The three of them finally got on to other subjects, and despite disliking that Rowdy was here with Debbie to begin with, Allan liked the guy and found his company agreeable. He was a good homicide detective with a sterling reputation and a great success rate in solving murder cases and getting convictions. If Allan hadn’t loved diving so much, he wouldn’t have minded working with Rowdy in his field of expertise.
Debbie sipped more of her beer, then set her mug down. “I have a confession to make. You guys are a lot of fun.” Her eyes were bright and glistened a bit in the ambient lights in the restaurant.
Allan raised his brows a little. Was she slightly…drunk? After only a beer?
Rowdy smiled.
“No, really. You know I’ve been working with Allan for nearly five months and I’ve known you, Rowdy, for what? About the same? Maybe a little less. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to just”—she pulled off the clasp holding her hair up, and the dark-brown curls cascaded over her shoulders—“let my hair down a bit.”
Allan had never seen her hair loose. Silky, rich, and thick. He could just imagine running his hands through the soft strands.
Rowdy saluted her, still smiling. “Here’s to letting your hair down.”
She looked like she was feeling a bit tipsy. But after one beer? Granted, the mugs were big, but… He frowned. She’d told him her dad had been an alcoholic. Had she never taken a drink before?
“Do you want a soda? Water? Coffee?” Allan asked.
“Nah, I’m fine.” She pointed a slice of pizza at him. “I dropped by your sister’s place to offer my shoulder if she ever needs it.”
“I heard.”
She frowned at him. “I don’t think they—your mom and sister—liked that we were going out on a date.”
He opened his mouth to object, but she quickly added, “Oh, don’t misunderstand. I didn’t say we were going on a date. But for whatever reason, I believe that’s what they concluded. Should I have repeated that this wasn’t a date? That’s why I asked old Rowdy here if he’d like to join us—because we aren’t on a date.” She grinned, then took a bite of the cheese pizza.
Rowdy laughed. “How often do you go out drinking?”
“Me?” Debbie’s eyes were wide. “Oh, heavens. Never. It’s just been a rough day, and I thought for a date…well, not a date, just a pizza get-together where everyone drinks beer…well, it would seem antisocial of me if I didn’t join in on the fun.” She finished her pizza and looked from Allan to Rowdy. “What?”
“Do you think you can drive home okay?” Allan asked. He wasn’t going to let her, but it was better if she thought it was her idea. “If not, we’ll drop you off at home, and we can leave your car at your place.”
“No, thanks. I can drive.” Then she chewed on her bottom lip. “You don’t think I’m that bad, do you?”
“We’ll take you home,” Allan said. Even if she was fine, he didn’t want her to risk getting in an accident on the way to Whitefish thirty miles away that would get her into trouble with the sheriff’s department. He doubted her blood alcohol level would be that high. Even so, the beer definitely had affected her.
“Okay. But I’m really feeling great.”
That’s what Allan was worried about. That she was feeling too great. After they finished the pizza, they walked outside and found it had been snowing the whole time they were eating. Because of the weather conditions, Allan was glad they were taking Debbie home. He drove his own vehicle, and Rowdy drove Debbie’s. She sat in the passenger’s seat, leaning her head against the window of her car. Allan wondered if she’d gone to sleep.
Halfway to her place, Allan noticed a black sedan following him through the traffic lights. The car continued to follow until Allan turned right at a street that would take him out of his way. The sedan continued on past.
Once Allan had turned around and gotten back on the main road to Debbie’s home, he saw the black sedan turn down the next street. When Allan passed the street, he expected to see the sedan still driving along, but it had vanished. Other than a number of businesses closed for the night, there wasn’t anywhere for the sedan to go, except to turn down the next street. He had to have been flying at that point to make the corner before Allan reached the intersection.
On the rest of the drive to Debbie’s house, Allan kept watching for the black sedan. It probably meant nothing sinister, but working for law enforcement, he was wary.
When he pulled into Debbie’s driveway, Rowdy was just parking. “What happened to you back there? I thought you’d gotten lost,” Rowdy said, getting out of Debbie’s car.
Allan went to the passenger door when Debbie didn’t get out. “I thought I…” He didn’t want to sound paranoid and changed his mind about saying anything. He shrugged. “Is Debbie asleep?”
“The whole way here,” Rowdy said.
Allan was glad they had driven her home, given the circumstances. He opened her door, but she stirred and smiled up at him. “Ohmigod, I’ve never fallen asleep on a date. Well, it wasn’t a date. But you know what I mean.”