“Stop being a cliché,” Caroline said, exasperated. “Every stupid horror movie aggravates the audience for the same reason—if a place is that bad, get the hell out! Come on. Your life is worth more than some building, even one you’ve coveted since we were kids. Come and move in with me.”
Sarah laughed and hugged her friend. “Caroline, my life hasn’t been threatened. Nothing bad has happened to anyone in that house for…well, maybe ever. I mean, dumping bodies out of coffins and stashing them in the walls is gross, but if Floby is right, it all happened a long time ago, and that means there’s nothing for me to worry about.”
“But you’re not going to stay there tonight, are you?” Barry asked her.
“The house hasn’t done anything,” Sarah said again, reaching for her drink.
Caroline was holding onto her own glass tightly now.
“That old guy startled me, that’s all,” Sarah said, looking around from one to the other of them. “It’s terrible of me to be so upset.”
“Not so terrible. He was a mean old bastard,” Will said.
“That’s a horrible thing to say!” Sarah protested.
“Well, he was.”
Sarah looked at Caleb. “So how was your day?”
“Not very eventful,” he said, keeping his new information to himself for the moment. “A lot of running around. But it was a start, and at least I’m not going to have to do it again.”
“Nothing in Jacksonville?” she asked.
“Just a lot of legwork,” he said.
He had a feeling she was trying to get him to talk because she didn’t want to be pressured anymore; he had a feeling, though, that she hadn’t told the group what she was really thinking, or maybe she hadn’t told them everything Mr. Griffin had said. But he wasn’t about to say that he might have taken a few steps forward and was certain now that Jennie Lawson was dead, and that she had been killed here in St. Augustine.
He lifted his glass to Sarah and turned the topic right back to her. “So how did your encounter with Mr. Griffin end?”
“His nurse showed up looking for him. Her name is Cary Hagan, and she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Sarah told them.
“Oh, yeah?” Caroline said. “Well, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” She looked at Caleb as if for confirmation.
Sarah turned to stare at her friend, completely baffled. She had confidence in herself, Caleb realized, but she had a complete lack of vanity and was genuinely dumbfounded by what Caroline had said.
“No, I mean she was perfect. Like walk-off-a-GQ-cover perfect. If you ever see her, you’ll know what I mean,” Sarah said. “I bet she’ll show up in here one night.”
“Come on, the city isn’t that small,” Will argued.
“Shh, don’t look now,” Renee said suddenly. “I think she just came in.”
Of course they all turned to see.
“I said don’t look,” Renee said. “And she’s not just here—she’s here with Tim Jamison.”
“You don’t know that,” Caroline argued. “She walked in and he walked in, but that doesn’t mean they came together. Besides, we don’t even know if we’re talking about the same person.”
“That is one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever seen,” Barry said, and Renee whacked him playfully on the arm. “Hey! I’m not blind, you know. And as a totally objective observation, she’s stunning. So, Sarah, is that the woman you were talking about?”
Sarah, who was staring wide-eyed at the door, simply nodded.
“Look,” Caroline said. “She’s talking to Tim. Maybe they did come in together.”
“Tim is married,” Renee pointed out.
“I’ll go say hello and introduce you all,” Sarah said.
“You don’t need to do that,” Caroline protested.
“Why not?” Sarah asked, clearly puzzled.
Caleb hid a smile. She obviously didn’t realize that Caroline was trying to steer the two of them together.
“Well, because—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sarah said, and left them, winding her way through the tables. All of them were silent, staring at Cary, who seemed startled when Sarah reached her. She quickly smiled, though, and then, as Sarah spoke, she looked toward their table—and caught all of them staring at her. She smiled and waved, and they had no choice but to wave back.
Sarah led Cary over to their table. As they approached, Caleb stood, followed by Barry and Will.
Sarah was smiling like a cat with a canary as she introduced everyone. “Cary Hagan, I’d like you to meet my cousin Will, and my friends and coworkers Renee Otten, Barry Travis and Caroline Roth. And this is Caleb Anderson, who’s just in town for a visit. Everyone, Cary Hagan.”
“Hello, everyone. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I haven’t lived in the area very long, and on the rare occasions when I get out, I usually head up the coast. Now that I’ve met you guys, maybe I won’t feel like such an outsider coming in here.”
The woman really was stunning, Caleb thought, right down to the dimples that flashed when she smiled. They added a touch of mischief to her features and countered her regal stature.
“Consider yourself an insider now,” Will said gallantly. “Come and hang with us anytime. In fact, join us now.”