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“Do you need any cash?”
“Cash?” Then Holly remembered why Laurie was asking. Before leaving the hospital, Holly was told that a recovery team would retrieve her car and purse from the Green River, but they were waiting for the water level and current to decrease. It would likely be three weeks before she got her driver’s license back. Once the insurance confirmed her Honda was totaled, they would give her the money to replace it. Holly had enough in the bank to buy a car in the meantime, but she didn’t have time to shop for one until she turned in her manuscript. “I’ve got a spare checkbook upstairs.”
Laurie leaned over the couch and pulled the curtains all the way closed. “I still don’t get why you don’t want to sleep in the upstairs bed.”
Because I’d sleep too long. And I need to get to work.“I like it here,” Holly said, closing her eyes again.
“All right, I’ll leave you be. As long as you promise to rest and call me if you need anything?”
“Promise,” Holly mumbled.
“Ken is picking me up, so I’ll leave you our spare car. The keys are on the kitchen counter. It’s a very unsexy station wagon, but it’ll get you around. I asked Ken to bring a baseball bat for you to have for self-defense. I’ll put it in the entryway. I never thought I’d say this, but you might want to think about getting a gun.”
Laurie’s footsteps sounded toward the front door as Holly imagined her car sitting at the bottom of the Green River, making her shiver.
“I have a spare key, so I’ll lock the door behind me after I grab the bat,” Laurie called.
“Thanks, Laurie.”
While the hospital had called the Tukwila police to take down a report of the car that had driven her off the bridge, Holly had called Andy from her room in the ER to find he was still at the office. He’d driven down immediately and listened alongside the officer to what had happened after she’d left the Major Crimes Unit. The Tukwila detective had taken down her report, and while it wasn’t technically Andy’s case, he’d promised to pay Jared a visit to find out if he’d been involved. In the meantime, Andy had arranged to have a Tacoma squad car periodically patrol her neighborhood for any sign of Jared or other suspicious activity.
She recalled the determined look on Andy’s face in the ER, confident he would figure out who’d done this to her. He’d squeezed her hand before leaving the hospital, assuring her he would find whoever was responsible.
She heard Laurie’s van roar to life before it pulled away from the house. She could only hope Andy was right.
***
Holly could tell as soon as she opened her eyes that she’d slept much longer than she’d intended. While it was still daylight, there was no longer any direct sunlight shining through the curtains behind the couch. She sat up and reached for her alarm clock on the coffee table. 3:46 p.m.
The alarm that she’d set for 10:30 a.m. had been turned off, and instead she’d slept for over eight hours.
“Laurie,” she grumbled, replacing the clock on the coffee table.
She got up and moved through the home’s main level to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. While irritation pooled in herchest at Laurie turning off her alarm, she couldn’t deny how much better she felt. This was the most rested she’d been since she’d moved in.
Holly glanced down, feeling a bit conspicuous wearing the neon pink sweater and pastel lavender jeans Laurie had brought from her own closet for Holly to change into at the hospital. It was a far cry from the gray sweatshirt and ripped jeans Holly routinely wore when she wrote.
She placed the coffee pot under the faucet when movement outside the kitchen window caught her eye. Next door, Clint stepped onto his front porch, dressed in his usual plaid shirt and jeans. As the coffee pot filled, she watched him stride down his driveway. He continued past his mailbox and headed toward her house, making her heart skip a beat.
Water overflowed from the coffee pot as Holly leaned forward to get a glimpse of Clint starting up her drive. She swore, leaving the overflowing pot in the sink after turning off the faucet, then rushed to find the closest mirror. She darted into the powder room and let out a groan.
She ran her fingers through her mess of brown waves, then tried to smooth her bangs, grimacing when they refused to obey. She swiped her fingertips over the mascara smudged beneath her eyes. She’d been too exhausted to shower when she got home from the hospital, even though she needed one after her swim in the Green River.
The doorbell rang. Holly scurried out of the bathroom, searching for where she had left her purse.
“Coming,” she called, scanning the kitchen countertops, then the entryway table for her handbag. A lip gloss would undoubtedly be easier to find inside than her car keys. With a sinking feeling, she remembered it was inside her car at the bottom of the Green River.
She recognized Clint’s tall frame beyond the frosted glass beside the front door. She smoothed the front of Laurie’s ridiculously bright sweater and took a deep breath before opening it.
“Oh. Clint. Hi.” She smiled, trying her best to look surprised.
“Hey.”
His hazel eyes locked with hers, and her dizziness from last night returned. She gripped the door tighter to keep from swaying on her feet.
“Laurie asked me to check on you. Make sure you’re feeling all right and”—one side of his mouth lifted into a smile—“not working too hard.”
Of course, she was.Holly wasn’t sure whether to be livid or grateful. Maybe a little of both.