“Got ya working to the bone already, has he?”
Chloe looked up from the small stack of files surrounding her on the burgundy sofa, featuring Sampson snoring at the other end, and saw Haley Rose looking at her from the doorway with that familiar glint.
Her first thought was how beautiful her mum still was. Even after celebrating her fifty-fourth birthday. It wasn’t just the physical, even though her red hair and fiery green eyes were hard to ignore. The mental toughness she possessed had been a source of strength during Chloe’s entire life. She wondered how she could have ever believed Argyle had any real control over this woman.
“I figured you’d gone to bed. And yes, your date has me looking at a cold case from the nineties.”
“I was ready for sleep. That Jenny girl wore out her old step-granny. I thought you could shop,” said Haley Rose, walking into the room. “But I needed to talk to ya for a wee minute.”
Closing the file in her lap, Chloe gave her mum her full attention. Something in her voice demanded nothing less.
“Fire away,” said Chloe.
She moved closer and sat on the edge of the couch. Sampson grunted, moved his legs, and returned to his version of dreamland.
“I have a couple of things on my mind. First. I know you’ve had quite a day with Manny and the others leaving for Las Vegas and all . . . and, well, with the new job. By the way, when you hung up after telling Jen and me about Gavin’s offer, we both sort of did a jig at your good fortune. Then we celebrated and ate more ice cream.”
“Where’s mine?”
“Ahh. We’ll be helping to keep you slim until that little one shows up.”
Her mum glanced away, inhaled, and turned backed to her. “I know about the call and that damned text thing.”
“Gavin told you?”
“Yeah. One kiss was all it took.”
“How’d you know something was up?”
“I asked him about you and the new job, and he just sort of talked himself into a corner. The man isn’t that great at hiding what’s on his mind. Even I know that.”
Chloe nodded. “True. Well, we hadn’t had a chance to talk about that text, and I didn’t want you to worry.”
“I know. And I don’t, so much. You’ve always been a tough one and could take care of yourself. Plus that man and his friends aren’t going to let anything happen to ya.”
“But?”
Haley Rose began to speak, looked down at her hands, clasped them into her lap, and searched Chloe’s face.
“If this has anything to do with Fredrick, then it can’t be good. Once in a while, I remember a fun thing we did together, then it dawns on me that he was going to kill me, maybe. At any rate, I’m not blind to what he was, no matter what I felt for him. So I just want you to watch yourself, okay?”
There it was again. That quirk in her mum’s voice that caused Chloe to pay closer attention. It peaked when she said Fredrick. Or was it just Chloe’s imagination?
“I will. I’ve got ya all to help, and Manny and the crew are in Las Vegas to get to the bottom of whatever is going on.”
Again, Chloe found herself not willing to share too much information. No reason for her mum to worry, right?
Standing, Haley Rose bent and kissed her daughter on the forehead. “Ya sound like ya got it covered. Especially with that man of yours. But I’m here if ya need me.”
“Deal. Now what was the second thing?”
The accompanying grin billowing over Haley Rose’s face was like a light in a darkened room. Chloe had no choice but to smile herself.
“Oh. Nothing too special. Gavin asked, well, he sort of. Well. He wanted to know if I was busy the rest of my life, and if not, would I mind spending it with him.”
Chloe sat stunned. Her mind went back to when the two of them had met. It had been less than seven months, by her count. Still, had Manny and she been far from that timeline?
“Ya can close your mouth, girl. You’ll be lettin’ the flies in.”
Tossing the file on the lampstand, she stood and hurried to her mother, taking her hands in hers.
“What did ya say to him, woman?”
“I told him it was the best offer I’d had since I can remember.”
Chloe didn’t think that was totally true. The Good Doctor had captured her imagination, if not her heart.
“And?”
She sighed. “And that I needed some time to think about it. After all, I’ve not been in the States all that long, and I have some things to do still. He never batted an eye, told me he could help with whatever I had to wrap up, but he understood. And to take all the time I needed. Then he said some other things that will be between me and my diary, don’t ya know.”
That fascinating glint was back in her mother’s eye, and Chloe hugged her fiercely. She wanted her mum to be happy. Somehow, deep inside, she was positive Gavin could help her with that.
After a minute, Haley Rose backed away, smiling. “Well. That’d be enough excitement for you and that grandbaby in one day. I’m going to bed, truly. And you should too.”
“I will mum. Just a couple more reports to read. Besides, Manny texted me and said he’d call around eleven or so our time.”
“Okay then.”
Kissing her daughter one more time, Haley Rose left for the guest room. A few seconds later Chloe heard the door close.
“I’m not the only one who had a day,” she whispered.
Walking to the kitchen, she grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and a small glass of milk and returned to her spot on the couch. Food hadn’t smelled this good in a while. But she refrained from two cookies, so that was a plus.
It took a few more minutes for her conversation with Haley Rose to sink in entirely. Eventually it did. She also realized she wouldn’t say anything to anyone, not even Manny, until her mom and Gavin worked this out, one way or the other. That was probably wise. Besides, she had a few other situations to address. She reached over and picked up the file from the lampstand and soon she was deep into the case again.
There hadn’t been a lot of forensic evidence, and even though DNA testing was just beginning to perfect the process, it wasn’t as reliable as today; she noticed there were no attempts at trying to push that science further.
She frowned.
Reaching over to another report she’d already read, she ran her finger down the yellowing page and stopped. There had been several hair samples collected and bagged. And what the ME believed was blood spatter that may have been from a source other than the victim.
She went back to the previous report to find that the investigating officer had disagreed with the ME and nixed the expensive testing. He believed it a waste of time and money.
Glancing down to the bottom of the page, she stared, slowly shaking her head.
“How in hell did that happen?” she said softly.
Her phone rang and she jumped, then reached for it, realizing it was Manny calling.
Before she slid her thumb to answer the phone, she looked at the signature on the report again.
It was impossible for her not to wonder how Gavin Crosby had become the lead investigator on this case. He was far too close to the victims and potential suspects. More puzzling was why Gavin didn’t order the DNA testing.