An Appointment With Murder (14 page)

“Ready to go, Sarah?” Daniel’s voice brought me back from my reveries.

“Yeah, I’m ready. I was just going through the mail,” I gathering everything together in a big heap and deposited it in the trash.

“What time does your flight leave?” I asked, grabbing the car keys.

“A few hours. You’ll have plenty of time to get me to the airport.”

“Wanna stop for lunch on the way?”

“Sure. Sounds good.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“You know, Sarah,” Daniel suggested, picking up his briefcase, “since you’re taking some time off from work anyway, why don’t you and Brian come to San Diego with me for a few days? You’ve no excuses this time, and Brian has no school this week because of Thanksgiving.”

After Gabby’s death, Daniel had been very attentive, even taking a few days off from work to help me get through the shock of what had happened. I suppose he was doing all the things I wished he’d done years ago. So why was I left with such a feeling of ambivalence towards him?

“Well, it’s very tempting,” I said. “And, I’m sure it would be good to get away for a few days. But . . . maybe next time.”

Daniel shrugged, and we walked out the door.

“Go on out to the car,” I said. “I forgot something.” I ducked back into the house, went into the kitchen, and looked down at the card of the grinning dog staring up at me from the trash. I reached down and slipped it into my purse, just in case.

The end