“Enough motivation for me.”
Inside was jewelry, cases of gold and silver crafted with a native flair. The pieces were studded with semiprecious stones, mostly turquoise, but also coral and opal and accented with diamonds. The shapes were fluid and modern. Ro studied each item with an assiduousness that was usually reserved for SAT exams. Maybe that was her problem. There was no jewelry section on the test.
“Pretty, pretty.” She slipped her arm around Ben’s waist. “You’d better get me out of here or it’ll cost you.”
“Wallet’s pretty empty but I do have my parents’ CC.”
She punched his shoulder. “Let’s go have some fun.”
They started up the incline and through the throng of people. It was hard not to get into the holiday spirit because it slapped you in the face. The narrow road was packed with families and pets and there were twinkly Christmas lights everywhere. Couples were linked arm in arm, toddlers sat on parents’ shoulders, red-nosed kids ran up and down and weaved between people. There were men dressed up as Santa and dogs dressed up as reindeer, and bonfires burned at strategic locations, places to thaw frozen fingers.
There were stalls set up to serve hot cider, cocoa, and coffee, needed more as hand warmers than thirst quenchers. Some booths were also selling cookies and kettle corn.
When they got to the top of the road, Ro looked down at the crowds. She realized she was genuinely happy. “This is incredibly corny.” She kissed his cheek. “But it’s fun, and to tell the truth, it was great to get out of the house. It was glum in there.”
“I hear you. My father doesn’t care about the holidays anymore, and my mom cares too much. The thought of going to the grave tomorrow always puts her in a deep funk on Christmas Eve.”
“Why does she do it?”
“Her way of celebrating Christmas with Ellen, I guess. I really don’t know.” Vicks rubbed his hands together. “You’re still determined to make this trip with me to California? You can back out if you want.”
“Why would I? California, at the very least, is warm.”
“Actually San Francisco is scheduled for rain.”
“I own an umbrella. I won’t get in your way.” Ro looked at him. “As long as whatever you find out, you’ll take to Shanks.”
He shrugged. “Let’s not talk about that now.”
“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“How gorgeous you are.”
“That’s always a good topic.” She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss.
“Oh God,” Vicks said. “Now I can’t walk. How am I going to share a room with you, Dorothy?”
“Did you get separate beds?”
“Yes, I did, but it won’t help. Your aura will waft across the divide.”
“We’ll have to wait and see what happens.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. “Let’s go find the others.”
They were sitting on a bench in front of a bonfire, Griffen positioned between his two ladies. Lilly had on a makeshift wreath around her neck and Haley was drinking something hot from a paper cup. Griff was staring, transfixed by the flames.
Vicks interrupted his reverie. “We need to get back.”
Three heads lifted up. Lilly stood before the others. “What’d you think about the walk, Ro?”
“Fabulous.” Lilly’s eyes went to Ro’s and Ben’s clasped gloves. Her smile was as gracious as it was sad. Poor kid. Ro said, “I’m going to take you guys and Ezra to the winter dance tomorrow. This guy is crapping out on you.”
Haley said, “What are you wearing to the dance, Ro?”
“It’s a surprise.” She felt something tickle her nose and brushed it off. “We should be heading back.” Again something landed on her nose, light and wet. She looked up, and as if on cue, millions of snowflakes were dancing in the sky. God had found a saltshaker. She linked her arm with Ben’s as they all walked down the rest of the incline. “This is incredibly beautiful.”
He brushed snow off her face and gently kissed her lips. “How did I get so lucky?”
“You didn’t.” Ro laughed. “You have to do the dishes, remember?”
“I’d do a zillion dishes for this moment. It’s probably the finest of my life.”
“You’re a cheap date.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” She put her head against his shoulder as they ambled back to the car, her face wet with hundreds of snowflakes. She had lived with snow all her life, but . . . the evening, the setting, the boy. It all came together. It was magical. “I don’t want this to ever end.”
“I know. I feel the same way.”
But Ro knew that it was going to end. It always did. When you’ve experienced loss, happiness was always slightly tainted, like waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Chapter 2
At one in the morning, with the rest of the house asleep, Ben could finally concentrate. Being in love threw him off balance. It was a joyous feeling but unsettling—like being stoned or drunk. He was so used to being in control, it was hard to let go even for something so wonderful and arousing.
Arousing was an understatement.
Since Ro had come into his life, it was not surprising that desire had decided to wake up and party. Now it was impossible to get to sleep without intervention. He was just starting to settle down although his mind kept racing and racing.
The good news was the winter solstice had come and gone with nothing in River Remez to show for it. Ben kept expecting an ominous beep on his computer, but so far, it hadn’t materialized. The future was out there, but he couldn’t think about it. Instead, he did what he did best. He autopsied the past.
On his monitor was the Julia Rehnquist murder case—as much as he could find out without looking at the actual police file. In a few days, he’d be in Berkeley, talking to the family, gleaning as much information from them as social convention would allow. Shanks was still dithering about making the call to the Berkeley PD. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to look stupid. Sam couched it in caution, waiting until Katie Doogan’s biological evidence had been processed.
Dredging up the past for the Rehnquist family would be painful. Ben hoped the information would be worth the agony. He needed data: times, places, hobbies, friends, boyfriends, likes, dislikes, where she hung out, and what she did. His questions seemed without limit. He’d have to narrow his focus because he couldn’t overwhelm them.
There was a small knock on his door. Someone had noticed his light was on. He got up and put on a robe. His room was like ice because he’d been airing out the smell of teenage boy. He closed the window and opened his door. Lilly was dressed in flannel pajamas and a robe and slippers. Ben asked, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, her face surrounded by a mane of black hair. Her hands were holding a small package. In the dim light, Ben couldn’t see all that much, but her black eyes were twinkling.
“Merry Christmas, Ben.” She handed him a wrapped package.