Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 3) (36 page)

Chapter 33

One week later

When Candice called me this morning and offered to buy me lunch, we made plans to meet at the Hometown Diner at noon.

As I sat in my favorite lumpy booth, waiting for her to arrive, it occurred to me how much I’d miss this place.

Carter and I had spent countless hours at this very booth, discussing whatever case we were working on at the time. I could recall many of those conversations and it made me a little sad.

When Candice arrived, I stood up to give her a hug. After a long embrace, it seemed as if she didn’t want to let go.

Finally, she pulled away and I saw tears in her eyes.

“How are you doing?” I asked her, squeezing her hand.

“Taking it one day at a time.”

Once we were seated across from each other, I could hardly wait for her to fill me in on what had transpired over the past week.

She said, “Jasmine was released yesterday. She’s finally home with Raul.”

A sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful news.”

“It’s bittersweet, I guess. Derek’s funeral is next week but at least Raul will have his wife by his side.”

I took a sip of my coffee and waited for Candice to go on. I could tell by the strained look on her face that the next topic would be difficult to talk about.

“So,” she said, trying to lighten her tone. “Aunt Shelly bought a ticket to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The FBI has been notified, but it does not seem to be a priority. The DA is talking about charges of conspiracy to commit murder, but what can they do if Shelly is out of the country?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Have you considered going to Argentina to find her?”

Candice chuckled. “Why bother? I never want to see that woman again. But I do have another idea in mind. I had a conversation with Greta Stone the other day. I asked her if she’d still be interested in publishing my mother’s book.”

“How?”

“I want to take my mother’s notes and complete what she’d started.”

I could feel myself getting choked up. “Really, Candice? That’s a great idea. Your mom would be so proud.”

“I know. I feel like it’s the right thing to do.” Candice grasped my hand on the table. “Anyway, I want to thank you and Carter for everything you did for me. You guys are so awesome. Maybe someday, I’ll write a book about you two. I’ll call it,
The Dream Team
. Or maybe,
The Dynamic Duo
.”

I laughed, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that Carter and I wouldn’t be a team for much longer. “Whatever you decide to do with your life, I’m sure you’ll be amazing, Candice.”

* * *

When I drove home after lunch, I walked up to my apartment to find Carter standing by my door. I hadn’t spoken to him for several days and for a minute I thought maybe I’d forgotten that we’d made plans.

“Hey,” I said to him. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

I saw something in his eyes I’d never seen before. A mixture of sadness, fear, and something else I couldn’t put my finger on. And then I noticed the envelope in his hand.

I pointed to it. “What’s that?”

He folded the envelope and slipped it into his back pocket. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I changed my mind.”

I studied his face for a long time, wondering what could possibly be going on in his head. “You wanna come in for a beer and talk?”

He nodded.

Carter sat at my kitchen table, grasped the Corona in one hand, and looked at me hesitantly. “I have a confession to make,” he said.

I waited.

He took a sip of beer, wiped his mouth, and said, “I’ve known about California for weeks now.”

I paused. “How could you have known? The only person I told a few weeks ago was Jackie.”

Carter shrugged. “I overheard you talking to Max on your phone one day. I filled in the blanks.”

“You were eavesdropping?”

“I can’t help it. I’ve been a detective a long time and I guess it’s just part of what I do. I can’t turn it off.”

I didn’t know how to reply, mostly because I still didn’t know what he was trying to say. Finally, I just uttered, “I guess I understand.”

“No, Sarah,” he said, intently. “I don’t think you do. The prospect of you leaving … it’s turned my world upside down.”

His words knocked me off balance for a second and then it dawned on me. Carter’s weight loss, his distraction, it wasn’t because he was sick. He’d been worried about me moving away.

“Then why did you act as if you didn’t care? It really hurt my feelings.”

“That’s all it was,” he said. “An act.”

“Why?”

He pushed his beer aside and reached into his back pocket for the envelope. He handed it to me. “Maybe you should read my letter.”

“Why don’t you read it to me.”

He bit his lower lip, unfolded the sheet of paper, and looked at it for a long time. Finally, he cleared his throat and began. “Sarah, I know you think I’m a jaded and guarded man, but there are reasons for that. Maybe it’s because of my daughter and my failed marriage, or maybe it’s because I’ve been in the game for too long, but what we do … what we see, can harden a man’s heart. It’s easy in the beginning to think we’re going to help save the world from the evil out there. That we’ll make any difference at all. Truth is, I had arrived at a point in my life where I was doing my job on autopilot, working for a paycheck and caring very little about the outcome. That is, until
you
came along. When I met you, it was like starting from scratch, with a renewed purpose. Not only for the work, but in my personal life. Your enthusiasm and, yes, even you
r
naiveté
has reminded me why I got into this work in the first place. You care deeply for others and give people hope. You may think I have taught you how to become a good private detective, but you’ve taught me something even more valuable. I’ve learned that I need to open my heart and believe that good people still exist. People like you. You’ve made it possible for me to care about you so completely, that your happiness is more important than my own…. ”

Carter stopped abruptly and placed the letter on the table with a sigh. He looked at me and said,  “Look Sarah, what I’m trying to say is if you need to go and be with Max, I’ll give you my blessing. But the truth is, I desperately want you to stay.” He paused as a faint smile appeared on his face. “And just so you know, if Max wants to fight me for you, I’m pretty sure I can kick his ass.”

Despite the tears in my eyes over Carter’s heartfelt letter, I burst out laughing. Once I caught my breath, I said, “Well, I’ve never had two men fight over me before, so I guess I should be flattered.”

Carter got up and grabbed my hand. He pulled me up to him and we embraced. We remained that way for a long time.

Finally, he pulled away from me and cupped my face in his hands. He leaned toward me for a kiss but, instead, he tilted his face upward and his lips landed on my forehead. I was struck by how intimate the kiss felt. More intimate than if he’d kissed me on the mouth. And as much as I would have liked that, I was grateful that he showed restraint. It proved to me that he really meant what he wrote in his letter.

When we finally let go of each other, I noticed his red eyes. There were no tears, but I could tell his emotions had taken over him. I squeezed his hand and I said, “I guess I didn’t really want to move to San Francisco anyway.”

The look on his face was priceless. “Are you serious? Max will be heartbroken.”

“To be honest, I don’t think he ever expected me to move. He and I have chosen different paths and I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Carter smiled. “Good. Because I really didn’t want to kick his ass. I kinda like the guy.”

I laughed. “Do you realize that if it wasn’t for Max, you and I wouldn’t have met.”

“True,” he said. “So I think I should take you out to dinner and we can make a toast to the guy who brought us together. I owe him a lot of gratitude.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Me too.”

The End

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