Chapter 5

After watching Cody bounce for half a minute, the aristocratic dog finally smiled, did an elegant little jump, and trotted toward Cody, who put his ears back and tore off like a furry missile with the other dog loping in pursuit.

"It looks like my dog made a new friend. Yours?"

"Saluki. And Cody is...?"

"Mostly dog, I think."

She let out a sunny laugh. "He's adorable. I'm Dani, by the way."

"I-I'm sorry to bother you, Hez." Her voice trembled. "I didn't know who else to call."

"There's been a murder. I think the police suspect me."

"What? Why? Who was killed?"

"There's no doubt they'll be looking hard at you, Savannah. The police play good cop for a reason—they can get a suspect to relax and share things they shouldn't. You just told her you didn't like Abernathy and that you might have a motive because of the missing artifacts. You have a vested interest in the school and the artifacts because of your family connection." He paused as a new thought hit him. "Hold on, where are you now?"

"On my way to the police station."

"Are you under arrest?"

"I—I don't think so."

"But won't that make them think I'm guilty?"

"Tell them your lawyer told you to do it."

"You'll be my lawyer?" The hopeful note in her voice made him wince. He'd said that reflexively without thinking it through.

"Could we discuss it in person? I'm sorry, I know I'm asking a lot."

"Actually, I can't represent you. I have a conflict of interest because we're, um, adverse parties in another matter."

A burst of motion caught his eye. He turned in time to see one of Birmingham's resident peregrine falcons catch an unsuspecting pigeon, killing it instantly in a burst of feathers. Would Savannah be like that pigeon, caught by brutal forces she didn't really understand? He knew the world of criminal justice and deadly conspiracies, but she didn't. She'd somehow wandered into that world, and she could easily wind up in prison or even dead. Could he let that happen to her?

"Hez, are you there?"

***

She settled in the chair. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"I just got here." He scooted in her chair before resuming his seat. "I hope you still drink peppermint mochas."

"And you've got black coffee in your cup, right? No froufrou drinks for you."

His wide grin emerged. "It's really great coffee. How long has this place been here? It looks new."

He arched an eyebrow. "You always make small talk when you're nervous. Is it that bad?"

"It's not good. I feel like the police are circling like sharks around a bleeding dolphin, and I don't know what to do."

Hez's brow furrowed, and he took a sip of his coffee. She watched his mouth touch the edge of the cup and a sudden memory of the feel of his lips on hers hit her out of nowhere. How could she still feel such a draw to him after all that had happened? His sudden reappearance showed her how little progress she'd made to forge a life without him. Would she ever be free of him? Did she even want to be?

"Why would he need someone in the history department when he had access to history department letterhead on his own?"

He lifted a brow. "How do you know he had access to letterhead?"

"Beckett told me."

"Beckett? Who's Beckett?"

"He just blurted this out to you?"

"So he was with you when the body was discovered?"

She gave a quick bob of her head. "Yes."

Her cheeks had to be bright red. Hez was the smartest man she'd ever known. He would see right through her "good friends" comment and realize at least a potential relationship might exist there.

"I see."

"Why would you do that, Savannah? Just so I'll represent you, or because you're willing to give us a second chance?"

"Savannah?"

She lifted her gaze to meet his again. "I don't know, Hez. Reconciliation is a long, painful process. I'm under so much stress right now, I can't think." She swiped her palm across her forehead. "Can we postpone talking about starting over until I'm not under suspicion for murder? You'll represent me if I pull back the divorce, won't you?"