Page 11 of In Safe Hands

“Right. No more Nature specials for you.”

She made a face at him but let it drop. “What’s the next step?”

“Checking the call log, like I said.” His eyebrows furrowed again as he looked at her, and Daisy met his gaze evenly, hoping she didn’t look as wobbly as she felt. “I’m thinking about asking Lou if she could come over to talk to you.”

“What?” That seemed to come out of the blue. Startled, she dug through her brain to remember what Chris had told her about a Lou. “You mean barista, dive team member, and stalker-killer Lou? Why?”

“That’s the one.” He drummed his fingers against the counter. “Because she’s been looking into Willard Gray’s murder.”

“The guy found in the reservoir? Well,” she corrected herself, wrinkling her nose, “most of him was found in the reservoir, at least.”

“Yeah.”

“Why should Lou come talk to me?”

Chris was still frowning, and his words came after a hesitation, as if he wasn’t sure he should be saying what he was. “I can’t give you details about the case, Dais. I could lose my job.”

“So, you really do think what I saw this morning is related to that Gray guy’s murder?”

“Probably not.”

“But it might be.”

Blowing out a frustrated breath, he pushed away from the counter and paced the kitchen. “The Gray case has been a complete cluster from the beginning. So many things about it don’t make any sense, and it’s frustrating the hell out of me. Whenever anything strange happens, I find myself trying to link it to the case. I know I’m reaching, but something’s telling me not to blow off what you told me as…” He sent her an odd look, a mix of frustration and guilt.

“As the ravings of a crazy lady?” she finished for him, trying to keep her voice light even as she swallowed back bile.

“No.” He stopped and scrubbed his fingers through his hair, bringing it back to its usual rumpled condition. “No. Dais, you’re not crazy.”

Forcing a laugh, she waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “It’s okay, Chris. I know what I am.”

“Dais.”

It was time to change the subject. “Tell Lou she can come over here, if she wants.”

“Daisy.”

“From what you’ve told me, she’ll be fun to talk to, even if we don’t unearth a countywide conspiracy.” She pushed away from the counter, relieved when her legs wobbled a little but held her upright. “Did you want some coffee to take with you?”

He was watching her with a little too much intensity, so she tried to ignore him, moving over to the coffeemaker and holding up a hazelnut cup. “No,” he finally said, sounding defeated. “I’m good.”

They were both quiet as Chris once again donned his boots and coat. He unlocked the interior dead bolts, the heavy clicks loud in the silence, and then stilled, turning to look at her.

“You’re not crazy.”

Although she felt too tired to start the argument again, she couldn’t make the assurances he needed to hear. Instead, she sighed. “See you later, Chris.”

His face grew tight, but he finally turned away. “Bye, Dais.”

After the interior door closed behind him, Daisy stared at it for a long time before moving to engage the locks.

* * *

Rob gave a grunt of annoyance when his phone started ringing. It always seemed to happen when his hands were full. Leaning forward, he dumped Anderson King’s body onto the rocky ground and then reached for his phone, checking the caller ID before accepting the call.

“Chris,” he greeted.

“Hey, Rob.” A tentative note in his deputy’s voice caught Rob’s attention. “I’ve got a strange question for you. Got a minute?”