walked outside and found it had been snowing the whole time they were eating. Because of the weather conditions, Allan was glad they were taking Debbie home. He drove his own vehicle, and Rowdy drove Debbieâs. She sat in the passengerâs seat, leaning her head against the window of her car. Allan wondered if sheâd gone to sleep.
Halfway to her place, Allan noticed a black sedan following him through the traffic lights. The car continued to follow until Allan turned right at a street that would take him out of his way. The sedan continued on past.
Once Allan had turned around and gotten back on the main road to Debbieâs home, he saw the black sedan turn down the next street. When Allan passed the street, he expected to see the sedan still driving along, but it had vanished. Other than a number of businesses closed for the night, there wasnât anywhere for the sedan to go, except to turn down the next street. He had to have been flying at that point to make the corner before Allan reached the intersection.
On the rest of the drive to Debbieâs house, Allan kept watching for the black sedan. It probably meant nothing sinister, but working for law enforcement, he was wary.
When he pulled into Debbieâs driveway, Rowdy was just parking. âWhat happened to you back there? I thought youâd gotten lost,â Rowdy said, getting out of Debbieâs car.
Allan went to the passenger door when Debbie didnât get out. âI thought Iâ¦â He didnât want to sound paranoid and changed his mind about saying anything. He shrugged. âIs Debbie asleep?â
âThe whole way here,â Rowdy said.
Allan was glad they had driven her home, given the circumstances. He opened her door, but she stirred and smiled up at him. âOhmigod, Iâve never fallen asleep on a date. Well, it wasnât a date. But you know what I mean.â
Allan helped her out of the car, and she was boneless. He noticed sheâd left her purse on the seat and seized it. But she managed to walk on her own. âAre you going to be all right tonight?â
âYeah, sure. Long day. Missed lunch and breakfastâmeant to have both, but never got around to either. I had some hot chocolate at your sisterâs house to tide me over, but I think the beer got to me. A little.â
Allan smiled and held the door to her duplex for her. She didnât move out of the doorway, but waited for him to hand over her purse. âThanks. I had a lovely time. Next time, Iâll have water. It would be safer that way.â She waved at Rowdy, who was standing beside Allanâs hatchback. âNight. That was fun. Weâll have to do it again sometime.â
âNext Friday?â Rowdy asked in a hurry.
She glanced up at Allan, her dark-brown eyes wide with expectation.
âSure.â What the hell. If the three of them were going to have pizza, maybe on a regular Friday-night basis, no one would get the notion he was dating Debbie. Himself included.
âNight, Debbie. See you tomorrow.â Even though it was Saturday, they were diving to Van Lake again to see if they could find more clues.
Rowdy waved good-bye. âNight, Debbie.â
âNight, all.â She closed her door and Allan waited until he heard the lock snick closed.
âI sure admire you for the work you do,â Rowdy said as they climbed into Allanâs car. âI wanted to be a police diver. I thought it sounded really glamorous and more fun than regular police work. Then Debbieâs retired partner told me about diving in murky waters, with swift moving currents, under ice, in frigid water, and at night or other times when there is zero visibility. The worst was the idea of diving in intake pipes and sewer water. So I decided I liked my job just fine. I guess with your SEAL training, diving suits you. Still canât figure out why Debbie would want a job like that.â
Allan nodded. He