house, up the stairs, and out to the deck that overlooked the ocean. They discussed the merits of some of the new products on the market. Then Astrid brought the conversation back to babies, and by the time Hale left, he had a mountainous headache. No breakfast this morning, and he needed food.
He left them and drove into Seaside, heading down Broadway and crossing the bridge to stop at the Bridgeport Bistro to pick up a Dungeness crab and Havarti sandwich on an onion bun and a Coke to go. He took them back to his office and ate at his desk. Ella had clucked at him when heâd returned, his dark hair slick with rain, and for half a second heâd seriously thought about acting like he was shivering and hacking up a lung just to see what she would do. Instead, heâd shut his office door and settled at his desk, and that was where Declan found him when he knocked lightly on the panels, then stuck his head inside.
âDid you pick me up a sandwich, too?â he asked, seeing the remnants of the waxed paper that had been wrapped around the sandwich and pinned with a toothpick.
âYou need to call me and let me know.â
âCell phones,â Declan said with a snort.
âThey work,â Hale pointed out.
âIâm not hungry, anyway. Just had breakfast.â
Hale slid a glance to the clock. Twelve forty-five. âI met with the Carmichaels earlier.â
âWho?â
âThe people who bought the house on the Promenade.â It was worrisome the way his grandfather seemed sometimes to lose track. He didnât want to borrow trouble, but there was definitely some short-term memory loss going on. Was it age or something else?
âOh, yes, yes.â Declan looked slightly embarrassed.
Hale brought his grandfather up to date on what had transpired with the plans for the Carmichaelsâ house and then moved on to some of the other projects. âWeâre still red tagged on the Lake Chinook project,â he noted at the end, âbut I talked to Russo, and he thinks he and Vledich can get it going again without too much more delay.â
âYou think heâs right?â Declan was skeptical of the abilities of Clark Russo, and, for that matter, anyone else who worked for them.
âI donât want to have to go to Lake Chinook if I donât have to,â Hale admitted.
âBad time of year to cross the mountains. Storms are coming,â Declan said.
Hale nodded, but heâd been thinking more of the time it would take, two hours plus each way in good weather. âLetâs see what Clark can pull off.â
Declan harrumphed and let it go. âHowâs Kristina?â he asked, which was his roundabout way of really asking, âHowâs Savannah?â which, distilled down, actually meant, âHowâs the baby?â
âSavannahâs coming by today,â Hale said.
âHere? To the office?â
âShe wants to reinterview us about Bancroft Bluff.â
â Ack. When in Godâs name is she going to quit that job with the sheriffâs department?â
âAs soon as she goes into labor.â
âNot before? I donât like thinking about her chasing after criminal scum in her condition. Itâs not right.â
âWell, today sheâs chasing after us.â Hale smiled.
âWhat are you going to tell her?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âHow many times do we have to rake up DeWittâs incompetence? Our lawyers are handling the whole goddamn mess. We donât need to be talking to the police.â
âThey have a double murder to solve,â Hale reminded, seeking to deflect Declan from another diatribe about their onetime geological engineer.
âWell, itâs not our fault. Shoulda never gotten involved in that whole mess with Marcus. Itâs a shame. A goddamn shame about what happened to him and Chandra. Iâm not sayinâ different. But itâs not our
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