Perfect timing actually. At her age she could tolerate weak morning sunlight, but not anything stronger. At least, not for long. She hoped wherever Meghan was, she had taken shelter. As young as she was, she could die quickly from overexposure.
She picked up the flat of impatiens and began on the left side of the yard. The sun would bathe that area first as it travelled to the west. The border along this side already held a collection of vegetable plants. The small garden cut food costs and there was nothing like the taste of a ripe tomato picked off the vine.
Small shovel in her gloved hand, floppy hat securely on her head, she worked quickly, transplanting the impatiens from their small plastic containers to the rich earth. As she worked she occasionally glanced up at the sky, keeping a careful watch for the sun.
She had bordered the vegetables when she heard the slide of the French doors. Sofia stood in the courtyard, Detective Daly beside her.
Merde.
“You have a guest.” Sofia didn’t wait for Samantha’s reply. She left the detective to find his own way.
Samantha wasn’t about to encourage him to stay. As he walked toward her, she picked up the flat and walked to the back of the yard to continue with her gardening. She dug a few holes and was reaching for a container when he stood beside her.
“I’m sorry to bother you again.”
She refused to look up. Instead, she slipped a plant in each hole and tamped down the soil around the roots. “I’ve already told you I know nothing about what happened that night.”
He crouched down to her level. “I got a call a short while ago. We found the car and CSU is already working it.”
She finally faced him. A big mistake. Unlike the other day when he’d been looking a little haggard from lack of sleep, he had a fresh-faced glow on his tanned face. His hair—that shaggy streaked blond hair—hung along the edges of his face, itching to be brushed aside. She fought her awareness by saying, “And that’s supposed to mean?”
“We may get some prints or other evidence. But that’s still not as good as an eyewitness.”
She rose and shifted to work on another section of the border.
He followed, but didn’t crouch down beside her again. Instead, he pitched his plea while standing, his hands tucked into the pockets of his serviceable dark gray suit. He jangled his change as he spoke. “Your friend Ricardo wasn’t at the scene. That’s obvious from talking to him.”
She shrugged and continued digging. “Ricardo says he saw the car and the shooter.”
“I never said there was only one shooter.”
Peter watched as his words made her pause. She fumbled with the shovel before resuming her methodical planting. “Ricardo mentioned it to me.”
She was lying. He didn’t need to see her face to know it. He could tell from the tension in her body. The muscles in her shoulders had tightened beneath the pale blue long-sleeved T-shirt she wore with faded jeans that hugged every curve.
“A defense attorney will shred Ricardo’s testimony. That may create enough reasonable doubt for those killers to walk.”
She finally turned her gaze on him. Her earlier flush had faded. Now she looked rather pale. “I didn’t see what happened.”
“They’ll kill again, you know. They’re like animals. Once they get a taste of fresh blood, the urge doesn’t go away.”
His comment made her blanch even more and sway. He reached out to steady her, but she wrenched away. “Don’t touch me.”
Peter gritted his teeth and took a breath. “I’m sorry. Again.”
She glanced down at her hands before looking up at him and then beyond. He followed her gaze, but could see nothing since the sun was coming up over the roof of the building next door. Samantha tucked the last small pack of flowers beneath one of the low-lying bushes then hurried to the house.
Peter followed her, intent on pleading his case, hoping she would admit the truth.
Once inside, she tossed her hat and gloves on a small table then poured herself a cup of coffee. She didn’t offer him one.
Which disappointed him. First, because the lady made a mean cup of coffee. Second, because he knew she was blowing him off. He wasn’t about to let her get away with that. “May I have some?”
A small smile quirked her mouth. “Presumptuous aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”
That dragged a chuckle from her. “I imagine you have, Detective.”
“Peter. You can call me Peter. Remember?” he said as he sat at the kitchen table.
Samantha eyed him intently, trying to get a read on the detective. Was the investigation making him linger, or was it something else? Despite her age, or maybe because of it, her womanly intuition was rusty. She intentionally hadn’t dealt with the man-woman game since escaping the vampire who sired her. That had been nearly one hundred and forty years ago.
“Detective,” she said now. “Have you had breakfast yet?”
“There’s no need, ma’am. Unless you have more of those square donut things.”
He dragged a smile to her lips again with his honesty and with his boyish grin at the mention of the beignets. Turning from him, she poured him a cup of coffee and microwaved a small pot of milk to warm it. When she placed both before him on the table, she finally answered him, “No beignets today, Detective.”
“Peter.”
“Just some buttermilk biscuits.”
“Homemade?” he asked with hopefulness.
She crossed her arms and smiled. “Are there any other kind?”
“Would you join me if I had one, or maybe two?”
She’d told herself not to encourage him to stay and yet here she was doing just that. And even considering his offer to join him, not that she had need of any food. While she might enjoy the tastes of what she prepared, only blood provided sustenance. Until the sun had entered the courtyard, Diego’s blood had energized her, but now that strength was beginning to fade. Once Sofia left for class and the good detective departed, she’d have to grab a snack from the small refrigerator in her room.
“I’m not really hungry, but I’ll keep you company. It’s the least I can do to thank you for the lovely flowers.”
“No, it was the least I could do to apologize for yesterday. For touching you. I shouldn’t—”
Samantha gave an angry slash with her hand to silence him and looked away. “That’s okay. I’d rather not discuss that.”
She almost jerked back when he cupped her chin and urged her to look at him. “I’m sorry. And you’re cold. Are you okay? You’re pale.”
She hated the concerned look on his face. “I think it’s time you left, Detective.”
He didn’t correct his name again, as if aware that it would do little good. Biscuits and coffee forgotten, he rose, and she walked him to the front door.
“Not all men hurt, you know.”
Samantha gripped the edge of the door, battling for control as anger rose in her. “And you know this because you’re an expert in what men do?”
All boyishness fled from his face. He motioned to everything around them. “I see it every day, Samantha. I know what some men do. But I know there are other men who want to make things right.”
Only nothing could ever be right with me, Samantha thought. No amount of goodness