Even though Davina had assured her she would be just fine with taking the couch if she would rather her do so, Betsy decided it would be okay if she lent her the other half of her bed. They wouldn’t literally be sleeping together much anyway since Davina often didn’t get to bed before two a.m. and rose three or four hours after she did. Betsy was a morning person where Davina was a night owl.
Betsy wasn’t sure what to make of Davina. Clearly, Davina was attracted to her. But was she attracted to her in return? Betsy wasn’t sure. Yes, the girl was lovely. She just wasn’t sure if she found her attractive in an intimate kind of way. It was more that Davina was nice to look at in the way one took pleasure looking at a flower or a butterfly.
But Betsy wouldn’t rule anything out just yet. She was good-looking, and she was interesting, even if they seemed to be different in many ways. For now, Betsy had to remain focused on the case and remember that Davina was part of a case she was working on, which meant professionalism had to come first.
Fortunately, Priscilla Vega, the woman who had been strangled, had survived and was expected to make a full recovery. As soon as she was able to, she gave Betsy a full account of what happened with her estranged boyfriend, Virgil Lane.
Virgil had been pestering Priscilla to get back together, but Priscilla didn’t want anything to do with him because of his temper and excessive drinking. Eventually, his pleas turned to downright stalking.
Alone on the street at the time he was following her home from work, instinct took over, and her fear caused her to take off running, even though she knew she couldn’t outrun him.
Sure enough, he not only caught up with her but had tried to kill her as well. Even Priscilla had been shocked. She knew Virgil had a temper but never really expected him to do any serious harm. But there he was, trying with all his might to kill her.
The hunt was on to bring Lane in, but so far, he had evaded authorities. Follow-ups were done regularly on known family members as well as friends, but Lane seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
Whenever she could, Betsy brought Davina to the Civic Center where she rehearsed and performed. When she couldn’t, arrangements were made for someone else to take her. Because she was always around other people, no one needed to stay during her entire shift.
Betsy watched her perform one night and was amazed by the girl’s athletic prowess and bravery.
Betsy became fonder of her houseguest over the upcoming week as they got to know each other a little more, but still wasn’t sure she was up for a relationship. Her ex had let her go, insisting she was married more to her job than anything else. She was right, too. It seemed that was how many in law enforcement were. It wasn’t just a matter of dedication but a matter of crazy hours. While she usually worked during the day, sometimes she would get called out unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Criminals had no set schedule. That was what had driven her ex crazy. She’d hated to be rudely awoken from a sound sleep by her cell phone and just as much when intimate moments were disrupted.
While Davina seemed more accepting and understanding of her schedule, they’d only known each other barely a week, and Betsy was still unsure of what she wanted anyway. She assumed she would want to settle down someday, but perhaps that should be when she was closer to forty rather than thirty.
She did like some of the perks that came with having her around. She never had to worry about doing laundry, cooking, or cleaning, and that really freed up a lot of her spare time.
Because Davina’s job was very physical, she usually only worked Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights.
“It’s not much money, which is why I have roommates, but I’d rather make less doing something I enjoy than make more doing something that bores me,” Davina had said.
Late Friday afternoon, Betsy looked forward to going home, kicking back by the TV, and relaxing after a rough week.
As she opened the door to go up to her apartment, her mouth watered at the smell of food cooking in the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled. She didn’t realize just how hungry she was until the smell hit her. Yes, she could get used to having cute, petite little Davina around. She just hoped it wasn’t entirely for the wrong reasons.
Nah, she told herself. You’re not being selfish. You really do like this girl even if you just met her.
She liked her even more when she stepped into the kitchen and was greeted by Davina’s lovely smile and a fine-looking cheesy chicken rice casserole.
“Well, hello there,” Davina said almost playfully. “Is the fine detective ready to be served?”
“You bet she is. This smells totally awesome. My stomach is growling. I didn’t even know how hungry I was till I opened the door downstairs and the smell hit me.”
“Help yourself to whatever you want since I don’t know how much to serve you.”
“I feel like I could eat the whole thing, but I promise to save you some.”
Davina laughed and said, “I have a small appetite, so there’s plenty for you. What would you like to drink, the usual diet soda?”
“Yes, please.”
Davina fetched Betsy her soda and herself a glass of ice water. Then they sat down at the small table next to each other.
They were just finishing up when Betsy’s phone vibrated that was still in the jacket pocket of her pantsuit.
Betsy pulled it out, glanced at the screen, tapped a button, and said, “Bradshaw.”
Davina watched her carefully as she listened.
“That’s great… Will do… Yep… Catch you later.” Then she signed off and put the phone on the table.
Davina looked at her with curiosity. “What’s up?”
“Bastard’s been arrested.”
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