Drayco wasn’t used to seeing Nelia Tyler the law student as opposed to Nelia Tyler the deputy, but he liked it. Even though she had the day off from law school due to the holiday, she couldn’t quite put her conservative-professional attire out to pasture. Above her black slacks she wore a soft gray V-necked sweater and sported dangly earrings shaped like mini-Derringers.
He pointed to the earrings. “Gift from Sheriff Sailor?”
“Mail order. Couldn’t resist. Gary thinks I need a knitted gun cozy to complete the ensemble.”
“That whole roommate thing working out for you?”
“Gary helps keep me sane. And he makes a great study partner.”
“Good, that’s good.” Drayco didn’t tell her he’d done a little background check on Gary, just to make sure he didn’t have a record. “How was your weekend? The usual murder, menace, and mayhem in lovely Cape Unity?”
“It was pretty quiet, actually. Even got in some study time at my desk.” She looked around the Columbia Island marina set on the Pentagon Lagoon. “It’s lovely here.”
Since it was out of season, only a third of the slips were occupied by boats. The marina cafe was just shy of closing time, but the staff packed a takeout order for them, and Drayco guided Nelia to the picnic tables.
He pointed out a reddish stone monolith a short distance across a footbridge. “Lady Bird Johnson liked this view of D.C. so much, she hand-picked the Grove for the President’s memorial. It’s one of the most relaxing spots around. Off-peak it’s practically empty.” He’d forgotten how well you see Hains Point from here, the place he’d met Rena after her tennis lesson.
Nelia took in the pink and crimson reflections on the water from the approaching sunset as a slight breeze ruffled the bangs on her forehead. “You always take me to the nicest places.”
“You aren’t disappointed it’s not a fancy restaurant?”
“Can’t beat the view. Besides, it’s the company that matters.” She finished the last of her fried catfish sandwich and licked her fingers. “This must be gourmet fare for you.”
“Why?”
“Benny filled me in on your unorthodox food combinations and inability to cook.”
“Ah. Are you a gourmet cook like Sarg?”
“No, but I make a pretty mean beer omelet. I’d love to cook for you sometime.” Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked away.
Nelia’s husband wouldn’t welcome him as a guest, for sure. And she certainly wouldn’t be coming over to Drayco’s place to cook for him anytime soon. “Perhaps you could cook for me and Benny. And Benny’s wife.”
She beamed at that. Safe, neutral territory. Dinner in the relationship equivalent of Switzerland. “Fill me in on how the case is going. Benny’s told me whatever you passed on to him. But I’m more interested in what you haven’t told him.”
He grinned at that. “Apparently, I come from a family of con artists.” He filled her in on Pryce, Maura and her family, even Alistair Brisbane. It seemed so easy to talk to her, to blurt out everything. She listened intently, concentrating on every word.
“Wow. I didn’t know you had such powerful relatives. Your Uncle Alistair sounds fascinating. In a criminal sort of way.”
“Still can’t get used to the ‘uncle’ part.”
“How does Gogo’s painting play into it? You don’t agree with Sarg that this is some big fraud cabal, do you?”
“Seems pretty implausible, but it gives me an idea of the extent of my uncle’s reach.”
They finished their sandwiches at the same time, then tossed the trash and headed for a walk around the LBJ memorial. Drayco loved this time of day, from the ground or better yet, from a plane.
He stretched his arms out to his sides and breathed deeply, taking in the soul-cleansing crisp night air. “Benny’s going with me to visit my mother tomorrow. I’ll update him then.”
“You can probably leave out that bit about the dominatrix S&M part. Sorry, M&M.” She laughed. “I’ve never been into that sort of thing. Tim brought it up once since I carry a gun and handcuffs.”
Drayco coughed, then cleared his throat. He wished she wouldn’t talk about sex with her husband. Not that it mattered. Well, it did matter, but suddenly the night air didn’t feel cool anymore.
“You’re kinda cute when you squirm.”
“You’re not helping.”
Her laugh echoed out into the twilight, skimming off the wind-driven ripples in the lagoon and beyond. He swore he could almost hear it ricochet off the Washington Monument in the distance.
They strolled around the Grove circle in companionable silence punctuated only by the occasional splash of a fish or the rustling of brown leaf husks on the dormant oaks. In Drayco’s audio-centric world—where every sound, every voice, every note washed over him with tactile tides of color—the relative stillness of the night was like watching a black-and-white movie.
On more than one occasion, Nelia had exhibited an almost uncanny ability to read his thoughts. Sarg did, too, but they’d been partners for a long time. She asked, “What are you hearing?”
“Not much.”
“You once told me you always had music running through your head. Like a soundtrack for your life. Even dreams.”
“Would you believe me if said I’d been ‘listening’ to Queen?”
She smiled. “Freddy Mercury or Queen of the Night by Mozart?”
“Oh, now you’ve done it. That Mozart aria will haunt me for days.”
It had already started up, and that bothered him. Not because of the music itself though he wasn’t an opera fan. There was something else trying to worm its way into his conscious brain. But when Nelia looked up at him, her warm brown eyes twinkling, he gave up.
They stood against the railing on the pier and he turned to her, suddenly drawn to those eyes and those soft, red lips. He bent his head closer to hers, and as his lips brushed against hers, she pulled her head back. She looked as stunned as he felt. Had he just committed the most unwelcome and unethical act of his life?
She looked at the ground as she said in a soft voice, “I wish I’d met you five years ago.” Then she added, in a tone that sounded part-defiant, part guilty, “I guess that sounds—”
“I know. It’s complicated.”
She nodded. Maybe not so unwelcome after all. Which meant he was in a lot more trouble around her than he’d thought.