“No, we’re good,” I said with a smile.
“Very well,” he replied as he backed up a few steps.
I tugged on Zach’s arm. “Come on, we’re clearly making the man nervous.”
“We have that effect on folks sometimes, don’t we?”
I looked up at my powerful husband. “I think they’re more intimidated by you than me.”
“Don’t kid yourself. I know some hardened criminals who’d rather take me on than you.”
“Now you’re just trying too hard.”
I led him out of the hotel, and we got into the rental. As I started the ignition, I said, “We never really decided what we were going to do next, did we?”
“Is there a place around here I could make a few telephone calls? I hate to be where anyone else can hear me.”
“How about right here in the car? Or did you want me to leave, too?”
“Of course not.” He opened his cell phone, and then said, “I’m having a hard time getting a signal in here anyway.”
“I have an idea,” I said. “It’s on the way to the other hotel, too, if that helps.”
“I’m in your hands.”
As I drove through town, I said, “This is a place where you should have plenty of privacy, and the views are pretty spectacular, too.”
“You’ve got me curious. Any hints?”
“We’ll be there in a second,” I said. I took the last turn, and wondered for a minute if I’d gotten it right. The neighborhood we drove through was a little sketchy, but a few minutes later, I saw the sign I’d been looking for.
“We’re here,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot.
Zach looked at the train tracks and the benches. “Where exactly is here?”
“It’s Pullen Park,” I said. “Jenny brought me here the last time I visited. They have the coolest carousel in the world here.”
“We don’t have time to ride, Savannah.”
“Come on. We can at least go look at it.”
Zach nodded, and we walked down the path of gray brown interlocking pavers. The view, once obscured by bushes, now presented a large lake of beautiful water. There were paddleboats docked close to us, though none were out on the water at the moment. Several ducks were sitting on the wooden docks, as if waiting patiently for their turns to ride.
“Everything’s closed,” Zach said.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “The carousel has to be open.”
As we walked toward the round building, I saw shutters closed at every opening.
A man was working nearby, replacing the trash bags from one of the garbage cans. “Excuse me? Is it closed?”
He nodded. “They had to do some repairs. Don’t worry, it’ll be back open in a few days.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Is the train running?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, you just missed the last ride.”
Zach shrugged. “Hey, you tried.”
“Perfect. At least the statues should still be there, unless they’ve hauled them off somewhere for cleaning.”
“What statues are you talking about?”
I didn’t say a word. I just grabbed his hand and led him to the place I remembered from my last visit.
To my delight, they were still there.
I watched Zach as he rounded the corner, and an immediate grin came up on his face. “Savannah, how cool is that?”
It was a bronze statue of Andy and Opie Taylor, father and son, from
“That is one of the neatest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Go on, I’ll take your picture with them with my camera phone.”
He looked a little embarrassed by the suggestion. “Savannah, have you lost your mind?”
“Think of it this way, Zach. When are you ever going to get the chance to do this again?”
He frowned for a second, and then grinned. “Why not?”
After I got a shot of him standing in front of the duo, he shook his head in disbelief, though the smile was still clear on his face. “We’re not going to be able to show that to anyone, you know that, don’t you?”
“We don’t have to. Isn’t it enough to know that it exists?”
I kissed his cheek, and he surprised me by wrapping me up in his arms. “I love you.”
“More than Andy?” I said.
“Andy, Barney, Opie, and Aunt Bea, too.”
“Wow, I feel special.”
Zach kissed me again, this time more soundly, and then he released me. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some calls to make.”
My husband walked over toward the water, and I moved nearby where I could see the lake myself. It was beautiful, a serene vision just minutes from downtown Raleigh, and I silently thanked the park’s designer for preserving something so special so close.
I don’t know how long I took it all in, but Zach came back and broke into my thoughts. “Savannah, did you hear me?”
“Sorry, I was thinking about something else,” I said. “What did you say?”
“We’ve got a meeting, and we need to get across town in ten minutes to make it in time.”
“Then we’d better get going,” I said as I started back to the parking lot.
“Don’t you even want to know who we’re seeing?” he asked.
“I figure you’ll tell me eventually.”
“I spoke with Derrick’s former business partner, Frank Lassiter. He’s in town at the police’s request, and he wants to talk to me.”
“Not us?”
“I don’t think he’ll mind if you tag along, too.”
“Well, I’ve had warmer invitations, but I’ve had worse ones over the years, too, haven’t I?”
“Probably even from me.”
“Where are we meeting?” I asked.
“We need to head over to Edenton Street. We’re going to talk to him on the grounds of the State Capitol.”
AS WE DROVE THE SHORT DISTANCE TO THE CAPITOL, I asked Zach, “How did you manage to get him to meet us?”
“He feels like the police are going to railroad him for this, and he wants someone with some influence on his side.”
“And you know someone like that?”
He grinned at me. “I’m talking about me.”
“How did he get the impression you had some pull in Raleigh?”
“Well,” Zach said as he rubbed his chin, “I may have misled him a little on that. After I identified myself as the former Charlotte chief of police, I told him I had an interest in Derrick’s homicide case, which is strictly true. He asked me a few questions, I answered them honestly, and he agreed to this meeting.”
“Can I be there, too?”
“Yes, but it’s best if you don’t say anything.”
