Gram,” Kate said. It had been two decades since Gram had done the exact same thing when Kate ran her bike into a mailbox and gave herself a black eye.
Kate scooted down on her chair until she could rest her head on Gram’s pillow. The old woman grasped her hand and Kate started talking in a soft, unhurried voice. “A week ago, I met an old friend of yours named Greg Abernathy,” she began. “He’s been abroad for years but he recently moved back to Seattle and came to see you. He was so sad that Grandpa had...well, he got all choked up. And then he told me something.
“He and Grandpa were coworkers a long time ago. He remembered Grandpa telling him about a long distant uncle who was a diamond merchant. When this guy stopped during his travels, he would put his diamonds in the bank of whatever town he was staying in. Well, it turns out that this one time, the bank was robbed and the diamonds were taken along with the gold. He never made a claim on what he’d lost because he didn’t want anyone to know what he did for a living.
“Now this is where fate takes a hand,” she continued. “Mr. Abernathy and Grandpa shared an office at the college. When Mr. Abernathy left to teach overseas, he stored a whole lot of boxes of books and papers. When he got back to Seattle recently, he decided to clean out the storage and it was while he was doing this that he found a file of Grandpa’s in with his things and in the file was a copy of a paper detailing where the diamonds had been hidden after the robbery. He came here to give the file to Grandpa and to ask if Grandpa had ever tried to recover them.”
Kate lowered her voice. “Mr. Abernathy could see that we’re...struggling. Those diamonds are yours now, and they could make all the difference in the world. It’s not a fortune, but it’s probably enough to get the house up to code so we can remortgage and get some of the bills paid. The trouble is, they’re on the land of a greedy, possessive man. If he were to claim the diamonds as his own and take us to court—well, how could we pay for that and, anyway, by the time it was settled it would be too late for you...for us. I have to find them, Gram. Mr. Abernathy said he would go but he’s old now and, besides, this is my obligation, not his. It’s an opportunity and I can’t think of anything else to do. Only thing is, it means I have to leave for a couple of days...”
Gram’s hand had grown slack. Kate turned her head to find the older woman’s eyes closed. Kate had a very strong premonition that if she left her grandmother’s side it would be for the last time. Of course, she felt that way every time she left the house, every time she kissed her good-night. It was always goodbye.
“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered into the night.
* * *
FRANKIE ARRIVED AT the car rental place early armed with coffee and a sheaf of papers Gary had given him to look over. He’d give Kate an hour to stand him up and then he’d hit the road.
A female shape pushed off from where she’d been leaning against a fence and he recognized Kate’s lovely face despite the huge sunglasses resting on her nose. As she approached, he reminded himself to close his mouth instead of gaping in shock. She’d come?
Why?
As he grabbed the door handle to get out of the vehicle and start the process of renting her a car, she opened the back door, shrugged off a backpack and set it on the seat where it clanked as it landed. A second later she slipped into the passenger seat.
Today she wore jeans and a black windbreaker. Her long, blond hair had been woven into a thick, loose braid that trailed down her back. She took off the sunglasses as she turned to face him. Dark smudges under her eyes were more pronounced than they’d been the day before.
“I can’t believe you came,” he heard himself say.
“Neither can I but I said I would so I did. Let’s get something straight, though. My grandmother is none of your business.”
“I—”
“You went behind my back. You asked me to trust you and then you—”
“Sneaked around,” he interrupted. “I know. I’m sorry. I wish I could take it back—” The scowl on her face cut his words short. “Okay, I get it. Well, let’s rent you a car and get on our way.”
“There’s no need now,” she said. “I just didn’t want you to know where I lived. I like my privacy.”
“I sort of figured that,” he said dryly.
“Let’s just go.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, and started the engine before she could change her mind.
As the luxury car ate up the miles, Kate didn’t have the slightest idea what to say to the man behind the wheel. He’d offered her his untouched coffee but she’d declined—she didn’t drink coffee anymore. The nerves that had taken up residence when this situation began made almost everything taste like dirty dishwater and sit uncomfortably in her stomach.
He seemed as willing to let the miles pass in silence as she was but probably not for the same reasons. Yesterday, sitting outside with the breeze ruffling their hair and the sound of seagulls mingling with the chatter of other diners, Frankie’s energy and charisma had been hard enough to handle but not as over-the-top scary as now.
She took a deep breath that didn’t help as the subtle scent of his aftershave wafted into her nose. She was aware of his hands on the wheel, his long fingers almost graceful. Her hands looked more like work hands than his did and she squashed the urge to sit on them.
“You’re very quiet,” he said, glancing at her. His dark lashes coupled with his grayish eyes made his gaze so intense her cheeks felt hot. That’s what a guilty conscience could do to a person.
“Just tired,” she said and that was the truth. After deciding to scrap this adventure, she’d tackled that stack of bills and reality had settled once again on her shoulders. She needed money and quite a bit of it if she was to keep Gram safe. She couldn’t afford to allow fear to rule her decisions. Premonitions were notoriously overrated. She’d be back in two days, tops.
She’d had to leave so early this morning to catch the bus to the airport that she hadn’t been able to say goodbye to Gram. Rose would take care of her and goodbyes never lasted in Gram’s memory for more than a few seconds anyway, but it added to the unease churning Kate’s gut. She turned her face toward the window where her pal, Mr. Sun, warmed the glass. Her eyes drifted closed.
She woke with a start, heart racing. Where was Gram? Had she gotten through the door again? Full consciousness returned with a sucker punch and she took a deep breath as she scanned her surroundings. Frankie Hastings stared at her. He’d pulled up in front of a diner and Kate’s stomach growled.
“We’ve been on the road for four hours,” he said. “We’re almost at Dave Dalton’s place. He’s the guy I told you about who’s descended from the lawyer who left town after the robbery. I’m kind of hungry and it looks like we could get a sandwich here if that’s okay with you. It isn’t fancy, but it’s convenient.”
She sat up straight. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with old socks. She blinked a couple of times. Her wallet held about forty dollars and that had to get her back home. What she needed most and could actually afford was a free glass of water.
