Part 20 (2/2)
John lifted his cup of evening tea. ”Kinder words were never spoken.”
”Not by Dirk-o,” Tammy muttered, sipping from her own sparkling mineral water, enhanced by lemon and lime slices.
Waycross was watching her as she swirled her fingertip in the drink, and Savannah noticed that he had a slightly sad look on his face tonight.
Perpetually the nosy big sister, Savannah couldn't help wondering what that was all about. Being terminally codependent, as well, she couldn't resist spinning her mental wheels about how she might be able to fix it . . . once she found out what it was.
”Actually, we had an ulterior motive for having y'all over for dinner,” she said.
”Uh-oh, here it comes.” Tammy laughed. ”Somebody invites you to their house during their honeymoon, you have to know they're after something.”
She looked anything but annoyed. Savannah chuckled to herself. This gang loved nothing more than to be ”used” in an investigation. In fact, they lived for it.
Dirk downed the last gulp of his root beer. ”Ordinarily, I wouldn't request backup,” he said.
”Being a strong, tough, virile man possessing supernatural powers, and all that,” Ryan interjected.
”Exactly. But this Xenos dude, he's got a really nasty record, and-”
”Say no more. We're in.” Ryan turned to John. ”It's been a while since we went after a guy like that. It'll knock the rust off, huh?”
John lifted his teacup in a toast. ”Most certainly. It'll be a pleasure.”
”Don't be so sure about that,” Savannah said. ”Since he's got a trail of nasty a.s.saults and some unsolved murders in his past, I doubt we're going to find him pleasant company.”
Tammy reached for her handheld device, which was never far away. Savannah and Dirk had given it to her for her last birthday; now it was like an extra appendage. ”I've been researching him and found where he'd posted a bunch of messages on a boxing gym's blog. Apparently, he works out there every afternoon at two, without fail. It's in the southern end of Malibu, near Santa Monica. And it's on the same block as his house.”
”I'll bet he walks there,” Savannah said. ”It'd be pretty stupid, even in Southern California, to drive less than a block.”
”That'd be a good time to nab him,” Granny added.
”We might luck out, and he'd even be alone,” said Ryan.
Tammy nodded. ”That's what I was thinking.” She turned off her device and looked down, a bit of a woebegone look on her face. ”So you four are going to go to Malibu tomorrow and interrogate our terrorist fas.h.i.+on counterfeiter. I guess Gran and Waycross and I can hang out here and wait to hear how it goes.”
”No way,” Savannah said. ”Do you really think we're gonna do something as dangerous as that and just let you guys cool your heels here by a pool? Nice try.”
Tammy beamed. ”Really? Wow! What do you want us to do?”
Savannah's brain froze. Of course, they weren't going to put three ”civilians” in the midst of the action, when the situation was as dicey as this one might turn out to be. But she had to think of something. It wasn't fair to ask the others to do all the dry research work and leave them out of the juicier stuff.
She looked over at Dirk. He gave a slight shrug and shook his head. He couldn't think of anything either.
Suddenly Ryan chimed in. ”We need you three to man the audio-surveillance recorders.”
A wave of grat.i.tude washed over Savannah. She flashed him a brilliant smile. ”Yes!” she said. ”We'll want to record the whole thing, just in case he says something incriminating.”
”You mean you'll be wearin' microphones under your clothes or somethin'?” Waycross asked, nearly as excited as Tammy.
”Sure they will,” Granny replied, looking most authoritative with her nose slightly elevated. ”Don't you ever watch television, grandson? They call it 'bein' wired' ”
”We'll take our surveillance van,” Ryan said. ”It's got everything we need. You'll be parked on the street, watching the whole thing out the window.”
Tammy rubbed her hands together with glee. ”That's so cool! I can hardly wait for tomorrow! It feels like Christmas Eve.”
Savannah laughed and looked up at the light tower. The beam had just turned on and was beginning its nightly rotations.
”If you guys are gonna go up there and look around, you'd better do it now,” she said. ”Daylight's about gone.”
Ryan glanced over at Tammy and Waycross. ”John and I, we've had a long day. We'll go up another time.”
”Me too,” Gran said. ”Not that I'm too old or nothin' like that, but I'm just not in the mood right now. Somebody else go.”
Tammy turned to Waycross. Her pretty face was glowing with excitement. ”I want to. I've never been up in a lighthouse before. Do you want to come with me?”
Savannah was surprised to see Waycross hesitate.
A beautiful lighthouse, with a gorgeous girl whom he was obviously very attracted to . . . it seemed like an opportunity he would jump at.
”Yeah, sure,” he said, ”if you want to.”
He rose and held out his hand, helping her up from the low-seated beach chair. But once she was standing, he quickly released her hand.
Together-but not as together as Savannah would have liked-they left the group, walked to the tower, and disappeared inside.
”Hmmm,” Savannah said under her breath. ”What's up with him?”
She looked around and saw her own puzzlement reflected on the faces of everyone else present.
Granny shook her head and sighed. ”Sooner or later, me and that boy are gonna have to sit ourselves down and have a long talk.”
Chapter 17.
”I can see why you love this place, Savannah girl,” Granny said as Dirk drove the three of them south, along Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu. ”I swear, when the good Lord was makin' the big ol' world, he must've spent some extra time on this part.”
Savannah turned to her grandmother, who was sitting in the backseat, right behind Dirk. ”That's true, Gran. I agree. I look at those sparkling waters every day of my life, and yet, I never get over it.”
”Get a gander at those houses,” Gran said as they pa.s.sed one dramatic and luxurious beach home after another. Every style was represented, from ultramodern to Italian villas to Tudor mansions.
Although the houses were getting closer and closer together, the farther south they went, Savannah couldn't help thinking that the price of one of those places and the tiny footprint of beach that it was built on would be enough money for her and Dirk to retire in style for the rest of their lives, and then some.
Malibu was a unique community, even in the Los Angeles area where ”abnormal” was the ”norm.”
TWENTY-SEVEN MILES OF SCENIC BEAUTY, the sign said when you entered the town. And that accurately described the layout of the community. The Pacific Coast Highway hugged the coastline, and the houses and businesses of Malibu lined either side of the PCH.
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