Birthright

understand he can be a fuck-up.”
    “Don’t I just.”
    “And you know, as his friend, and as an observer of human nature, what he’s capable of. What he’s not.”
    Hewitt studied Jake, then looked behind him to whereDigger sat on the ground smoking another bummed cigarette. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    W hen the ME arrived, Callie and Jake moved to the fence, where they could watch the proceedings and stay out of the way.
    “I’ve never been a murder suspect before,” she commented. “It’s not as exciting as I figured it would be. It’s more insulting. As far as being each other’s alibi goes, that sucks. And it’s not going to hold.”
    “Neither is believing either of us crushed Dolan’s skull over this dig.” He stuck his hands in his back pockets, hit a pack of sunflower seeds he’d forgotten was there. “Hewitt’s smarter than he looks.”
    “Yeah, I’ll give you that.”
    He palmed the pack, slid his hand under her hair, then flicked his wrist as if making it appear from under it. Her dimples fluttered just a little in a hint of a smile as he offered the open pack.
    “If he hasn’t figured it out, he will, that Dolan’s more of an obstacle dead than he was alive.”
    She munched, considered. “Cold-blooded, but accurate.”
    “We’re going to lose days, in an already short first season. We’ll have the town in an uproar, and very likely have gawkers streaming once we’re cleared to start again.”
    Rosie walked over to join them. “They let Digger go in to change. Poor guy’s pretty messed up.”
    “Finding a dead body a few hours old and finding one that’s had a few thousand years to cure makes a difference,” Callie said.
    “Tell me.” Rosie puffed out her cheeks, blew out the air. “Look, I don’t want to hang around here while this stuff’s going on. They’re not going to let us work today anyhow. Figured I’d take Digger off somewhere. Maybe tool around the battlefield, maybe take in a movie later. Something. You want part of that?”
    “I’ve got some personal business I can take care of.”Callie looked toward the trailer. “Are you sure you can handle him?”
    “Yeah. I’ll let him think he’s going to talk me into the sack. That’ll cheer him up.”
    “Let me talk to him first.” Jake tapped Callie’s shoulder. “Don’t go anywhere until I get back.”
    “You and Jake getting tight again?” Rosie asked her when they were alone.
    She looked down at the pack of sunflower seeds he’d given her. “It’s not like that.”
    “Sugar, it’s always like that with you two. Sparks just fly off the pair of you and burn innocent bystanders. That is one fine piece of machinery,” she added, studying Jake’s butt as he opened the door to Digger’s trailer.
    “Yeah, he looks good.”
    Rosie gave Callie a light elbow butt. “You know you’re still crazy about him.”
    Deliberately, Callie closed the pack, jammed it in her pocket. “I know he still makes me crazy. There’s a difference. What, are you trying to cheer me up, too?”
    “Gotta do something. Only time I ever had cops on a dig was down in Tennessee. Had a knap-in, and some idiot rockhound fell off a damn cliff and broke his neck. That was pretty awful. This is worse.”
    “Yeah.” Callie watched one of the deputies unzip a body bag. “This is worse.”
    “I told him you were hot for him,” Jake said to Rosie when he came back. In what could have been taken as a casual move, he stepped between Callie and what was going on by the pond. “Perked him up enough, he’s taking a shower.”
    “Aren’t I the lucky one?” Rosie answered, and wandered off.
    “I’ve already seen the body, Jake.”
    “You don’t have to keep seeing it.”
    “Maybe you should go with Rosie and Dig.”
    “Nope.” Jake took Callie’s arm, turned her around and started walking for the open gate. “I’m going with you.”
    “I said I had personal business.”
    “Yeah, you did. I’ll drive.”
    “You don’t even know where I’m going.”
    “So tell me.”
    “I’m going to Virginia to see this Dr. Simpson. I don’t need company, and I want to drive.”
    “I want to live, so I’ll drive.”
    “I’m a better driver than you are.”
    “Uh-huh. How many speeding tickets have you racked up in the past year?”
    She felt twin urges to laugh and to snarl. “That’s irrelevant.”
    “It’s extremely relevant. Added to that is the fact that I seriously doubt you want to drive to Virginia