gain weight.”
“I’m about to gain a whole bunch of weight,” I said, trying not to think about my French genes.I’d been literally cut from my mother’s womb and stolen by the woman I’d always thought had been my mother.I hadn’t really had the desire to do a deep dive into that side of my childhood trauma yet, so I did what I always do when things like that arose and shoved it down.
“Yes, and I can’t wait to explore every bit of more you,” he said genially.“How did we end up talking about this?”
