approach. A handsome man, he stood tall in a blue blazer with his hand thrust out toward Mia. Mia took it as he shook it in congratulatory fashion.
“So many jobs well done, Mia.” Warren said.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Mia…” Warren said admonishingly.
“Lance.” Mia relented. “You know my dad raised me formally in addressing my elders.”
They had known each other since Mia was in high school and Warren and her father worked together in Washington. He had helped to shepherd her career far more than her father had.
“Jack.” Warren turned. “How have you been?”
“Terrific, Lance. And you?”
“Great. How’s the district attorney’s office? You ever thinking of leaving there?”
“Every day.” Jack smiled. “We’ll let you guys catch up. I’m going to find some food.”
As Jack and Peter both turned to a passing waiter, grabbing bacon-wrapped scallops, Warren’s face grew serious. “I understand there may be an evidence file that is missing.”
“Missing?” Mia smiled.
“I got a call from Gene Tierney about a murder earlier this week at a hotel.”
“Yes, the Waldorf.”
“He mentioned a number of people are interested in reviewing the case, seeing the evidence.”
“Of my case?” Mia was never one to hide her emotions, even from her superiors.
“Mia.” Warren threw up his hands in surrender. “It’s your case, I just got the call. I’m not pulling rank, especially for someone like Tierney.”
“Thank you.”
“In confidence, you haven’t lost the evidence file, have you?”
“Just misplaced.” Mia shook her head and smiled. “We’re working with New York City on this. Evidence administrators filed it under the wrong name. No one likes to admit how often it happens.”
“Ah,” Warren said with relief as he raised his glass in a toast. “Here’s to hating the bureaucracy that employs us.”
Just after midnight, Mia kissed her mother and father good-bye and slipped out of the party that was finally winding down. She and Jack ran out the front door into the pouring rain and climbed into his white Tahoe, slamming the doors and exhaling, taking a moment to enjoy the silence,
“Live to fight another day,” Jack said with relief as he took off his wet sportcoat and laid it on the console between them. “I ran out of small talk two hours ago.”
Mia reached into the back and grabbed a blue button-down sweater, pulling it on and buttoning it up, shaking out the cold rain from her hair.
Settling back in the passenger seat, Mia took Jack’s hand and gently squeezed it, a warm, loving smile washed over her face. “Thank you. I know how much you hate those things.”
Jack leaned across the seat and kissed her softly on the cheek. “I’d survive far worse than your father for you.”
“You’re just saying that in hopes of getting lucky.”
“Is it working?” he said with a laugh. He started up the car and drove out into the rain-soaked night.
“No,” she replied, but her serious look quickly dissolved into a smile. “Well… the kids are sleeping at your mom’s. Suppose it would be an awful waste of freedom to let the evening pass us by.”
“It would be a shame; you know what they say about opportunity lost?”
“Guess that means your headache’s gone,” Mia said as she ran her hand through his hair.
“Headache? What headache?” Jack smiled.
As they drove up Route 22, Mia spied a lump in the breast pocket of Jack’s sportcoat on the center console. She reached in his pocket and withdrew a blue jewelry box.
She turned her head, raising an eyebrow, and opened the small box to find a gold cross attached to a simple gold chain tucked into the black velvet slit.
“You haven’t even taken it out of the box yet,” Mia said.
“I know.” Jack laughed a guilty laugh. “I will.”
“I got that for you weeks ago. You need a little bit of faith, Jack. I can’t even remember the last time you were in church.”
“You know me, as long as you believe in me and I believe in you, that’s all the faith I need. Besides, when have you known me to wear any jewelry? I don’t even wear a watch.”
“When you wear this”-Mia held up the box like a spokesmodel, withdrawing the gold cross-“you can think of me.”
She leaned across the center island of the car and put the cross around Jack’s neck.
“I don’t need a piece of jewelry to remind me of you. How about you wear it?”
“Because I got it for you.”
They came to a stoplight in the middle of nowhere, the red light shining on Jack’s sudden smile. “In that case,” he said as he took the box out of her hands and lifted the velvet interior to reveal a second necklace.
Mia leaned forward, looking at it. “It’s beautiful.”
The chain was platinum and suspended an intricate pattern of varying blue stones: topaz, blue onyx, and small sapphires. Shards of blue light danced and leaped through the polished stones’ crystal centers, seeming to bring the necklace to life.
“What’s the occasion?”
Jack removed the necklace from the box. “Indulge me.”
Jack leaned forward. Mia reluctantly obliged, tilting her head down as he clasped the necklace around her neck. He gently removed the single pearl choker he had given her for their wedding anniversary and tucked it into the jewelry box, then slipped it back into his pocket.
He tilted his head, assessing the piece as shards of light refracted off its precious stones. Jack unbuttoned the top two buttons of Mia’s sweater and loosened the top of her dress to expose a bit more cleavage, allowing the blue stones to contrast against her skin. He ran his finger around her soft white neck, trailing it down her chest. “It looks great on you.”
“I don’t think you’re looking at the necklace.” Mia smiled as the light turned green. She pointed at the light and cleared her throat for effect.
Jack gave her a smirk, turned his attention back to the road, and continued up the highway.
“You know you were already on your way to getting lucky tonight?” Mia said. “You should have saved this for a day when I’m angry with you.”
“There are so many of those, how could I possibly choose?” Jack smiled.
Mia reached over and stroked her hand down Jack’s face. “Thank you.”
They headed up Route 22 toward Byram Hills, both in silent thought as the rain pounded the windshield, its pitter-patter competing with the thumping of the rhythmic wipers. As they approached Rider’s Bridge, they could see the raging river fifty feet below, a churning cauldron that rose well above the banks, pulling anything and everything into its rapids-like flow.
As the SUV hit the bridge pavement, the rear wheels lost their traction, and the Tahoe went into a sudden fishtail. Jack held tight to the wheel as the vehicle skirted left to right and back again, pulling hard to bring it under control. Mia’s right hand shot up and gripped the passenger strap above the door. Their collective breath caught in their throats as the car spun headfirst toward the guardrail.
But Jack finally gained control. Slowing down to catch his breath, he had turned toward Mia with a that-was- close smile when the flashing red lights lit up his rearview mirror and the back of the car.
“Tell me you didn’t have more than two glasses,” Mia said as she caught her breath.
“God, that was close,” Jack said as he pulled over to the side of the two-lane overpass that spanned the rushing Byram River. “I’m perfectly fine, though I think I shaved five years off my life with that little maneuver.”
The flashing roof light slowly passed them. It was atop a black Chevy Suburban, and it came to a stop just in front of them.
Jack rolled down his window, the pouring rain instantly soaking his arm and the interior door of his car,
