Blindsighted (Grant County #1) - Karin Slaughter Page 0,57

he got to the dock. Last night had seen another soft rain, and a cool breeze was coming off the lake. She studied her appearance in the mirror on the back of the door. She had chosen a wraparound skirt with a small floral print and a tight black Lycra shirt that fell just below her navel. Already, she had put her hair up, then let it back down. She was in the process of pinning it back up when she heard a boat at the dock. She slipped on her sandals and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine before walking out the back door.

“Ahoy,” Jeb said, tossing her a rope. He tucked his hands into his orange life vest, affecting what Sara supposed he thought was a jaunty sailor look.

“Ahoy yourself,” Sara answered, kneeling by the bollard. She put the wine and glasses down on the dock as she tied off the line. “Still haven’t learned to swim, have you?”

“Both my parents were terrified of the water,” he explained. “They never got around to it. And it’s not like I grew up near water.”

“Good point,” she said. Having grown up on a lake, swimming came second nature to Sara. She could not imagine not knowing how. “You should learn,” she said. “Especially since you’re boating.”

“Don’t need to know how,” Jeb said, patting the boat as he would a dog. “I can walk on water with this baby.”

She stood up, admiring the boat. “Nice.”

“Real babe magnet,” he joked, unhooking the vest. She knew he was teasing, but the boat, painted a deep metallic black, was sleek and sexy, with a dangerous look about it. Unlike Jeb McGuire in his bulky orange life jacket.

Jeb said, “I’ll tell you what, Sara, if you ever looked at me the way you’re looking at my boat right now, I’d have to marry you.”

She laughed at herself, saying, “It’s a very pretty boat.”

He pulled out a picnic basket and said, “I’d offer to take you for a ride, but it’s a bit nippy on the water.”

“We can sit here,” she said, indicating the chairs and table on the edge of the dock. “Do I need to get silverware or anything?”

Jeb smiled. “I know you better than that, Sara Linton.” He opened the picnic basket and took out silverware and napkins. He had also had the foresight to bring plates and glasses. Sara tried not to lick her lips when he pulled out fried chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, corn, and biscuits.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” she asked.

Jeb stopped, his hand on a tub of gravy. “Is it working?”

The dogs barked, and all Sara could think was, Thank God for small favors. She turned back to the house, saying, “They never bark. I’ll just go check.”

“You want me to come, too?”

Sara was about to tell him no but changed her mind. She had not been making that part up about the dogs. Billy and Bob had barked exactly twice since she had rescued them from the racing track in Ebro; once when Sara had accidentally stepped on Bob’s tail, and once when a bird had flown down the chimney into the living room.

She felt Jeb’s hand at her back as they walked up the yard toward the house. The sun was just dipping down over the roofline, and she shielded her eyes with her hand, recognizing Brad Stephens standing at the edge of the driveway.

“Hey, Brad,” Jeb said.

The patrolman gave a curt nod to Jeb, but his eyes were on Sara.

“Brad?” she asked.

“Ma’am.” Brad took off his hat. “The chief’s been shot.”

Sara had never really pushed the Z3 Roadster. Even when she drove it back from Atlanta, the speedometer had stayed at a steady seventy-five the entire way. She was doing ninety as she drove the back route to the Grant Medical Center. The ten-minute drive seemed to take hours, and by the time Sara made the turn into the hospital, her palms were sweating on the wheel.

She pulled into a handicap space at the side of the building so she would not block the ambulance doors. Sara was running by the time she reached the emergency room.

“What happened?” she asked Lena Adams, who was standing in front of the admitting desk. Lena opened her mouth to answer, but Sara ran past her into the hallway. She checked each room as she went by, finally finding Jeffrey in the third exam room.

Ellen Bray did not seem surprised to see Sara in the room. The