Scene of the Crime Deadman's Bluff - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,28
at Tamara for confirmation. “Red or white?”
She nodded. A glass of white wine sounded wonderful.
As the waitress left to get the wine, Tamara opened her menu, but her gaze remained on Seth. “You had a long day.”
“Definitely. Let’s get our orders in and then I’ll tell you all about it.”
Fifteen minutes later, with orders placed and wine delivered, Tamara looked at Seth expectantly. “Let’s talk about your day first,” he said. “I need to take a few minutes to decompress before I tell you about mine.”
She took a sip of the wine and then set the elegant glass back on the table. “I had a fairly quiet day. Linda and I had a nice lunch together and then she showed me some of the photos in your family album. You were a cute kid. I played with Scooter and Samantha for a lot of the day. Your niece is a sweetheart and that puppy is just too sweet for words. The only real excitement that happened all day was when Steven Bradley stopped by.”
Seth frowned. “Steven Bradley?”
“You remember, the young guy in charge of all things animal in Amber Lake,” she replied with a grin. “He said he just wanted to check in to see how Scooter was adjusting to his new home, but I have a feeling he might have a bit of a crush on your niece.”
Seth’s frown deepened. “He’s got to be in his mid-twenties. He’d better not have a crush on Samantha.”
Tamara smiled at his instant protectiveness. “I don’t think you have to worry, Samantha definitely isn’t interested. If she were, then you’d have cause to be concerned. Anyway, he was only there a few minutes. He played with Scooter, asked Samantha about his appetite and some other doggy questions and then left.”
“Did you see the paper this morning?” he asked.
“I saw it, not my best angle.” She shot a quick glance around the restaurant and then looked back at Seth. “I think probably most of the people in here saw the morning paper. I feel a bit like I’m on display.”
Seth’s jawline clenched. “Yeah, Tom wasn’t happy with all the information that was in the article. He thinks there’s a leak in his department.”
“From what I read, I’d say he’s right.” It had been strange that morning when Linda’s neighbor had brought the morning paper by. Seeing the photo of herself, being the front-page story had been unsettling.
“The Sandman.” She shook her head. “The monster now has a name. Unfortunately the biggest thing that happened today was what didn’t happen...no more memories resurfaced.”
“If I had my way you’d never have to remember what happened to you,” Seth said softly. “We’d solve this crime without you, you’d get all your memories back except the horrible ones and life would go on. And you’d never have to think about the sand or Deadman’s Dunes or Amber Lake again.”
Her heart squeezed at his words and for a moment she couldn’t speak around the lump that formed in her throat. There was such a wealth of caring in the sentiment he’d just voiced and it shot straight to the hollowness in her heart.
“Thanks,” she finally managed to say, “but I doubt if it’s going to work that way unless you got a bunch of clues during the day today.” She could tell by the expression on his face that it probably hadn’t been a productive day, but before he could reply their meals arrived, delivered by a handsome, dark-haired man who introduced himself as Henry Todd, the owner of the restaurant.
“I couldn’t help but recognize you,” he said to Tamara as he set her plate before her. “I just wanted to personally come out and tell you how sorry I am for all that you’ve been through. Our town obviously hasn’t been nice to you.” Tamara fought the urge to squirm beneath his intense gaze.
He stood too close, invading her personal space and she was grateful when he finally stepped away from her side and turned his attention to Seth. “And I understand I have an appointment with you tomorrow morning at ten to discuss some things.”
“That’s correct,” Seth replied and Tamara noticed that his eyes were slightly narrowed and the color of hard flint. “But in the meantime we’re both starving and I’ve heard the food here is amazing.”
Henry smiled in obvious pleasure. “I personally oversee the menu and everything that leaves my kitchen. This might be a small town, but everyone deserves the best that food has