“I hope they see it that way,” Quinn said.
Grace came out of one of the bedrooms and walked over to them. “I’ve collected the pieces of the photo the killer left on Arnie’s bed. I’ll put them together at the lab, but I can tell you what I think they are—a picture of Arnie. A picture of Arnie playing his sax at La Porte Rouge.”
*
Despite everything, Danni did fall asleep. Her alarm went off just as she heard Billie’s tap at the door.
She jumped out of bed and turned to see if Quinn was going to get up and come with her.
He wasn’t there.
She was glad she’d worn a long T to bed, because without thinking she burst out into the hall, leaping over Wolf in the process, her heart pounding.
Billie was just heading down the stairs.
“Quinn isn’t here!” she said breathlessly.
“He’s all right,” Billie told her quickly. “Larue called him in on something just as he was getting ready to leave the club. He let me know. He gave Brad and Jenny his keys and left in a patrol car. He’s fine.”
“But...what happened? Was there another murder?”
Billie shook his head. “No, he said no one was dead and there was just a ‘situation.’”
“Oh, okay. Thanks. Sorry you had to get up so early.”
“I’ll take a long nap this afternoon. Right now, I’ll go down and get you some coffee.”
Danni thanked him and hurried back into the bedroom. Wolf whined softly as she passed. She stopped to pet him and said, “Come on in, make yourself comfortable. You’re the best dog in the world.”
Back in her bedroom, she picked up her cell to check for messages. Quinn hadn’t tried to reach her.
She was torn between anger and a sudden compulsion to throw herself back down on the bed and cry. But she couldn’t take the luxury of wasting time feeling hurt and insulted. She had to make that plane. “Macho ass!” she said.
Wolf barked.
“I’m sorry, Wolf, but he is a macho ass!”
Showered and dressed, she hurried downstairs, Wolf at her heels. Billie had coffee for her and a small bag filled with PowerBars. “Most of the time they don’t even toss you a bag of pretzels on planes anymore,” he told her. He kept his voice low.
“Everyone else sleeping?” she asked.
He nodded. “I took over from Woodrow. He was on guard with Wolf until about five. I figured I’d just get up so I could wake you and sleep later, when Bo Ray’s up and minding the store.”
“Thanks, Billie,” she told him. “Any more word from Quinn?”
“You could call him.”
“I’ve got to go. Hattie went to a lot of trouble to make this meeting happen, whether she’ll admit it or not. And Wolf, you be a good boy. Guard everyone here. I’ll be back soon.”
Danni left the house. It was barely light. For a moment, just outside the door, she paused.
Was it still early enough for the killer to be stalking his next victim?
She couldn’t play the sax to save her life, she reassured herself. But she couldn’t help remembering that she hadn’t packed the little Glock Quinn had gotten her and taught her how to shoot because she didn’t have any baggage.
“Wolf and I are watching, Danni,” she heard Billie say from the doorway. “Go on, get in your car and go already.”
She smiled. It was good to be part of a team. Feeling safe and secure, she headed to her car, hopped in, waved then opened the gate to the street and eased out.
As she’d hoped, the traffic was light. She wondered about the “situation” that had taken Quinn away so early this morning.
At least he’d said no one else was dead.
She arrived at the airport early and discovered Hattie had booked her in first class. Hattie had proved to be a good friend, and she went out of her way to help them. For her, buying a last-minute first-class ticket might not have seemed extravagant, but it was a big deal for Danni, and she was very grateful.
She hesitated before boarding, hoping Quinn would show up, then wondering why he hadn’t. She worried that something terrible had happened, despite what he’d told Billie.
She could just call him.
She couldn’t bring herself to do it. The two of them didn’t seem to be much of a team at the moment.
She told herself to stop wallowing and boarded.
First class was beyond comfortable. The flight attendant offered her a choice of drinks, and she opted for orange juice then gave her order for breakfast, as well. She thought about the PowerBars now stuffed in her purse. Billie was a good guy, and he and Hattie definitely had something going on. But they were from very different backgrounds. Billie never would have paid for a last-minute first-class ticket. What would he think about Hattie’s generosity? Danni suspected he still had a lot to learn about Hattie.
Maybe no one ever really knew someone else.
The announcement to turn off all electronic devices came over the loudspeakers. They were getting ready to close the doors.