I can be in Prosser.
You’re back there again? Marin is surprised. Everything ok with your mom?
We’re at the hospital, he texts. She’s having tests. For the brain injury.
Damn it. She doesn’t want to ask him about Julian while he’s at the hospital.
Send her my love, Marin texts. When are you home?
Tonight. I’ll be at the bar.
I’ll come by, she types. We need to talk.
The three dots flicker, disappear, then flicker again. Sal can’t seem to decide what to say to that. Finally, he replies. OK.
Whatever Sal knows about Julian and McKenzie—if he knows anything at all—will have to wait.
The rest of the day passes quickly, thanks to a packed schedule at the salon. She finishes with her last VIP client at eight p.m., but she accidently got hair color on her dress, so she’ll have to go home to change before heading out to see Sal.
Jeans are appropriate attire for Sal’s Bar, and she dresses quickly in her closet, sliding on her most comfortable and well-worn pair. She reaches for a pair of boots, then notices something odd, something she didn’t notice that morning when she dressed for work.
Her most prized Louboutins have been moved.
The designer heels were a complete splurge, meant for only the fanciest of special occasions, thanks to the crystal bows on the toes. They’ve been relocated out of their usual spot, which is near the bottom of the shoe rack, and arranged at eye level in front of her purse collection, one shoe posed on its side to show off its signature red sole. It’s as if they’ve been prepped for a photo.
Did Derek do this? Or Daniela? She pauses, thinking. Derek has no interest in her shoes, and Daniela, in the ten years she’s been cleaning for them, has never touched Marin’s personal things. The last time these shoes were on her feet was at the Holiday Ball, well before Sebastian was taken, more than two years ago.
As she moves the Louboutins back down into the empty spot where they belong, a piece of paper near the shoe rack catches her eye. It’s partially crumpled, as if it fell out of a pocket, and she picks it up.
It’s a taxi receipt, from the Sunshine Cab Co. Probably one of Derek’s. He takes taxis often, saying he prefers them over Uber, which is hilarious since he’s never taken an Uber before. But then she notes the date and time, printed right on the receipt.
It’s from two nights ago, when she and Derek were in Whistler. Marin stares at the little piece of paper, so innocuous she almost threw it away without looking at it. It takes a moment for her to process what it means.
Someone was in her house while they were away.
Chapter 24
Sal’s Bar is busy for a Monday night. The Mariners are playing at home, which explains why everyone is wearing baseball jerseys.
Marin rarely comes here in the evenings anymore. She’s not used to weaving her way through loud customers shouting at the TV screens and groups of men glancing twice at her as she passes. It feels weird to be in a crowded bar by herself, but she declined Derek’s offer to come with her.
She was leaving the house as her husband was coming in, and when she told him where she was going, he surprised her with his response.
“I’ll come with you,” he said, and it was yet another sign that things are now different between them. A week ago, he wouldn’t have said anything.
“It’s just to Sal’s bar, for a beer,” she said, holding her breath. “I said I’d stop in. His mother’s not doing well.”
She knows Derek doesn’t like Sal, though he’s never said the words out loud. Sal can be abrasive and rough around the edges, and it confuses Derek because he thinks Sal grew up with privilege. The winery had a solid reputation, and Sal’s family had both money and legacy. Sal just never wanted any of it, which is the thing Derek can’t understand, because Derek’s family gave him nothing.
“You’re a good friend to him,” Derek said. “You go ahead. I have to get some work done anyway.”
“I won’t be long,” she said, relieved. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips.
He pulled her back for another one. “I’ll wait up for you.”
Derek is trying, that much is clear, and it’s wonderful and confusing all at the same time. The crevasse that opened between them after Sebastian disappeared is still there, though perhaps not