Page 61 of A Lifetime in 30 Days
“Shhh,” Vanna told her. The last thing she needed was for either of them to get the bright idea to arrest her grandmother. That would be the moment Vanna really did something worth getting arrested for. “We’re not saying another word until our attorney gets here.”
When they’d been moved into the living room, she’d asked for her phone to call Jovani, and while she suspected that was the last thing Beaumont wanted her to do, there were too many other cops present for him to ignore her request a second time. With a frown, Parish turned and walked away from them. He went to join the other officers who had gone out onto her deck, checking the dining room window that was open because they probably suspected the same as she had—that it was the way the intruders had entered her house.
Beaumont gave her one last long, lingering look before he walked away as well. Granny leaned in and whispered, “I ain’t got no attorney.”
“You do if I do,” Vanna said.
“Yeah, but Aden only paid for you.”
“Then I’ll pay for you if need be.” Vanna sighed heavily, wishing none of this was needed. Wishing she’d never married Caleb. Wishing that Granny hadn’t mentioned Aden’s name.
“You sure you don’t want to stay at a hotel tonight, Vanna?” Jovani asked two hours later, when the police and those two men had finally left her house.
“I’m not leaving my home because of this nonsense. I shouldn’t even be involved in any of this.” It wasn’t the first time she’d said this tonight, or that she’d thought it in the last couple of weeks. But her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
“I know how you’re feeling, and I promise you we’ll get to the bottom of this. William Baylor and Cordell Smith were the last two in the robbery scheme that the cops were looking for. With them in custody now, they should be able to get a better picture of this case. A picture that doesn’t involve you,” he said.
“But what about those money bags?” Granny asked. She was still sitting on the sectional, this time with Frito asleep in her lap.
“They didn’t find your fingerprints on those bags. And they received street-camera footage from the area where Elliot Joble died. The license plate on that black SUV doesn’t match the one on your rental car. I just found that out late this afternoon and was going to call you with the developments tomorrow.”
“I’m so sorry I had to call you at this time of night. I hope I didn’t disturb your wife,” she said. “But this news is definitely a relief.”
“My wife’s at home eating pistachio ice cream with iced oatmeal cookies crunched up inside of it. If my baby is anything like her, she’s laid back, enjoying the midnight snack.” He chuckled, and for the first time tonight, Vanna cracked a smile.
“Still, I’m sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be. You did nothing wrong, and we’re going to prove that,” he said. “Now, I want you and Granny to lock up tight and get some rest.”
She stood and walked him to the door. “We will. And thanks again.”
“Stop thanking me and stop apologizing to me; I’m doing my job, Vanna,” he said. Then he tilted his head as he continued to stare at her. “I’m also looking out for a woman one of my really good friends cares about deeply.”
Oh no, she was not going there with him. Aden was not a topic of discussion she wished to have tonight. Not with Jovani or anyone else.
“That’s not fair, you already told me I can’t thank you again,” she said, and gave Jovani another smile.
He chuckled. “That’s right. You catch on quick. Lock these doors and those windows. And tomorrow see about getting an alarm systeminstalled. Aden probably has someone you can call since he just had one installed at the gym and the storefront for the shop.”
“I think I’ll be able to find someone. Google is my friend,” she joked.
He grinned. “Good night, Vanna.”
“Good night, Jovani.”
Later, when Vanna finally climbed into her bed, the clock on her nightstand read 3:47 a.m. After Jovani left, she and Granny walked around the entire house, making sure every window was locked. The dining room was in shambles, and those cops from the crime lab had made a mess too, with their fingerprint dust and other nonsense. But the cleanup would have to wait.
She, Granny, and Frito went upstairs at the same time. Vanna said she was going to take a shower. Granny said she wanted one too. When Vanna emerged from her bathroom, it was to find Granny dressed in a clean nightgown in her bed and Frito lying beside her.
“You two look way too comfortable,” she said as she trekked across the floor and went to her side of the bed to climb in.
“Your bed is bigger than the one in that other room,” Granny said.
“My room is bigger than that other one,” Vanna replied. “But if you want, we can get you a new bed. That’s only a full size in there. I think a queen will fit.”
“That might be nice,” Granny said, and turned over on her side to snuggle under the blankets. Frito followed suit, tucking his body right up against her back.
Since when did she say this dog could sleep with her? She didn’t mind Granny so much. There’d been way too many occasions to count when she’d climbed into her grandmother’s bed, which included times in her late teens. There was nothing like the comfort of sleeping with Granny, and tonight she needed that—just as Granny did, apparently.
