Now she knew the truth about him. It made her sick.
She got out of bed and pushed her tiny feet into boots and retrieved her heavy coat from the closet. She went over to the bedroom window and did what she always did when she couldn’t sleep. She climbed out onto the cottage’s front porch. She pulled one of the Adirondack chairs close to the white railing and sat down and propped her feet.
Minnesota Avenue was hushed. She heard nothing but a low murmur as the snow started. A tiny advance guard fell through the streetlight ahead of the army behind it. The windshield of her Civic already had turned white. She thought about driving to the end of the Point to hang out on the green bench by the harbor. It was like an oasis. Stride went there to deal with crossroads in his life, and she’d picked up the same habit. But she didn’t want Stride to worry if he looked in on her bedroom and she was gone. She knew he checked on her sometimes.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Curt was inviting her to a video chat. She accepted the call and saw a shadowy close-up of Curt’s face and his happy, cocky smile. He was in his car, driving one-handed. His long black hair was loose. Snow made sticky streaks on the side window behind him.
“Kitty cat!”
“Hey, Curt. Where are you?”
“I’m on 35. I just left the casino at Black Bear. I think the sky’s falling.”
“Looks that way.”
“You want me to come over there? We could hang.”
“Nah, Stride would freak,” Cat said.
“Come on, Stride loves me. I’m the hero. I rescued you. That should count for something.”
“I know, but I think he’s pissed at both of us. I’m just sitting out here by myself for a couple minutes. I’m heading to bed soon.”
“It’s early.”
“Yeah, but I’m bored,” Cat said.
“You’re sounding all down again.”
“I know.”
“So talk to me,” Curt told her. “What’s with the frown?”
“Stride won’t let me tell anyone what I saw at Dean Casperson’s house. It’s stupid. I want to help.”
“Well, you didn’t see anything really juicy, right?”
“Maybe not, but I know what was going to happen.”
She saw a truck pass Curt on the freeway with a blare of its horn and a flash of its high beams. The snow got heavier.
“You should probably hang up,” she said. “It’s not safe driving like that.”
“I’m not hanging up until I see you turn the world on with that smile of yours.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen tonight.”
Curt gave an exaggerated sigh. “Look, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m with Stride on this one. If you try to make people think Casperson is a sleazebag, the only one who gets hurt is you. It’s not worth it.”
“Everybody wants to protect me like I’m still a kid. I’m sick of it.”
“I’m just saying, when it’s your word against Dean Casperson, who do you think the world is going to believe? Sorry, kitty cat, it ain’t you. It ain’t me either, or Stride, or Serena, or anybody else. People love this guy. They don’t want to believe he’s a dick. If they don’t see it with their own eyes, trust me, it doesn’t matter what you say. They’ll just call you a liar and plunk down their money for his next flick.”
“Yeah. I know.” Curt was right. So was Stride. No one would believe her.
“Besides, it’ll all be over soon,” he went on. “No use sweating it now.”
“What do you mean? Why?”
“Word is, the film’s wrapping soon. There’s a big party tomorrow night.”
“Another party? At Casperson’s place?”
“Nah, they rented out one of the ritzy resorts on the North Shore. I guess Dean figures there’s too much heat at his place. It’s supposed to be hush-hush to fool the tabloids.”
“Do you know where it’s happening? Will you be there?”
“I’m everywhere. You know that. Nothing happens in this town that I don’t know about.”
She bit her lip and thought. Her knee bounced. Her eyes narrowed. She didn’t say anything for a long time. Curt whistled on the other end of the phone as he stared at her.
“I don’t like that look, kitty cat. You’re up to something.”
Cat lowered her voice and looked over her shoulder on the porch to make sure Stride and Serena weren’t watching from inside the house. Then she pushed her face close to the phone.
“You’re right. I’ve got an idea,” she whispered, “but I need your help.”
35
Maggie opened the shower door and stepped onto the plush mat. Steam clouded the mirror and made the bathroom feel like Florida. She grinned as Cab followed her out of the oversized marble shower stall, then wrapped his arms around her wet waist. He lifted her off the ground until they were face to face. Water from their hair dripped down their cheeks, and their slippery skins squeezed together.
“I’m starting to like Minnesota,” he said as he nibbled her ear.
She reached down. “I can tell.”
They both toweled off and got partly dressed. Barefoot, Cab wandered back into the living room of Maggie’s condo, which was situated above the downtown Sheraton hotel. He went to the floor-to-ceiling windows, and she joined him there. Snow poured down through the glowing lights of Superior Street below them. The lake was a black shroud immediately behind the buildings.
“Nice place,” he told her.
“It’s not the Gulf,” she replied, “but it’s not bad.”
“You like things modern?” he asked, noting the sleek Scandinavian design of the furniture, which was heavy on metal, glass, and blond wood.
“Yeah, when I was married, I lived in a Dark Shadows house. This is more me.”
“What about Troy? Is he modern like you?”
Maggie thought about being annoyed that Cab had brought up Troy again, but she was mellow enough from sex and wine not to worry about it. “Troy? No, he says coming here is like walking into a Woody Allen movie. That’s not a compliment. He’s a Minnesota dude. Fisherman, pilot, hunter.”
“And father?”
“Yeah, his girls are sweet. I suppose I don’t seem like the type for kids.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Cab said. “I think you’d be a cool mother.”
Maggie turned away from the lake and sat down on one end of her black-and-white sofa and stretched out her feet. “I tried to adopt, but being a single cop whose husband was murdered is apparently not the ideal background for stable parenting. At least that’s what the adoption agencies told me.”
Cab sat down across from her on the other end of the sofa. His feet played with her toes.
“What about you?” Maggie asked him. “Do you want kids?”
“I’m still too busy trying to figure out my mother. Lala wants kids. I imagine she’ll be married and pregnant soon enough.”
“I’ve thought about getting a dog,” Maggie said. “Or maybe a cat. Or a fish. Except I’m never home. I sleep here and that’s about it. Lately, I haven’t even done much of that.”
“Dogs are too clingy, cats are too judgmental, and fish are too slimy.”
“Don’t you get lonely?” she asked. “Your house is in the middle of nowhere. I’m not sure I like myself enough to spend that much time alone.”
“Ah, well, that’s the difference between us,” Cab said. “There’s no one I like more than myself.”
Maggie chuckled and shook her head. “You really are a piece of work.”
“Thank you.” Cab craned his long neck to stare at her stainless steel refrigerator. “Sex makes me hungry. Are you hungry?”
“I think I have some cold Sammy’s pizza from a couple days ago.”
“Sold,” he said.