A lull fell over the table as Delia nonchalantly looked up at the ceiling and around the restaurant. Rae was tapping her fork on the table with annoying agitation. Sarah was b.u.t.tering a roll. Mercifully, Pam and Jane arrived at the table.
After a few moments of idle chitchat, they talked more seriously about Amy. Jane arranged the memorial service for Friday, giving Amy"s parents enough time to come in from Michigan. Delia glanced at Jane from time to time. Rae noticed, and she gently kicked Delia under the table. A gesture not lost on Sarah.
Pam was noticeably irritated with something. Sarah hoped it wasn"t with Rae. A repeat performance from the bar the other night was something no one wanted. Rae stole a glance at Pam every now and then, and as Jane talked, she tried to gauge Pam"s mood.
"So I guess that"s that," Jane said sadly and sipped her water. Pam reached over and covered her hand, then let it go. Jane didn"t acknowledge the gesture. Rae thought she might have even stiffened slightly. Delia seemed to notice it, as well, but avoided eye contact with Rae.
"It"s very sad, girls. I am sorry. What a horrible accident," Sarah said and gave Rae a "well, the ball"s in your court now" look.
After a moment of silence, Rae finally spoke. "Well, I"m not quite convinced it was an accident."
Jane gaped at her, and Pam stared at her gla.s.s. Jane leaned in. "Why not?"
"Her apartment, for one. Someone ransacked it. The police are chalking it up to coincidence. I"m not sure I agree."
Pam leaned forward. "What makes you an authority on any of this, anyway?" she asked pointedly.
Rae agreed it was a fair question. She glanced at Delia, who shrugged. "I"m not an authority, but I"ve had experience with this sort of thing from my military background. So suffice it to say, I know what I"m talking about."
Pam made a rude grunt into her napkin. Jane ignored her and watched Rae. "So what are you thinking?"
Rae took a drink of wine and thought for a moment. "Let"s get all our ducks in a row. First, I"d like to look at Amy"s apartment again. Someone went through it on purpose. It wasn"t a robbery. I noticed the TV, stereo, and computer still there. Maybe there"s something the police missed. Second, I know this Mike Porter and his two friends are linked to this some way..." Her voice trailed off in thought for a moment.
No one said a word. Sarah listened intently, quietly amazed seeing this side of Rae. Pam fidgeted with her gla.s.s as Jane listened. Delia was smiling slightly with a look that Sarah thought was admiration. This must be a side of Rae Delia knew very well, a long time ago, Sarah thought as she turned her attention back to Rae.
"Delia, can you get her phone records for the last, say, two weeks? I"d like to see who she"s been talking to. Is there any way I can get my hands on that autopsy report?"
Delia winced. "I don"t know. I"ll see what I can do, but I highly doubt it. Maybe McGrath might have it on his desk, and maybe..."
"Maybe I could just be sitting there when he goes out for a cup of coffee," Rae finished, and Delia shrugged.
"Strange things happen all the time."
"Make it happen for me?"
"Will do."
Sarah watched the two of them, seemingly oblivious to the rest of them. "All of this is a hunch?" she asked, a bit confused. Rae looked over at her and smiled. Sarah Connelly"s heart started doing the mambo...
"Yes, it"s a hunch, but I think there"s something here. Something everybody has overlooked. I need to get back into her apartment." She looked at Jane and Pam.
Pam"s frown deepened, but she said nothing as Jane reached into her purse and took the key off the ring. "Will you go alone?"
"Yes," Rae said.
"No," Delia and Sarah said at the same time.
After dinner, Pam decided it was time to leave. Jane was disappointed but said nothing as Pam led her out of the restaurant. The three of them sat there and said nothing as they watched them go. Rae noticed how Delia looked at Jane.
"How long have they been together?" Delia asked as she drank her coffee.
Rae smiled slightly. "A year, I think. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. Just being a cop." She watched the door.
Sarah smiled, as well. "Pam certainly is a bit on the grumpy side."
"I don"t suppose I blame her. A good friend dies," Delia offered.
Rae, however, wasn"t buying it. "Did you notice her reactions whenever I talk about Amy and the possibility of her being murdered?"
Delia nodded. "I did."
"The other night at Sarah"s, she was a bit on the nervous side," Rae said thoughtfully.
Delia nodded again. "Remember that pilot at the Naval Air Station in New Orleans? He was the same way when you questioned him about his wife."
Sarah said nothing but just listened, hoping to get some insight into Rae"s past.
"Lying b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Rae said rudely, and Sarah raised an eyebrow, trying not to breathe and break the spell.
Delia chuckled, then got serious. "You saved that woman, that"s a fact, Commander."
Sarah now raised the other eyebrow and sat still. She glanced at Rae, who was staring off as if remembering. "Everybody did their job well on that one."
"You saved her life, though. If you hadn"t gotten there when you did." Delia stopped and looked at Sarah. "The commander here had a hunch."
"Delia..." Rae grumbled and shifted in her seat. Both of them ignored her.
"A hunch about this pilot, or was he a navigator?" Delia shook her head. "Doesn"t matter. Anyway, his wife was missing, he reported it, and the search was on. The whole base was on alert. After two weeks of grilling this pilot, Rae had a hunch. She remembered some obscure comment he"d made almost a month before. How she remembered it, I don"t know. Anyway, she put two and two together. This crazy f.u.c.k had his wife tied up in the bas.e.m.e.nt of his parents" house in New Orleans while they were on vacation. He was going to kill her. Rae had the authorities barge in just as this lowlife was about to cut her throat."
Sarah gasped openly and put her hand to her heart. "No." She sighed in amazement. Delia nodded proudly, and Rae just glared at her.
"Yep," Delia said, and Rae bounced a sugar cube off her forehead.
"Blabbermouth," she said halfheartedly and stole a glance at Sarah. "Okay, enough war stories. I"ve got a ton of paperwork for my client," Rae said nervously. She loved the look she was getting from Sarah, but at the same time, it scared her to death.
They stood outside the gate. Sarah gently kicked at the sidewalk. Rae played with the fence.
"How about some coffee? If it"s not too late," Sarah offered.
"Well, maybe just a cup. I"ve got a ton of..." Rae said as Sarah opened the gate and walked ahead of her.
"Paperwork, yes, I know," she countered. Rae took a deep breath and followed her up the walk.
They no sooner got into the foyer than Sarah boldly reached up and pulled Rae"s tall frame down to her, kissing her tenderly as they stood in the dark hallway. Rae sighed as their lips met in a soft kiss. Sarah"s hand wandered behind Rae"s neck and caressed. The sensation made Rae quiver as she pulled Sarah closer.
Suddenly, there was a definite urgency in both of them. The next kiss was more pa.s.sionate as Sarah"s fingers entwined in Rae"s hair, urging her closer. Their tongues met in a playful dance as they moaned quietly, the feeling rocking both of them.
"Sarah," Rae whispered against her lips as she dipped her head farther to kiss her neck.
Sarah gasped at the feeling of Rae"s warm lips on her neck, and she threw her head back to offer more. Rae smiled and nibbled the offered flesh.
"We can"t stand in the hall all night," Sarah said breathlessly.
Rae pulled back and smiled. "No, I won"t do this in your doorway," Rae said in a low voice that sent shock waves through Sarah.
"I"ll put the coffee on," Sarah said in an unsteady voice as she pulled away.
Rae smiled affectionately and pulled her back. "All of the sudden, I"m not thirsty." She kissed her cheek, then nibbled at her ear before traveling back to her lips. Sarah felt Rae"s satiny tongue once again glide slowly into her mouth. Her head reeled from Rae"s soft caresses.
Finally, she pulled back and laughed nervously. She put a hand up as Rae took a step toward her. "No. Coffee. I"m making coffee." She felt lightheaded as she turned. "If I can make it to the kitchen."
Rae threw up her hands. "Okay. Coffee it is."
"Make yourself at home," Sarah called out as she disappeared into the kitchen.
Rae smiled and turned on the light by the couch. She walked around, looking at the seemingly endless bookcase. Row upon row of every author imaginable, from fiction to nonfiction. Sarah Connelly must be a voracious reader. Rae walked around the living room looking at the books, then made her way back to the couch and noticed a picture on the desk. Picking it up, she noticed right away it was of Sarah, a younger Sarah.
Rae smiled, thinking she really didn"t look that much different. Oh, a few strands of gray, but other than that, Sarah Connelly kept her age very well. The other woman in the picture looked like an aunt or a mother. There was a similarity between the two. There were two other pictures of people, probably relatives, nestled comfortably on the desk and in the bookcase. It occurred to Rae then just how solid Sarah was. She was educated, funny, and charming. None of this Rae found in the women she had been with. Sarah Connelly had great depth, and Rae suddenly had a great pang of insecurity.
What in the world would Sarah want with her? She drank too much, and she played around too much. Rae Jefferson was completely unaccustomed to this: a mature, compa.s.sionate woman who had her head on straight.
"Who am I kidding?" she whispered in disgust and ran her fingers through her hair. She then flexed her aching shoulder.
"Sore, Commander?" Sarah"s lilting voice called out from the hallway. Rae whirled around to see her standing there with a pot of coffee and cups. She made her way to the couch and put the tray on the coffee table. "Or just old age?"
"Sometimes I feel like it," Rae said as she sat next to Sarah.
"You should have someone look at it. I have a great chiropractor," she offered as she poured. Rae watched her and smiled. This woman was completely at home in any situation and had the ability to make everyone feel comfortable.
"How do you do that?" Rae asked as she took the cup from her.
Sarah gave her a curious look. "Well, it"s simple, really. I prefer to do it the old-fashioned way. You fill the coffeepot with water and put six to eight scoops," Sarah started, "depending on your level of caffeine overload."
Rae put her cup down, leaned over, and kissed Sarah soundly. Sarah, caught off-guard, let out a surprised gasp.
After a moment or who knows how long, Rae pulled back. Sarah was pleasantly surprised to see the stupefied look on Rae"s face.
"You bring the water to a boil and let it perk for about five minutes," Sarah finished breathlessly. She looked into Rae"s eyes. Rae blinked and looked at Sarah as if she were some sort of alien. "What in the world is wrong?" Sarah asked, confounded.
Rae stood. "I have to go. I have so much paperwork to do. Thanks for the coffee and dinner. I had a marvelous time. I"ll call you tomorrow." Rae stumbled over herself and the coffee table.
Sarah sat there, gaping at her. "Well, okay. Whatever, that"s fine. I had a good time, as well," she said, clearly confused as she stood. "Are you all right?"
Rae backed up toward the door. "Oh, sure. Yes, I"m fine. I..." Rae stopped abruptly as she banged the back of her head on the hallway doorjamb.
Sarah winced for her and walked over to her. Rae had opened the door, and she stood there looking down into those gray eyes.
"My coffee really isn"t that bad. Is it?" Sarah reached up and ran her fingers through Rae"s hair.
"No, actually. It"s all too good. Look, I gotta go." She hurriedly opened the screen door, then turned to Sarah, quickly pulling her into her arms. "I"ll come and see you tomorrow," she whispered and nearly ran down the steps.
Sarah stood there with her hands on her hips and watched as Rae pulled away. "Why, that big fathead."
Shaking her head, she closed the door and turned off the lights. "I probably should"ve made tea." She sighed as she headed upstairs...alone.
Chapter 15.
The phone ringing woke Delia from a heavenly dream. All she remembered as she fumbled for the phone was the smiling face of Jane Whiting.
She grabbed the phone. "What?"
"I"m a f.u.c.king idiot," Rae barked into the phone.
Delia opened one eye and looked at the clock. Two thirty. "And I"m not. What"s wrong?"
For the next minute or so, Delia listened to Rae explain just how idiotic she had been. Delia yawned wildly and pulled the blankets up. She nestled the phone on her ear and listened.
"You"re not an idiot. Well, not about this anyway. For the first time in your life probably, you met a woman of substance, that"s all," Delia said through a yawn. She heard Rae breathing. "Are you there?"
"You"re right. What am I thinking, I don"t belong with her. Look at my life. I"m a mess. I can"t commit to anyone. I vulgarly chase young women. No...I can"t do this to her. I"m nowhere in her league. I"ll only hurt her."
Delia rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. "You deserve a good woman because you are a good woman. You"d better be careful, you might lose her. Of course, if that"s the plan..." Delia grinned; she could almost see the anger in Rae"s eyes.
"What the f.u.c.k are you talking about?"
"Push them away enough, they"ll leave. It"s what we did. We could never have a partner, not a real one anyway. We saw what it did to the married officers."
She heard Rae take a deep breath. "All of them had problems, some of them even divorced. You"re right. The covert, undercover world is unforgiving. It doesn"t care who it destroyed as long as the a.s.signment was completed. The greater good."
Delia said nothing when she heard the quiet tone of resignation in Rae"s voice. Before Naval Intelligence, Rae Jefferson was funny, smart, and s.e.xy. She had her affairs and such, but once the navy knew what a gold mine it had in her, Commander Jefferson allowed the service to swallow her up. Wanting a career doing something for the greater good, she took every a.s.signment they offered. Traveling mostly, more in the background. She was the brains. However, when that tenuous and diplomatic situation came up in Syria, she had her chance to be the brawn, as well, to put her training to good use. Delia only knew it ended horribly. Rae never talked about it, ever.
"I miss Mike," Rae said out of the blue Delia raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Gunny Walchek? I remember him. Is he retired?" The idea flashed through Delia"s mind then.
Rae laughed. "That"s Master Gunnery Sergeant Walchek to you, Ensign Grainger, and no, he"s not retired. The marines got him at Camp Lejeune terrorizing the ma.s.ses, I would think. Due to retire next year. He was good to me, taught me a good deal." Her voice trailed off. "s.h.i.t. I"m sorry. I just looked at the clock. Go back to sleep. I"ll call you tomorrow. I hope you can get that autopsy report."
"I"ll do my best. Try to sleep. And you"re not an idiot," Delia said and hung up.
Delia sat on the edge of her bed in the dark. She looked at her phone and wondered if what she was thinking was a good idea.