Twenty-One
Evie scooped up the garment bag, purse, and box with her new dress shoes from the trunk, caught movement from the corner of her eye and realized Rob was coming out to meet her. She gave him a distracted smile as she tried to shut the trunk. “Thanks for letting me change here.”
“Happy to be of service,” he replied, then took the garment bag and shut the trunk while she locked the car.
She stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “Sorry I’m running so late.”
“Nah, fashionably late is fashionable.” He led the way inside.
“Your mother will notice, make some comment.”
“She always has a comment. Case breaking open?”
“Sort of—I’ll explain on the drive in.” She took the bag and headed to the guest bathroom to change. She had chosen the dress for its color and simplicity, and she changed into it as quickly as she could, freshened her face with a touch of lipstick and mascara, combed her hair, tucked it behind her ears, took a last look in the mirror. It’ll have to do.
Back in the living room, Rob looked great in his suit—he always made a statement without much effort. “What do you think?” she asked with a semi-dramatic twirl in front of him. “Too much?”
Rob tipped his head, smiled as he studied her. “You look lovely, especially in red.”
“‘Bold and beautiful’ is what the sales clerk said.”
“She was underselling the reality. It becomes you, Evie.”
“Five more minutes and I’ll be finished.”
“In that time I think I can find a tie to match. In case somebody can’t figure out you are mine,” he said over his shoulder.
She felt fresh nerves as she slipped simple gold studs into her earlobes and slipped on the black satin shoes. She took in a deep breath, slowly let it out again. She would handle his parents with tact and a smile. The evening was going to go fine. She rejoined Rob.
“You found more than just a tie.” He’d swapped it out for one perfectly matching her dress’s shade of red, adding a similar red square to his jacket’s breast pocket. He was also holding a jewelry box. It was long and thin, so not a ring, she noted, relieved.
“I did. Why don’t you try this?” He opened the box, and the necklace inside sparkled. Nearly six inches long by four inches wide, the five fine strands of gold latticed through a series of colored gemstones. She felt herself smiling as she carefully lifted it from the box, held it up, saw how the reds picked up the color of her dress. “It’s perfect, Rob. Thank you.” He always had exquisite taste yet didn’t make it such a pricey gift that she felt she couldn’t accept it.
He secured the clasp for her behind her neck. “I was expecting a safe ‘little black dress,’” he quipped, “given we’re joining my parents, and I thought to add some color. Instead, it becomes a good accent piece.” He held her by the shoulders, looked into her eyes and said, “My parents will be blown away. I sure am.”
She laughed, blushed. “Let’s go find out.” She picked up the matching bag with room for phone, comb, compact, Kleenex, and not much else.
Rob helped her on with her black dress coat and offered his arm. “To a good evening already begun.”
“I’m all for that.”
Rob’s car, a dark sedan, was not flashy on the outside but was luxurious inside. He settled her in the passenger seat before circling to the driver’s side. A nice habit, one of those courtesies whenever she was with him.
She was comfortable with this man, she realized as she watched him drive, calmly handling the heavy traffic. Rob was a contrast to the other men in her past, but he suited her in ways no one else did.
“You mentioned the case took a turn.” Rob looked over at her with a question in his expression.
Evie pulled her thoughts back to her day. “I’ll begin by mentioning the special guest singer tonight is Margaret May McDonald. She’s a big deal in the world of music, and dedicated fans make sure to be at events like this. There’s a guy I’m looking for, who might put in an appearance tonight at the rope line. And another of her fans from Ellis has appeared as a possible person of interest and will probably be there too. We’ll be videotaping the crowds to review tomorrow. I met Maggie last night, and I like her a lot. David, the task-force cop I’ve been working with, he’s her guy.”
Rob smiled. “The world is indeed a very small place.”
“You’ll like David when you meet him.”
“He’s the one who came back from New York to join the team?”
“Yes. Maggie’s moving back to Chicago, which is why he made the shift.”
“Anything you need me to watch out for tonight?”
“Security has a photo of the local fan and will keep track of her movements. I don’t have a photo of the guy, so he would have to do something to attract attention, make him stand out in the crowd. I don’t expect anything like that to happen tonight, I’m just aware it could.”
Rob glanced over and looked her up and down. “I don’t think that little bag is spacious enough for a badge and gun, and those shoes definitely aren’t up for a foot chase.”
She laughed. “The place will be full of security, uniform and plainclothes cops, given the mayor and so many political types will be present. If something needs attention, I plan to yell police, let someone else handle matters. I’m truly off duty for a change,” she said, smiling her contentment.
“I’m noting this date, as that rarely happens,” Rob replied with good humor. “And if you do yell for the police, I’ll pretend I’ve never seen you before.”
They laughed together, and Evie looked at the time. The program was beginning. “I’m truly sorry we’re late again—”
“Don’t worry about it. I can’t imagine the day I care about that more than I do about you, Evie.” He reached over to squeeze her hand. “I used to be punctual to everything, good manners and all that. Then I met you and saw what it’s like for Dispatch to call you in the middle of dinner, urgently send you to the other end of the state. Or realized while I was waiting at a restaurant you were trying to disengage from a mother whose son had been murdered that afternoon. You don’t control very much of your time, Evie. You try with care and kindness to carve out pieces of your life for me. So while you have your particular job, that’s reality, and it’s an adjustment I choose to make for us. I tell people who ask us to come to an event, a party, that we would be glad to come, but we may be arriving late, and they should start the meal or program without us. If we arrive on time, they are thrilled, and if we arrive midway through the evening, they feel honored we came by.” Rob chuckled. “Without intending to, you’ve actually raised my stature simply by the fact I’m occasionally late to gatherings of important people. It harkens back to when only kings and queens dared be late.”
“I wish there was a better reason for this delay. Interviews simply produced more leads than I had anticipated, and those conversations ran long.”
“So you’re making progress finding your missing student?”
“Good progress. Right now it’s this big mix of competing theories and possibilities, but a few days of churn like this generally gets to that moment when a name rises to the surface and it’s solved.”
“I’m glad, Evie. This case matters, but it’s also got to be a good step in the right direction to be that successful on a first case with the task force.”
“Yes, for good press coverage and to give the governor political points for what could seem a personally motivated decision for this endeavor. We need cases solved to justify the investment.”
“Well, I’m glad the governor chose you to serve on it. You’re good at this work.”
As it turned out, they weren’t all that late. Rob let the hotel’s valet park the car and pulled her arm through his as they made their way toward the hotel entrance. Evie was vividly aware of those behind the rope line straining to see each new vehicle’s occupants emerging, hoping to see someone famous. She almost laughed at their disappointment when they recognized neither her nor her escort. She did a quick search of their faces but didn’t see Lynne. Maggie should be backstage by this time, so her absence wasn’t a surprise.
Evie tried to ignore the attention her red dress captured as they entered the ballroom. Or more likely it’s Rob, she thought with a little smile at him. A hostess discreetly led them to the front of the packed room. They were getting extra attention, both because of their late arrival and all the guests who knew Rob. Evie stopped counting after several dozen raised a glass or said hello to him. She spotted David talking with a security official in the front of the room.
The round tables seated eight, and Rob’s parents sat beside a state senator and his wife. Four empty chairs formed the other half circle, Evie’s and Rob’s names at two of them.
“I was afraid you weren’t coming, even after having blocked in the tickets,” his mother said, a bit of edge to her tone.
“Life happens, Mother. We’re here now,” Rob said calmly as he drew out Evie’s chair next to her.
“Good evening, Elizabeth,” Evie said with a smile as she sat down. “Hello, Joshua.” She was on easier terms with Rob’s father than his mother.
His mother nodded to Evie, then quickly turned her attention toward the other couple. “Senator, I believe you’ve met our son, Robert?”
Waiters carrying large trays were bringing out salads and baskets of rolls. Evie gratefully went with the diversion, simply nodded hello with a smile when Rob introduced her to the senator and his wife. It was a delicious-looking salad, topped with caramelized apple slices and walnuts. She would have taken a quick cellphone photo to add to her collection of event dishes were his mother not sitting next to her.
She wasn’t able to converse with the senator’s wife since they weren’t seated that close to each other, but she vaguely remembered having met the woman at a similar gathering last year and that Martha Davidson had an outgoing and large family. Evie felt Elizabeth’s attention shift her direction, hoped she was able to keep up her end of the conversation.
“Evie, I’m glad you were free to join us this evening. Rob had said you might be working.”
There was never a good way to handle that question; she either offered too many details or not enough. “I’d hoped to be making an arrest before tonight,” she said, “having discovered what happened to my long-missing Jenna Greenhill. But I often don’t get my first wish. Sharing Rob’s time and a wonderful meal with all of you isn’t such a bad consolation prize.”
She could feel Rob’s hand resting lightly against her back, knew it carried his You go, girl! support.
“The . . . um, the task force Governor Bliss created is making progress?” Elizabeth asked.
Evie doubted Elizabeth was actually interested, it was more likely an indirect way to let the senator know the governor had made her appointment. It was politely asked so she tried to answer in kind. “The group has excellent detectives. I’m certain a number of cases will be resolved in the coming months.” She needed out of this quicksand of her work, which never made good dinner conversation, so she changed topics. “May I ask which charity tonight has your greatest interest?”
“Joshua and I have long been supporters of the Children’s Hospital Fund.”
Evie glanced at Rob on her other side. “Do you have a favorite? I haven’t heard you say.”
“I’m an equal benefactor of them all, though I think I’ll ask you at the end of the evening which has captured your heart. We can make another donation in both our names.”
“I have a feeling it’s going to be the House of Hope. Prostitutes don’t get enough care and kindness,” Evie replied, knowing the charity firsthand through Ann’s involvement, and aware it happened to be one of the few religious charities being highlighted this evening.
Evie caught a signal from David across the room and felt immense relief. “Actually, I am working briefly this evening. All these dignitaries at a single place, you understand.” She gave the group a brief smile. “Would you excuse me a moment?”
Rob stood and held her chair as she slipped away to join David.
“His parents?” David asked when she joined him.
“Yes. Maggie must have put in a request—you’re at the same table.”
“I did at her request. I’ll join you shortly so I can watch Maggie’s performance from the audience.”
“Elizabeth is likely to give you a polite third degree. How off duty are you?”
“Around Maggie I’m always additional security. I’m carrying credentials and a weapon, if that’s what you’re asking. You think I’m going to need them with his mother?” David asked, amused.
Evie couldn’t help her laughter. “I couldn’t figure how to easily carry mine in a handbag that matched my outfit. I figured I’d yell ‘Police!’ and let you handle anything that came up. You’ve seen Maggie?”
“I’ve been banished for the moment. She’s in the dressing room with her hair and makeup people. Showing nerves, as you might have heard she still deals with. You’re showing a few yourself. She’s that difficult?”
“Elizabeth’s a nice enough woman, and yet I always tense up around her. We had some minor collisions early on with the cop thing, and I’ve never been able to sort out how to handle her questions.”
“Tactfully, truthfully.”
“The rope line so far has been a lot of requests for autographs and selfies,” David mentioned. “The back of the hotel has been getting some fan interest too—staff entrances, fans hoping to spot those who might try to slip into the hotel unnoticed. Security has been checking IDs for anyone entering the hotel throughout the day, so we’ll have security camera footage to review for those areas too. Lynne has been moving between the two areas. She’s at the back presently.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. Thanks, David.”
Evie walked back to her table, offered a small smiled apology to Rob. The entrée arriving gave her cover for avoiding further conversation. Evie settled in to enjoy the meal, listening to Rob’s conversation with the senator about a business park development on the south side of Chicago. David slipped into the seat beside Rob some minutes later, and a waiter promptly brought him a dinner plate.
“All’s quiet?” she leaned around to ask softly.
“We’re good.”
The mayor was just taking the podium, so Evie quickly introduced the two men.
“I’ve heard nice things,” Rob said, offering a hand.
“The same,” David replied with a smile.
After the mayor’s welcome and introductory remarks, the lights dimmed for a video of the featured charities. The main speaker for the evening expanded on the work of the organizations represented in the video, and he closed with an impassioned and genuine plea for donations to continue the work of each. Baskets with envelopes had been distributed to each table to collect contributions, and a general stirring filled the room as checkbooks appeared and envelopes were stuffed and returned to the baskets.
The mayor shifted the program focus to the music for the evening. People turned their seats to better view the stage as he talked about their guest artist.
Applause grew as the curtain pulled back on Maggie in a shimmering pale-blue gown, flanked by tall vases of white roses. Two keyboards and two guitars comprised the musicians to either side, with a percussionist situated with his rhythm set in the back of the semicircle stage. She looked elegant and poised, comfortable before her audience.
Maggie waited as the sound filled the ballroom in a long lead-in, and Evie could feel the anticipation building. The slender woman before them was pulling the audience in with her infectious smile, a hand at her side tapping lightly to the beat. Because Evie was watching for it, she caught the extra joy in Maggie’s expression when she located David. The accompanying music rose in volume, and Maggie’s voice joined it with an energy that made the room come alive.
“Lover of mine, how great is your arrival,
Joy of my heart, how pleasant your smile,
Come and fill my heart, meet my every need,
Only with you, Beloved,
am I fully alive.”
The voice behind the number-one song in the country soared up to the high ceiling. Evie noticed even the waitstaff stopping to listen. Having never been that near a performer before, it was a revelation as Maggie captured every guest in the ballroom with the power of her words and the charm of the music. By the end of the second song, the guests were transformed from interested onlookers to an involved audience. Increasingly enthusiastic applause broke out after each song.
The curtain closed on the final piece following Maggie’s wave, and the mayor returned to the podium while the waitstaff hurried in with dessert.
“Very nice,” Rob’s mother said, looking specifically at David, and he smiled his thanks.
The mayor had been trying for some time to get the crowd’s attention, and after they finally quieted down, he said, “And now a final surprise guest for the evening.” The room quieted further. “Please help me welcome”—the curtain behind him began to part once again—“our new governor, Governor Bliss!”
Applause filled the room to greet the man now striding toward the podium.
“Good evening, my friends. Wasn’t that spectacular? I had to watch on a screen in the back, but Maggie of the Triple M band spoke to my head and to my heart tonight, folks. Let’s give her another round of applause she’ll be able to hear in the dressing room.” The crowd cheered in response.
“I asked your gracious mayor here,” he continued, “if I could add a few words tonight to underscore the enormous place charity has in our state and the work these wonderful organizations have accomplished for our citizens.” He went on to list the impact felt across the state among children, families, schools, law enforcement, and others.
Movement at a side door caught Evie’s attention. Maggie slipped into the ballroom wearing a simple blue dress, and not everyone immediately recognized her as she made her way between the tables. David stood and pulled out a seat for her. Rob slid his chair closer to Evie’s to make room. The mayor went to the podium to thank the governor for coming, and again applause filled the room.
Maggie glanced around the table, read the situation, and before she sat she hugged Evie. “I’m so glad you were able to come tonight, Evie.” Photographers working the room had spotted Maggie, their flashes going off in response. “Introductions, please?”
“Of course. Maggie,” Evie said, “I’d like you to meet Senator Scott Mitchell and his wife, Martha. Also Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Turney, their son, Robert. David you obviously know well. May I introduce our guest singer for tonight, Margaret May McDonald, of the band Triple M.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Maggie smiled around the circle as she sat down by David, leaned her head on his shoulder. “I do know you pretty well,” she said, and he chuckled. She leaned forward and added, “I’ve heard the name Rob Turney recently. Evie is smitten.”
Rob grinned. “I’m glad to hear it, as it’s mutual.”
Evie didn’t dare look at Elizabeth, but she was in awe of Maggie’s understanding of the dynamics here.
Maggie nodded her approval, turned to David. “How was it, range of one to ten?”
“Wonderful, as always,” he replied, offering a fork to share his dessert. “At least a solid eight, because the room acoustics could only go so far.”
“I’ll take it. Because I’m about to be outperformed.” Maggie nodded to a children’s choir now taking the stage. “Their soloist is an eight-year-old, and she’s magnificent.”
The mayor introduced the choir from one of the charities they had been highlighting. The children sang with all the energy they had, obviously having worked hard to memorize the words, clapping in rhythm at the same time. And the little girl, holding the mic like she’d done it all her life, brought the house down. Evie mostly watched Maggie, who was enjoying every bit of the performance.
When it was over, the socializing began. Many came to greet Rob and his parents. Politician types stopped by to speak with the senator and his wife. Maggie hurried to the stage to visit with the children before getting swarmed with autograph and selfie requests.
Evie had come to realize from past experience that it was the personal connections made before and after the program that was the real reason guests attended these events. It would be another hour before Rob was free to leave. She smiled a hello to those Rob introduced her to, stood quietly by his side listening to the conversations, offered a quiet remark to Rob in free moments between guests, until gestured over by his mother to be introduced to someone else. My star must have risen with that hug from Maggie, she thought, shaking hands with another woman Elizabeth thought she should know but likely would never remember.
The head of hotel security let her know the video surveillance would run until midnight and they could pick up copies in the morning for review. After nearly an hour, Evie sank into a chair, drank some water, and picked up a chocolate from a dish on the table.
Maggie joined her. “That’s an absolutely beautiful necklace, Evie.”
“Rob has very good taste . . . and the income to match it.” They shared a laugh together.
“No more autographs?” Evie asked.
“It’s a generational thing. The rest of the crowd doesn’t realize their grandkids are going to be crushed tomorrow when they find out they left without an autograph or photo. Have any plans with Rob for this weekend?”
“David and I have security footage to review tomorrow morning, but then I imagine Rob and I will spend most of it together.”
“Dinner and a movie Saturday evening, church on Sunday, lunch with friends,” Rob suggested from behind, kneading her shoulders. “We’re going to make up for the last few weeks while our jobs are cooperating.”
Evie thought it sounded wonderful, and leaned her head back to smile at him. “Perfect. Your parents get away okay?”
“They’re going out for drinks with the city council president. Maggie, would you and David like to join us for a nightcap at my place?”
“Sure.”
It couldn’t have been scripted for a more memorable way to end a Friday night. Evie leaned into Rob as they said good-night beside her car. “Thanks for this, Rob. You had a very nice idea.”
“You’ve got interesting friends, Evie. And I feel like David and Maggie are on the way to becoming my friends too.”
She smiled. “Welcome to the worlds of music and security.” Maggie had taken them on a tour of her last few months via pictures on her phone, added stories from New York that only Maggie could have lived, David adding color by talking a bit about the complexities of keeping overly ardent fans from hounding her.
“I needed this non-work evening. We both did, right?”
He held her close and gently kissed her. “What do you say I pick you up around six tomorrow evening at your hotel, assuming your case hasn’t moved to a solution before then? We’ll have dinner, and you can choose the movie. I don’t suppose I could get you to wear that red dress again?”
She laughed, lightly punched his arm. “Not a chance. But the rest of it is a deal.”
She so wanted to find the courage to say yes to this man. His world wasn’t hers, but he was. She thought she could learn to manage the occasional party and charity event because they were part of his life. He had already shown her he was comfortable with her friends, and seeing him with David and Maggie was reinforcing that. Tonight she felt the kind of peace she wanted for her life. God was showing her what a good thing felt like, and it seemed as though it was here.
She slipped into her car and buckled the seat belt, waved goodbye.