Read Online A Body to Spare (The Odelia Grey Mysteries) by Sue Ann Jaffarian - Free Book Online

to locking you both up and have lost sleep over your escapades more than once or twice, I have treasured every day of our friendship.”
    “You make it sound like you’re dying, not retiring, Dev,” Greg said. “Just because you won’t be a cop doesn’t mean we won’t need or want you in our lives.”
    “Yeah, about that,” Dev began just as the waiter returned with our drinks—beer for both Dev and Greg, a glass of wine for me, and club soda for Clark. The waiter served us our drinks and asked if we were ready to order. Dev waved him off, asking if we could have a few minutes. When the waiter retreated, Dev said, “As you know, I’m retiring. It’s happening at the end of this month.”
    “What are you going to do, Dev?” Greg asked.
    Instead of answering, Dev glanced at Clark. “You didn’t tell them?”
    “Had to leave something for you to do, didn’t I?” answered Clark with a half grin.
    Dev took a long pull from his beer, then said, “I’m moving to Seattle to be with Bev. We’re getting back together.”
    I shifted in my seat as the news hit me like an unexpected spray of cold water. I liked Bev a lot, and she and Dev seemed good together, but I didn’t want to lose Dev to the northwest. Bev had relocated because of a great job offer. She and I sometimes emailed each other, and I could tell from our spotty correspondence that she was in love with both her new position and the area. Wanting Dev to stay was selfish of me. “What about your daughter and your grandchildren?” I asked.
    “My daughter’s on board with the plan, even if she’s not thrilled by it,” Dev answered honestly. I knew how his daughter felt because I was in the same camp. “It’s just a short plane ride away,” he continued by way of offering assurance. “It’s not like I’m moving to Siberia. And I think a change of scenery would do me good.”
    “What about your house?” Clark asked.
    “With the market still soft, I’ve decided to rent it out for the time being. My daughter will keep watch on it for me. We found someone—a friend of hers who got transferred by his company and needs a place for his family by the end of the month. My stuff’s almost packed up, and most will go into storage. I’ll stay with my daughter until I leave, which will be the day after my last day on the job.”
    “It’s all happening so fast,” I complained.
    “Yeah,” Dev answered as if surprised himself. “As soon as I made the decision, everything fell into place. Guess that’s a good sign.” He didn’t sound one hundred percent sure to me, but again it could just be selfishness on my part making me see what I wanted to see. “I also didn’t want a big deal made of it.” He looked right at me when he spoke.
    “Well,” added Greg, “if Seattle doesn’t work out for some reason, you’ll still have your house to come back to.”
    “That’s what my daughter said.” Dev looked away, lost momentarily in his thoughts.
    “So you’re going to be a man of leisure?” I asked. “That doesn’t sound like you.” Glancing again at my two sidekicks, I could see that they agreed with me.
    Dev shrugged. “Guess I’m tired of chasing bad guys.” He jerked a thumb at Clark. “He knows what I’m talking about.”
    “I do, Dev,” Clark confirmed with a knowing nod of his head. “But after a month you’re going to start getting antsy. Why do you think I went back to work?”
    “Well, maybe I’ll find a sweet part-time gig in Seattle,” Dev said, but from the set of his jaw, I knew he wasn’t convinced himself.
    “You mean like a security guard or a mall cop?” I asked, my voice filled with disbelief. “I can’t see you doing that for a minute. It would be a waste of talent.”
    “Maybe I’ll become a Walmart greeter, Odelia,” Dev said with a half smile. “Who knows, I might look kind of spiffy in one of those vests.” Everyone laughed.
    “I think you should be a PI,” Greg said, chiming in. He took a