“Including Eric?”
“No, we have to tell him, but this time we’ll be the ones swearing him to secrecy.”
“Still, you know somebody in the department will find out at some point. And that’s all it’ll take for everyone in town to know about it.”
“Within about five minutes,” I added dryly.
I didn’t add that if the wrong person heard that the necklace had been found, Jane’s life would be in danger. I was convinced of it, and the realization put me in a somber mood during the rest of our dinner. Maybe Jane had figured that out, too, because she was awfully quiet in the end.
It was barely nine o’clock when we finished washing the dishes.
“Do you want to watch television?” I asked, although I could hardly keep my eyes open.
“I’m exhausted,” Jane said, tossing the dish towel into the laundry basket. “I’m going to bed. Thanks for letting me spend the night. I just didn’t want to be alone after going through Jesse’s house and worrying about the necklace and talking to Eric.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” We climbed the stairs and said good night. I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.
Sometime in the middle of the night, a flashing light woke me up.
“Jesse’s house.” I jumped out of bed and grabbed my clothes, then stopped. What was wrong with me? Did I want to rot away in a prison cell?
Robbie and Tiger awoke in an instant and watched in rapt silence as I reached for my cell phone and called Eric. Robbie’s tale twitched excitedly, and rather than wait for him to beg, I picked him up and held him in my lap. Tiger kneaded the covers a few times before cozying up next to my leg.
Eric answered on the first ring. “Jensen.”
“It’s Shannon.”
“What a pleasant surprise.”
“Someone’s inside Jesse’s house.”
“I’ll be right there. If I see you outside your house, I’ll—”
“I know, I know. You’ll toss me into a cell and throw away the key.”
“Very good.”
I could tell he was grinning from ear to ear.
It wasn’t like me to kowtow to anyone, but the chief of police had spoken and I didn’t dare push back.
I sat on the edge of the bed, wondering what to do. I wanted to see what was going on next door, but I didn’t want to incur Eric’s wrath again. I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep anytime soon, but I lay down on the bed to ponder the universe and my place within it. Robbie and Tiger kept me company and I dozed off within minutes.
*
Saturday morning I should have known Jane was already up when I stumbled out of bed and Robbie and Tiger were nowhere to be seen. I took a quick shower to wake myself up, and when I got downstairs, the two beasts were sitting at Jane’s feet, begging for scraps. When Robbie saw me, he raced over, circled me once with his back end wiggling like mad, and then returned to his proper begging position. Tiger was too cool to bother acknowledging me.
“Good morning,” Jane said. “I made coffee.”
“I love you,” I muttered, and poured myself a cup. After several healthy sips, I sat at the table. “We missed all the excitement last night.”
“What happened?”
I told her how I woke up from the flashes of light next door and how Eric had strongly suggested that I stay inside. “And then I fell asleep.”
“Someone broke into Jesse’s house again? I hate this.” She slapped the paper onto the table. “I’m going to hire a security company.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I’ll look up some companies and call them this morning. There’ll be someone patrolling the place tonight.”
“Okay.” I gazed out the window and saw Mac jogging down the stairs. “I’ll be right back.”
I went running outside before Jane could say another word. “Hey, Mac.”
He smiled. “Good morning, Irish. You sat it out last night.”
I hoped he couldn’t tell I was pouting on the inside. “I didn’t want another lecture.”
“Can’t blame you for that.”
“So, what happened?”
“Nothing,” he said, disgusted. “Once again, they ran out the back and got away.”
I shook my head in dismay. “It’s like Jesse has a secret tunnel leading from his house to somewhere down the street or something.”
“I had that same thought.”
I realized he was wearing a jacket and a tie with his jeans. “You’re all dressed up.”
He checked himself out. “Hardly, but I do have a lunch meeting in San Francisco.”
“Oh, then I won’t keep you. Good luck and safe travels.”
“Thanks, Irish. See you later.”
I watched him exit through the gate before I returned to the house.
“Where’s he off to?” Jane asked.
I told her and we talked about the joys of having handsome men around to look at. As I poured myself another cup of coffee, something occurred to me.
“You know,” I said slowly, “maybe you could hold off on calling those security companies for a day or two.”