I curled up on the love seat and recalled the good times when Derek and I had worked together so closely on other murder cases. We’d had such fun. Well, except for those awful times when I’d stumbled upon dead bodies and those other bad times when I was confronted by cold-blooded killers.
Was I maybe romanticizing the past a little too much? It didn’t matter because it seemed that those days were over. And that was sad. And since I was sad and wallowing anyway, I wondered if maybe Derek was over me and our relationship, too. For a few minutes in the car, it had felt like we were okay again. Now, I wasn’t so sure. And that hurt a lot.
Suddenly I was irritated at myself. Why in heaven’s name was I sitting alone in my room, brooding? I hadn’t done anything wrong, and oh, by the way, I’d probably saved Peter’s life because I had shown up there.
If Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous wanted to give me more grief, I would be ready for him. I walked into the bathroom and splashed water on my puffy eyes, something I’d been doing a lot of lately.
I patted my face dry, slapped on some moisturizer and lipstick, and walked back into the bedroom just as the door opened and Derek stalked in. He came straight at me, wrapping his arms around me and holding on.
Okay, this was nice. If this was a prelude to round two of our fight, it was a good one. We stood like that for a long time. He stroked my hair and kissed my neck.
“I was so bloody afraid,” he murmured. “I heard you scream. And then Savannah screamed and then…nothing. I shouted your name, but you never came back on the line.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling my eyes well up again. Damn it, I really did suck. I should have called him back. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”
“Going forward from here,” he said, pointing his finger at me, “the first person you call is me.”
“But I did call you,” I said.
He held me at arm’s length and gazed at me. “I don’t mean from the hotel room. You call me before you go off to follow an impulse. Please. Even if you think nothing will happen.”
“I really didn’t think anything would happen.”
He actually grinned. “Of course not. You were in the moment and on the move.”
“Exactly.”
His smile faded. “But, darling, we’ve both had our suspicions over the past few weeks that Kevin or Peter might’ve taken the cookbook. And then when you found out it had been stolen from their village—”
“Oh, hell.” I grimaced, realizing I hadn’t connected the dots. Again. No wonder I stumbled across bodies. I rarely stopped to figure out all the connections in whatever case we were wrapped up in. As Derek said, I tended to follow my impulses. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. And then I went and dragged Savannah into it.”
“Yes,” he said mildly. “Although I’m grateful you weren’t alone in that room. And I must say, she appears to have weathered it well enough.”
“She was awesome,” I said, smiling. “She actually fought Kevin off with an egg whisk.”
He laughed. “Only a chef would think of that.”
“Only Savannah.”
He pulled me back into his arms. “But in future, instead of dragging your sister or anyone else into the thick of it, I would prefer that you drag me instead.”
So we still have a future, I thought, and smiled. “I promise I’ll drag you into everything from now on.”
*
Dalton, who was thankful to finally have the real Obedience Green cookbook in his hands, returned the favor by making margaritas while Savannah prepared a delicious dinner of black-bean-and-veggie tacos, cheese enchiladas, and guacamole. While we dined, Derek and I concocted a deliciously devious plan that counted on several different theories coming together at once.
Savannah and Dalton contributed to and improved on it, and I couldn’t have been prouder. We were a real family of investigators! After dinner, I cleaned up while Savannah made a few phone calls and arranged everything for the following evening. It was becoming clear that my good-hearted, clean-living sister had a natural ability for scheming and conniving that warmed me right down to my bones.
Or maybe it was the margaritas.
Chapter Nineteen
In preparing hare soup, if you disapprove of the red herring you may leave it out.
—The Cookbook of Obedience Green
Derek worked from home the following day. In between conference calls, he would wander into the dining room to monitor Dalton’s progress as his brother tried to unlock the secrets of the cookbook code. Even though Dalton insisted it was a one-man job, he seemed to enjoy sparring and trading theories with Derek.
Dalton had taken over the dining room table and papers were spread everywhere. Savannah was there, too. They were all having such a good time and the subject matter was so intriguing, I was tempted to give up on my bookbinding work and join them.