I scowled at Darlene. “You brought burglary tools and a crowbar, and you’re telling me you’re innocent?” I tried to block out the image of the fun-loving pair we’d met in the restaurant the other night. I needed to see them for what they were: petty thieves. “It looks to me like you were trying to break into our winery.”
“That’s crazy,” Darlene said, trying to laugh. It sounded more like a harsh barking. “These guys have no sense of humor. We were just looking around. We wanted to get a close-up view of the whole area, the flora, the fauna, you know what I mean? It’s our way of giving our readers the complete story.”
“At three o’clock in the morning?” I said.
Gabriel and the others stood behind the guilty pair, arms folded across their chests as if they were all posing for the cover of Dangerous Men magazine, if only that were real. Gabriel was the only one who looked somewhat amused. I didn’t see the slightest thing funny in any of this. I felt used.
“Well, yeah,” Shawn said, his voice a little whiny as he hitched himself to Darlene’s dumb story. “Late at night’s the best time to experience the true sights and sounds of a place. No crowds around, no distractions. We’re wordsmiths, Brooklyn. Creative people. This is how we soak up the ambience of a place. We marinate in the total atmosphere, becoming one with the setting. Our stories are better for it.”
“What a bunch of bull,” I muttered, feeling foolishly disillusioned and betrayed. But why? Did I really believe they were my new best friends because they’d bought us some wine? I needed to smack myself. I shook my finger at the security box in the wall by the doors. “Don’t you get it? This place is locked up so tight, it squeaks. What were you thinking?”
Darlene wore a sly grin. “Shawn’s got a knack for working his way around those pesky security devices.”
I stared at her for a long moment, not quite believing what I’d heard her say. It was as much of an admission of guilt as anything would ever be. “Not tonight he doesn’t.”
Derek nodded at Gabriel. “Call the police.”
*
“I’m so bummed.” Now that it was just Derek and me in the car driving home, I was pouting. “I never expected to see those two being dragged away in handcuffs. I thought they were so friendly and quirky, you know? Turns out, they’re just common criminals.”
“Yes, they are.” Derek kept his eyes on the road, but I could see his teeth were clenched. He was as angry as I was.
“It was creepy, wasn’t it? The way she was smiling there at the end?” I sighed. “I guess I owe Noland an apology for assuming it was him.”
Derek glanced over at me. “No you don’t, darling.”
“Good, because I couldn’t stomach having to apologize to him. But I’m really bummed about Darlene and Shawn.”
“I think you’d be wise to stay away from reporters from now on. You have a generous heart, and they’ll take advantage of that. No matter how friendly they seem, they all have their own agendas.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I muttered. Really, I wasn’t so much furious with the thieving twosome as I was disappointed in myself. I’d assumed the two bloggers were just as innocuous as they’d claimed to be, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. What did that say about my judgment?
Derek reached for my hand and held it during the rest of the ride home. We were both exhausted, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep after putting up with an hour of The Darlene and Shawn Show. They were grifters! I was still embarrassed that I’d fallen for their friendly act.
Honestly, with everything I’d seen in the last year or so, you would’ve thought my rose-colored glasses would be a little dim. Guess not. Derek was right. I planned to avoid all reporters from now on unless it was an official query related to the treasures found in the cave.
My mind wandered back to the conversation I’d had with China on Tuesday. Had she already introduced Josh to Annie? I hoped not. True, he seemed a lot more trustworthy than Darlene and Shawn, but he was only here to obtain information, and he would do it by any means necessary. And what if he turned out to be no better than Shawn and Darlene? I didn’t want Annie to get hurt.
Once Derek and I got home and climbed back into bed, I found out I was wrong about sleeping, too. I drifted off within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.
I woke up hours later with a kitten sniffing around my face.
“Hello, little thing,” I murmured, and she head-butted my cheek, purring softly. How could I resist such a wake-up call?
And how could I resist Derek when he had coffee and English muffins ready for me when I finally dragged myself out to the kitchen?
“My life is good,” I said, setting Charlie on the floor where she immediately pounced on Maggie, who didn’t seem to mind a bit. I was growing to love the sweet old dog.
Leaning against Derek’s back, I wrapped my arms around him.
“And so is mine,” he said, squeezing my arms affectionately.
A minute later, I sat at the kitchen table. Derek kissed the top of my head before joining me. “What are your plans today?”
“I’m going to hide away in Abraham’s studio and work on a few projects. How about you?”