Clare wore a different dress to dinner. Tight, black and lacy, showing the scar on her chest unashamedly, while Tim was forced into a slim, blue suit with his wire. Clare straightened his tie in the front of the restaurant, with Tim muttering, "I can't even afford a drink in here."
"Hush. Moss's tab. Now, don't fidget," she pulled him toward the back of the place.
"Clare! Marshal!" Edgar Moss said, recovering from his start at seeing them, or Tim surmised, his start at seeing Clare's scar, and gestured at a waiter. "Champagne to toast the prodigal daughter?"
"Club soda," Tim said.
"Right. You're working," he sounded sort of puzzled by that. "Two glasses, Nick."
The waiter brought a bottle and two glasses, along with Tim's club soda. After popping and pouring it himself, Moss raised his glass, "To your freedom, Clare. Welcome back."
"To Clare," Tim echoed.
"To the truth coming out," Clare raised her glass.
Tim mentally face-palmed, but he echoed her too, "To the truth coming out."
"To the truth," Moss said, passing the menus himself. "The sea bass is wonderful this week but the rib eye is a solid choice."
Tim eyed Clare, who was stifling a giggle at Raylan in the van, listening.
Moss tried to flirt with Clare eyeing Tim each time, as he'd lean over to her. Tim didn't rise to the bait and stab Moss with a fork, but Clare didn't flirt back noticeably, either. Which was a little concerning.
Concerning enough for Tim to pull her aside as Moss was picking out a dessert wine. "You're not flirting with him?"
"It bothered you. I stopped."
"But now he knows it bothers me. And now he knows you care it bothers me."
Clare followed his logic with ease if not willingness, "You want me to flirt with him now? Because, believe it or not... not flirting with Moss isn't a terrible loss to me. I don't mind not doing it."
"Then why did you start?"
"I was bored. It pissed Brian off," she shrugged nonchalantly, taking a bite of broccoli.
Tim blinked, "You took up flirting with a sociopath because you were bored?"
"It's not like I took up dating them! Jeez, Gutterson."
He scowled.
"Do you want me to flirt with him when he gets back? Or not?"
"At this point you would just to screw with me, though, right?"
"It does seem likely," she agreed.
Moss came back, effusively kissing Clare on the cheek and squeezing Tim's shoulder, "Trouble in paradise, kids?"
Tim didn't glare as best he could.
Clare merely smiled sweetly, "What's for dessert?"
"I decided on a lovely Montrachet with fruit compote, dear." Moss turned to Tim, "You can have dessert, Marshal?" he verified.
Tim nodded. "Dessert is fine."
Moss smiled his snake smile and gestured to the waiter to take their dinner plates, "Coffee, too, for the Marshal."
Tim leaned back as Clare took point, "About your buyout offer, Edgar?"
"I thought you wouldn't even consider it, darling?"
Tim's jaw clenched, Clare kicked him under the table.
"I did say that. I'm just wondering who else you may have made it to?" she said through her lashes.
"You're uncles, of course. Brian shut me down right off the bat. Graham was kind enough to let me finish my sentence. I thought about making it to your brothers, but only Daniel returned my call and responded for everyone."
"Told you to go to hell, huh?" Tim smiled.
"In so many words," Moss agreed.
"But Graham let you finish the sentence. Finish your offer? Then what did he say?" Tim pushed.
Moss smiled, "Is that what you're after, Marshal? Is Graham Sullivan on a list of suspects?"
Clare watched Tim's face, her stomach turning. Then she swallowed and said, "Everyone's on their list, Edgar. I don't even think I'm completely off of it. Deputy Gutterson asked you a question."
Moss sat back and cocked his head at Clare, "Graham said I was low-balling him, then he told me to leave."
"But he thought about it enough to know you were low-balling him?" Tim asked.
"When was this?" Clare asked quietly.
"A day or two after you'd been arrested, dear."
Clare sipped her wine, "Thank you, Edgar."
Tim and Edgar exchanged a glance, watching Clare for reaction.
She buried it as well Tim did, but she suspected Graham, and was surprised to find herself more hurt by Tim keeping his suspicions from her than by the suspicions themselves.
Rachel had picked up the work and textbooks from the elementary and high schools, and was on her way back to the house when she first spotted the black Camry trolling the road.
She called the tags in as she pulled in the driveway and didn't give it another thought until she was passing Izzie her Geometry book, when she saw the sedan circle again. Alerting Art and Deputy Nelson, she went outside.
The same Camry was approaching from the opposite direction as Rachel reached her car. Then they opened fire.
She rolled out of the line of fire and pulled. The front of the house exploded in a shower of glass and splintered siding. After the car had passed Rachel got in to follow as she saw Art and Nelson run out, guns drawn.
Calling in the pursuit, Rachel gunned the engine, the involuntary thought of, "What would Raylan do?" flashed through her mind. Of course, Raylan would probably have chased the car on foot, shooting at it, so Rachel figured she was ahead as she shifted around a sharp left.
Rachel kept up with them as they sped towards the campus. Two LPD cars and a KSP trooper joined her as they merged towards the interstate, the chase turning heads of backpacked pedestrians, as they flew westward. Flying being the operative word, as they careened off the on-ramp to avoid the waiting patrol cars. The Camry rumbled over the embankment and into a gas station parking lot. Where they were lost with squealing tires.