“He told me that once.” Cassie couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her mouth. “He said he hoped I wouldn’t have to look at his ugly mug after he was gone.”
Lisa joined in Cassie’s laughter, and the two women hugged each other tightly. When Lisa let go, she looked a little lighter. “I can sleep a little better knowing he’s where he belongs.”
Cassie wished she could say the same. “I’ll sleep better when they find out who did this.”
“Have you heard anything?” Lisa’s voice was even, but her eyes couldn’t hide her desperation. “Do they have any leads?”
“Harris hasn’t told me much. Just that they think it has something to do with some drug boss running an operation in Savannah. But they’re still trying to piece it all together.”
“Well, you know as much as I do then. That’s some small comfort.”
Cassie wasn’t sure she agreed, but she kept it to herself. She looked down at bear and rubbed the top of his head until the dog closed his eyes and began to snore.
“Not to spring this on you,” Lisa said, “but David had hoped you’d want Bear back at one point or another.”
“Oh.” Cassie looked up at her. “You don’t want to keep him?”
“He was never mine to keep. David’s either. David told me about how you rescued him. You two have a connection.”
Cassie looked back down at Bear, and a sense of warmth spread throughout her body. “I’m not sure how Apollo is going to feel about this, but I’ll make it work.”
“Oh, and there’s one more thing.” Lisa shifted to one side and pulled an envelop out of her dress pocket. David had scrawled Cassie’s name across the front. “This is for you.”
Cassie didn’t lift her hand to take it. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t read it.” Lisa waited until Cassie took the envelop with a shaking hand. “David wrote it about a month ago. Every couple of years, we make it a point to discuss what would happen if he died. Somber, I know. And at first, I hated it. I didn’t even want to think about it. But now, I’m grateful. Nothing can prepare you for this, but I can at least say I don’t have any regrets. I knew how much David loved me, and he knew how much I loved him. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
She lifted the envelop. “And this?”
“If I were to guess, I’d think that letter holds the same sentiment. He loved you like a daughter, Cassie. He’d want to make sure you knew that, even after he was gone.”
Cassie nodded her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile. The letter was like a rock tied to her ankle, pulling her beneath the surface of her own grief. She’d open it someday, but not until she stopped holding out hope that whatever David had to tell her, he could do it face to face.
Etched in Shadow Chapter 3
Cassie opened her fridge and surveyed the options as the cool air washed over her skin. She called out to Harris, who was pacing the length of her living room like she was going for a world record. “Options are limited. Water or tea? Beer or wine?”
“Something stronger?”
“Jose Cuervo?”
“I’ll stick with the beer.”
Cassie grabbed a bottle for Harris and a glass of wine for herself. It had been her first day back to work since she found out about David, and the day had been long and miserable. Her head was pounding in rhythm with her heartbeat. If the wine didn’t relieve the tension in her body, maybe it would put her to sleep instead.
Harris took the bottle and slammed half of it back. She wiped her mouth and sat in the recliner opposite Cassie on the couch. “Thanks.”
Cassie eyed the other woman for a minute and contemplated her decision to ask Harris to watch the house for her this week while she went on a work trip. Agitation had replaced Harris’ normally calm demeanor. She would sit in the chair back for a few seconds, then lean forward again. She’d shift to one side, put her ankle up on the opposite knee, then drop her foot and do the same thing on the other side. The beer was gone before Cassie had taken her second sip of wine.
Harris held the bottle up. “Mind if I grab another?”
“Go for it.”
Cassie waited until she returned, but Harris didn’t seem any calmer. It’d probably take something stronger than beer to do that. “How’ve you been?”
“You know.” Harris shrugged. She didn’t bother finishing the sentence, and Cassie didn’t need her to. The detective pointed at Apollo and Bear, who were curled up together on the couch, inches from Cassie. “These two seem to be getting along.”
“Yeah.” Cassie couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. Only one good thing had come out of all of this, and that was having Bear by her side. “When I brought Bear home, they sniffed each other for a solid minute before he took off to explore the house. Next thing I know, they’re curled up like this in the middle of my bed. Bear’s still walking on eggshells. Probably afraid he’ll be shipped off to another house soon. But Apollo is obsessed with him.”
“That’s cute.” Harris looked like she meant it. “I think David would be happy he’s with you.”
The smile slid off Cassie’s face at the mention of David’s name. “Yeah. I wish I didn’t have to leave so soon. I’m afraid Bear will think I’ve abandoned him again. I really appreciate you staying here for a few days. Sending him somewhere else would make him more anxious.”
“It’s not a problem, I told you that.” Harris tilted her bottle back and downed a third of it this time. At least she seemed to be slowing down.
