Scene Of The Crime: The Deputy's Proof

“You know, maybe we could go out some time,” Chad said. “Maybe have dinner at the café. You know, just casual-like.” His gaze moved from her to the stove and then back to her.

“I’m sorry, Chad. It’s nothing personal, but I don’t go out.”

He frowned. “Are you sure it’s nothing personal? I know I don’t have a great job, and I’m not as smart as a lot of people.”

“It has nothing to do with that, and I think you’re very smart,” she quickly replied. “I think you’re very nice. It has nothing to do with you, Chad. I just don’t go out with anyone.”

Chad appeared satisfied with her answer. He stayed until the last food item had been put away, and then he left. She’d had a feeling that he had a crush on her, but she never played to it.

All she really knew about him was that he worked for his mother, Sharon, at the grocery store and lived in a small apartment in the back of the store. He was a pleasant-looking man, but he was a bit slow.

Today had been the first time he’d actually asked her out. She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings by turning him down.

Dismissing those thoughts, she focused all her attention on pulling out the ingredients she needed to make Cajun skillet fillets. There was nothing better than beef fillets and shrimp paired with a special blend of blackening spices and lobster stock. She decided to cook a side of fresh asparagus in garlic and butter.

The only time she allowed any happiness to fill her heart, to seep into her soul, was when she cooked. All of her thoughts, all of her energy went into the food.

There were many times Sharon special-ordered items for her because the local store didn’t carry much in the way of specialty foods.

It didn’t take long for the kitchen to fill with a variety of wonderful scents. It brought back the times that Savannah’s mother had cooked delicious meals for the family. She was always experimenting and tweaking recipes and was responsible for Savannah’s love of cooking.

She cooked two steaks and a dozen shrimp, deciding that she’d eat the second portion the next night...the night she walked for the last time as Shelly’s ghost.

It was six o’clock and everything was ready for plating when the doorbell rang. She nearly jumped out of her skin. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard the chime indicating somebody was at the front door.

She looked out the peephole to see Josh on the front porch. Had he changed his mind about giving her tomorrow night? She opened the door, and he greeted her with the sexy smile that twisted her heart in an uncomfortable way.

“What a surprise,” she said as she opened the door to allow him inside.

“Since it was one of my nights off, I just thought I’d stop by and check in before tomorrow night,” he said. “Hmm, something smells terrific.”

“It’s dinner. I was just about to put it on a plate.”

“Smells like a lucky plate,” he replied.

She thought of the two steaks and the dozen shrimp. “Are you hungry? I have plenty if you’d like to join me.”

His eyes lit with pleasure. “I’d love to join you.”

As he followed her into the kitchen, she wondered what in the world had possessed her to invite him to dinner. She told herself the reason was that she had to play nice with him until after tomorrow night, and then she wouldn’t have to play with him at all.

She gestured him to a seat at the table as she moved to the cabinet to get down another plate. She didn’t know what to say. She’d forgotten how to make small talk. It was a surprising revelation.

“I assume you’ve had a quiet week,” he finally said, breaking what had grown into an awkward silence.

“I always have quiet weeks.” She filled two glasses with iced tea and added them and silverware to the table, then returned to the stove to put the food on the plates. “What about you?”

He leaned back in the chair, looking relaxed, as if he belonged there. “Let’s see. On Monday night I got a call of an intruder in the attic of Mildred Samps’s house. It turned out to be a raccoon that had gotten in through a hole in the eaves. I called out Chase Marshall from Fish and Game, and he managed to get the creature out.”

“Tell me more,” she said as she focused on plating the food in a visually pleasing way. She’d much rather listen to him talk than have to talk herself.

“On Tuesday night I was called out to Jimmy’s Place to break up a fight between two drunks.”

She glanced at him in surprise. “Jimmy doesn’t usually let things get out of control like that, and I still think of it as Bo’s Place.”

“Bo definitely had a flair for bringing in a crowd when he owned it. Jimmy doesn’t have Bo’s natural charisma. Anyway, that brings us to last night, when there were no calls and I just drove up and down the streets for hours. Working the night shift in this town isn’t all that challenging.”

“I’m sure there are times when a good deputy is necessary after dark. Isn’t that when bad things happen?” She delivered the plates to the table.

“Jeez, it all looks too pretty to eat. Do you cook like this every night?”

She sat at the table across from him and shook her head. “Usually just on my nights off.”

“That’s right. I just remembered that you went to culinary school in Jackson. Didn’t I hear somewhere that you were going to open a restaurant at one time?”

“That was another lifetime,” she replied. “Dig in while it’s warm.”

He cut into the steak and took a bite. “This is amazingly delicious. You should put opening that restaurant in this lifetime.”

She felt the warmth of a blush creep into her cheeks, along with a flush of pleasure that swept over her at his words, but it lasted only a moment. “I don’t have the passion I once had for cooking for other people.”

He popped a shrimp in his mouth and chased it with a drink of tea. He gazed at her curiously. “So, what do you have a passion for these days?”

“Keeping Shelly’s memory alive.” The one thing he was taking away from her. “Besides, as far as I’m concerned, passion is vastly overrated,” she added. “What about you? What do you feel passionate about?”

“My job, this town and the people I serve,” he answered easily.

“What about a girlfriend?” She was just curious. She certainly didn’t care one way or the other whether he had a girlfriend or not.

“Nobody special. Although I’m ready to find the woman who will be by my side for the rest of my life, the woman who will give me some kids, and we’ll all live happily ever after.” He laughed. “I sound like a woman whose biological clock is ticking.”

His words brought a smile to Savannah’s lips. “You sound like a man ready to move into a new phase of life.”

He stared at her. “You should do that more often. I’d forgotten how you look when you smile.”

“Eat your dinner,” she replied as a new warmth filled her. She was ready for him to leave. He confused her. He made her feel uncomfortable. He had no place at her table, and she had been impulsive in inviting him in.

He seemed attuned to her discomfort. He ate quickly and didn’t ask her any more questions but rather kept up an easy monologue about his work, the new amusement park and the changes that were already happening in the town.

When they’d finished eating, she insisted he not help with the cleanup but instead hurried him toward the front door. “Thanks for the unexpected meal,” he said. His eyes had gone dark blue like deep, unfathomable waters.

“No problem,” she replied. Away from the kitchen with all its cooking scents, she could smell his cologne and remembered the brief moment of being held in his arms while she wept in the tunnel.

“Then we’re still on for tomorrow night?” he asked.

“Definitely. We’ll meet at the bush in the backyard at around eleven thirty or so tomorrow night.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow night.”