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She wanted to laugh, but with his earnest expression, she knew he’d take it wrong. “I was joking. I didn’t see what he hit me with, but my head still hurts. He took my phone, which was almost as bad.” She held up her new phone. “Got another one this morning after the hospital sprang me.”
Beckett’s brow smoothed. “It’s always smart to follow the money. As provost I have access to TGU’s financial data. If Abernathy and his coconspirators were selling artifacts from the university’s collection, some traces should exist in the financial records. They would have wanted to run the funds through the school’s bank.”
“Not necessarily.” Hez flipped open the red file folder on his lap. “You said you spotted a couple of names that seemed out of place. We could start by interviewing them. I want to know what they were looking for in the warehouse. Savannah, I wish we had the pictures you took with your phone. They might give us more information.”
She rubbed the lump on the back of her head. “Whoever it was, he was serious about making sure I didn’t find anything of value.”
Her gaze fell on her MacBook Air. “Hey, wait a minute. The concussion must be clouding my brain. I didn’t even think about the cloud. Any pictures I took should have been uploaded.”
She grabbed the laptop off the coffee table and navigated to the library of pictures. There they were—the last photos from her phone. Six snapshots of the room containing the Willard Treasure and one of the computer screen containing the names of the professors who’d accessed the warehouse.
“I’d forgotten some of the names, but here they are. I’ll print them out. I know all of them, so I’ll go with you to interview them. They might be more relaxed with me there.”
Hez shot a triumphant grin toward Beckett, who looked away. Maybe it had been a mistake to invite both of them here at the same time, but she hadn’t expected Beckett to act like they were a thing. She didn’t want Hez to believe they were a thing. Her gaze strayed back to him. The only man who had ever stirred her heart that way had been Hez.
* * *
Why on earth had she agreed to talk to Jane? Savannah parked in front of the beignet shop in Pelican Harbor and shut off the engine. It had seemed a good idea at the time to make sure Hez found a place and was nearby to help her, but now that she was faced with walking through a condo with him, it felt much too intimate. Plus, she was still a potential murder suspect, so she might find herself sitting on the other side of a courtroom from Jane someday.
The police chief’s condo was in the cutest block of Pelican Harbor’s French Quarter. The town sat along the blue water of Bon Secour Bay between Oyster Bay and Barnwell, and visitors said its charm reminded them of New Orleans’s French Quarter. Pelican Harbor had been a favorite place to visit when she and Hez were married, and Savannah had mostly avoided it since she’d taken a job at TGU.
She found it hard not to let her gaze stray to the Bayfront Inn down the way and across the street. There were too many reminders of a life that could never be regained.
She forced herself to get out and walk to the black iron staircase on the side of the Petit Charms brick building. The door at the top of the stairs stood open, and she walked up and stepped into a kitchen with gray cabinets and marble counters. It was part of an open space with a vaulted ceiling. The sweet aromas from the beignet shop under the condo wafted in the open door.
She walked across the wood floors into the living room, beautifully furnished in gray and white. Through the big window overlooking the street, she spotted an iron balcony with two chairs and a table. No sign of Hez or Jane. “Hello?” she called.
“We’re in the bedroom,” Hez called.
She followed the sound of his voice through a doorway that opened into a spacious bedroom with an attached bath. The gray and white furnishings in here were as tasteful as the rest of the space.
Jane Hardy Dixon turned to face her with a smile. The police chief was in her early thirties with chin-length light brown hair and hazel eyes. She wore white shorts and a blue tee instead of a uniform. Her tiny stature and face shape had always reminded Savannah of Reese Witherspoon. The two of them had met at a charity event when Savannah first moved to TGU.
Jane inclined her head toward Hez. “Hello, Savannah. I understand you’re his local reference.”
So Hez had already worked his charm with Jane. Savannah had been a fool to think her recommendation was needed. “I think it’s safe to lease your beautiful condo to him.”
“I usually like a year’s lease, but he says he’ll only be here through December.”
“That’s the plan for now. It might be extended.” When Savannah saw Hez’s eyes widen, she regretted her choice of words. She’d made him no promises for anything more than a semester, and she didn’t want him to think she was already planning to repair their marriage.
Though being in this coastal town where they’d spent so many romantic weekends had her emotions in a jumble.
“I’d appreciate it if you could make an exception for me,” Hez said. “If circumstances change and I’m able to stay longer, I’ll sign an extension immediately. And I’ll take good care of your beautiful place.”
“Mama!”
Savannah turned toward the childish voice and spotted a little girl who looked enough like Ella to take her breath away. Blue eyes peeked from under a mop of blonde curls, and chubby legs churned under her lilac sundress as she ran toward Jane, who scooped her up. The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, and Savannah could almost feel the tight squeeze and smell the sweet scent of the child’s skin.
A fierce longing for Ella enveloped Savannah and nearly buckled her knees. Her gaze instinctively sought Hez’s. Deep pain roiled in his blue eyes. It took all her strength not to go to him and comfort him.
Jane bounced the little girl in her arms. “This is Dolly. She’s two. Say hello, sweetheart.”
“Hello.” The word was muffled as Dolly buried her face in Jane’s neck.
Savannah couldn’t help staring. “She’s beautiful, Jane. And her name is perfect.”
“It means ‘gift of God,’ and she certainly is that.” Jane kissed the curly mop of her daughter’s hair. “We’re all smitten with her. She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger, and her big brother, Will, hated the thought of leaving her so much, he took TGU’s football scholarship offer instead of heading to Ole Miss like he’d planned. He decided against living in the dorm so he could see her every day. She’s a charmer.”
