"I just take each day as it comes."
He ran his thumb along the curve of her jaw, his eyes, deep and mesmerizing, locked with hers. "Will you take me as I come, Annie Payne?"
"I don't see that I have any other choice." But her voice caught, giving away her emotion. His words—his touch—dizzied her, made her spin with too many thoughts, too many conflicting feelings. "I don't trust myself with you, you know. Not right now. I'm thinking I need you, and I'm not used to that."
The intensity in his eyes abated, and he laughed, kissing her lightly, and backed off fast. "You're tough, Annie. I'll say that for you. And I'd probably give you a kiss that'd curl your toes—and mine—except a customer's bound to walk in, and the mood Otto's in, he might make off with my leg." He gave a wry smile. "Or worse. So, did Denardo say what he was doing up at my place?"
She shook her head. "I think he's still trying to figure out how I fit in with you and Sarah."
"Do you want to tell her?"
"I should."
"The police?"
She swallowed. Calling the police was a big step, one she'd been putting off in the hope that the wiry, gray-haired man would turn out not to be Vic Denardo or he just wouldn't show up again. "I probably should tell them too. I can't imagine Denardo's left much of a trail, but they might know something, have other pieces of the puzzle. But then I'd have to tell them about Sarah. They might want to talk to her."
"They can keep her whereabouts confidential."
"You don't have any objections to my going to the police?"
"No, why should I?" He drew back, eyeing her. "Annie, if I get my hands on Vic Denardo, I'm dragging him to the police. That's all. The rest is their responsibility."
"What if he's not the murderer?"
His expression darkened, as if closing off the part of himself that wanted to connect with her, with anyone. He had his mission; he would see to it. Nothing would get in his way. Not Sarah Linwood, not Annie, not himself.
"If Vic Denardo didn't kill Thomas and Haley, then he didn't," he said. "But someone did."
The telephone rang—it might have been a grenade through her window for the jolt it gave her. She fumbled for the receiver, almost dropped it as she put it to her ear.
"It's me, Zoe," the voice on the other end said. "Are you in there kissing Garvin MacCrae?"
Annie almost laughed, her relief was so complete. She glanced over at Garvin, who was watching her intently. She still could feel the warmth of his kiss, his touch. She turned away from him, her cheeks hot. "Not exactly."
"Are you out of your mind?"
"Probably."
"Annie, get rid of him, lock up your shop, and come over here. I've got the perfect potion for you. One sniff and you'll come to your senses. The man has one thing on his mind and one thing only—Vic Denardo. Get it?"
"I get it."
"I'll be over in two seconds with something for you to smell. That'll give you an opportunity to hurry him along his way. Then you and I can have a nice little heart-to-heart about the Linwoods and murders and men who are not suitable for sane women. Honestly." She snorted. "And I thought I could trust Otto to intervene."
She hung up, still muttering.
Annie did likewise and smiled at Garvin, her cheeks still burning as if he'd heard Zoe's every word. "That was Zoe. She's on her way over."
"Ah. She's a smart woman. She knows my reputation. I worked hard to get where I did in finance, Annie. I work hard now. I knew what had to be done, and I did it."
"A man with a mission."
He didn't smile. "I was honest, but I wasn't always nice."
"You know what, MacCrae? That doesn't really worry me. I'm not fragile. I've learned to take people as they come, not as I want them to be. Right now your mission is Vic Denardo, not me. So long as you can keep that straight, we don't have a problem."
He started to speak, but Zoe breezed into the gallery carrying a mortar and pestle filled with a dark yellow-green substance that could have been anything. "I need your nose," she said.
Garvin gave her a tolerant smile. "You can skip the theatrics. I'm leaving." He turned to Annie, his eyes cool, back to business. "What time are you closing up this afternoon?"
"I stay open until six on Fridays."
"Then I'll be back just before six. If Vic Denardo's keeping an eye on you, it's probably not a good idea for you to walk home alone."
Annie saw Zoe's eyebrows go up in alarm. "That's not necessary. If he was going to force me to do anything, he had the perfect opportunity up at your place."
Zoe nearly dropped her mortar and pestle.
Garvin's face became unreadable. "I'll be here, Annie."
"What are you going to do this afternoon?"
"I'll check and see if Denardo left a trail up at my place. Then I'll be at the marina. I have work I need to get done. Have you decided about the police?"
"If she doesn't call them," Zoe said, "I will."