Tessa felt a wave of relief as Cole whipped his jeep back into the parking lot of the Desert Rose motel. She was hot, she was damp and sticky, and all she wanted was a cool shower and a few hours of peace and quiet in her air conditioned room. But, she had to meet Peyton for supper, so her peace and quiet would have to wait for a while.

"What time do you usually start working in the mornings?" Cole asked, pinning her with his piercing gaze.

"It depends. But, I usually try to get into the office by seven or eight," she told him, exiting the jeep.

"I'll see you then, Special Detective Stark. I'll bring breakfast," he stated, dipping his head toward her before hitting the gas and continuing on his way.

Letting out a breath, Tessa trudged past her Wagoneer and toward the three story stucco building, moving through the wide, arched opening that led to the inner courtyard. Her room was on the ground floor, on the far side of the space, which was practically a bower of potted plants and blossoms. There was a bubbling iron fountain in the center, several benches scattered around, and wrought iron railings along the two upper floors that were covered in creeping clematis vines, which were heavy with bright red flowers.

She'd spent a lot of time living out of hotels, motels, and motor inns and she had to admit that the Desert Rose was upscale in comparison. And while she was in Santa Maria, she meant to enjoy the upgrade as much as she could.

Reaching her room, she let herself inside and heaved out a sigh as the cool air swept over her. Without even pausing, she removed her bag, weapon, and shield, and dropped the lot onto the king sized bed. Shedding her damp clothing, which she dropped into the floor and left wherever it fell, she made for the bathroom. And for the next half hour, she indulged in a sinfully cold shower, washing away the heat and the dust of the desert...and trying to prepare herself for another visit with her sister.

She didn't want to dread the visit, but she kind of dreaded the visit. The tension, the unspoken memories...it was taxing. But, she would show up because she'd told Peyton she would.  Besides, she reminded herself, she was in Santa Maria to hunt down a cold blooded killer. Takeout food with her estranged sister would be a breeze compared to that.

Freshly showered, with her hair pulled back and dressed in a pair of cut off jean shorts, a tank top, and flip flops, she placed her Glock and badge in her bag, threw it across herself, and stepped out into the late evening that was still fairly sweltering. Hoofing it through the courtyard, she hit the parking lot and climbed into her Wagoneer, listening to the engine rumble for a few seconds before leaving the motel in search of something that might pass as supper.

Luckily, the Desert Rose was sitting on a strip that was lined with a plethora of restaurant choices, so she opted for Chinese, loading up on everything that sounded appetizing, and buying more than enough to ensure that her sister had leftovers. Then she made the trek through the city and over to Sunset Lane, reaching the little stucco house at eight, nearly on the tick of the dot.

With the large cardboard box in her arms, she made her way through the walled in courtyard and up to the front door, giving the bell a ring that was answered only a few heartbeats later.

"Tessa, hey!" Peyton greeted, stepping back from the threshold and allowing her to enter.  "I'm really glad you came!'

Once inside, Tessa jolted to a stop, confusion sweeping her. The dreary, barely lived in space she'd left that morning...was gone. She was now facing a room that had candles burning on every available surface, some even sitting in clusters on the floor, large pillows strewn around the coffee table, which was draped in sparkly white fabric, and white string lights hung up around all the door frames as well as draped over the sofa.

The room was practically glowing, reminding her of a space that might be seen on an Instagram page. Though, perhaps done on a budget.

"Do you like it?" Peyton wondered, ushering Tessa toward the coffee table. "Kimber thought we should make things nice for you."

"Kimber..." she repeated as her sister took the box from her.

"Yeah. This is all her stuff," Peyton revealed, placing the box in the floor and beginning to unload the takeout containers, laying them out on the table. "She's always doing this kind of thing. Me, I'd just have us eating on the couch like normal people."

"And that's why we're friends," a voice sounded out behind them, bringing Tessa's gaze around to the open front door. "How boring would your life be if you just sat in a dark room, eating on the couch?"

The person speaking stepped into the house, closing the door behind her and then crossing the softly lit room. "You must be Tessa!  its really nice to meet you!"

"Its nice to meet you," she replied, mustering up a smile, which she absolutely hated doing when she didn't truly feel like smiling.

In person, the woman looked even more like Peyton than she did in the photograph. She had the same long, beachy waves in her blonde hair, the same vivid blue contact lenses, nearly the same facial structure, including all the same enhancements. They were both wearing long, flowing white sundresses and were both bedecked with a glut of baubles and bangles. Truly, they really could have been twins.

It was slightly...eerie.

"I brought us some real plates and silverware," Kimber stated, lifting up the items held in her hands. "Peyton usually eats off paper plates. And I don't think she owns any actual silverware."

"I usually eat right out of the containers," Tessa confessed as Kimber began placing the mismatched dinnerware onto the coffee table.

"That's no fun," was Peyton's riposte. "You need to do special things for yourself every once in a while, just to break up the monotony!"

"I like being monotonous," Peyton shrugged, dropping down onto the pillows and motioning for Tessa to join her. "All this extra stuff just means more to clean up later."

Tessa chose the pillow across the table from her sister, sitting cross-legged and placing her messenger bag beside her. She had to agree with Peyton. After working all day, she barely had the want to do more than feed herself, forget about going to all the trouble of decorating the house before and then cleaning it all up afterwards.

"Oh! We forgot the drinks!" Kimber gasped. "Does everyone like white?"

"I don't drink," she told the woman. "I'll just do water or soda, whichever."

Kimber's highly plucked brows lifted ceilingward. "You don't drink? That's very...healthy. I've tried going dry, but wine just calls my name!"

As Kimber swept from the room, Tessa set her gaze on Peyton, who was looking a bit pained. "Sorry," her sister winced. "Kimber can be a little bubbly sometimes. She'll eventually calm down."

"When did you start drinking?" she asked, her tone more big sister-ish than she meant it to be.

Peyton let out something of a small, rueful chuckle. "When I was fifteen."

Hearing that shocking bit of news had Tessa's spine stiffening. "Really? Fifteen?  How...how did I not know that!"

Peyton gave her head a shake. "Tessa Marcheline, you always did expect everyone to be as stick straight as you are. Even after...everything..."

"Here we are!" Kimber chirped, hurrying back to them, carrying two half filled wine glasses in one hand and a can of soda in the other. "Now, I want to hear all about you, Tessa, because I know absolutely nothing! I had no idea Peyton even had a sister until this afternoon!"

"There's not much to tell, really," Tessa said, taking the cold can and cracking it open.

"Are you kidding? Peyton said you're a cop. That has to be interesting!" the woman beamed, taking a seat and handing Peyton a glass.

"I'm actually a Special Detective," she heard herself say, not quite sure just how long she could tolerate all the...pep.

Kimber's eyes widened. "What's that? Like, some kind of super cop?"

Peyton rolled her eyes and then went for a takeout container, though, there was something of a good-natured expression on her face.

"I'm not a super cop," she denied, helping herself to a carton of food and using her fork to scoop some out onto her plate. "I'm a homicide detective."

"Who also happens to get calls from other homicide detectives around the country who want you to help solve the cases that they can't solve," stated Peyton, her tone...proud.

That revelation sent Kimber's brows even higher. "So, you are a super cop!"

If Kimber insisted, then yes, she would admit to being a super cop. If for no other reason than to get her to stop saying it.

"So, what on earth brings a Special Detective super cop to Santa Maria, the town where literally nothing ever happens?" wondered Kimber, sipping her wine. "Or...is it something you aren't allowed to talk about?"

Why did everyone think she couldn't talk about why she was in town? She wasn't an FBI agent on a top secret mission. "I'm here to investigate the death of Hallie Whitmore."

Kimber stared blankly at her for several drawn out seconds, her pretty face showing no sign of recognition.

"Its been all over the news for weeks, Kimber," Peyton said, again rolling her eyes. "That celebutante that was killed? Her family is one of the richest families in the city? They're one of the oil families..."

Light finally dawned behind Kimber's contact lenses. "Oh! Right! The...the girl who was stabbed in the neck like ten times! I remember that!"

Taking a mouthful of beef and broccoli, Tessa couldn't help but think that Kimber should probably spend a little less time scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest and a little more time reading through the news sites or...reading anything at all.

"So, the cops here want you to help them find whoever killed that girl?" was Kimber's question.

"Pretty much," she answered, shoving half an egg roll into her mouth.

"That's a big responsibility, no?" the woman posed, still sipping from her glass. "I mean, coming in to try and solve a case that nobody else has been able to solve? And then probably getting judged if you can't, even though nobody else could do it, either."

Hearing Kimber say something sensible addled her for a beat, giving Peyton the chance to speak. "I'm sure Tessa doesn't want to talk about work. I sure don't want to spend my time off talking about my job."

"Alright, so let's talk about why it took my best friend two years to mention that she had a sister," Kimber said easily.  "There's drama there somewhere, so don't leave any of it out! I don't have a lot of family, so I love hearing about all the fighting and fussing and back stabbing that goes on!"

Tessa felt Peyton tense up from across the table and as their eyes locked, she could see the flat out dread and terror playing across her sister's perfectly contoured face. But, Peyton's worry was wasted.

"Its nothing like that," she said. "I mean, I'm in and out of places so fast and so often, I don't think I've ever told anyone that I have a sister, either. And besides...my personal life is no one's business."

Her statement, which was ended on something of a firm note, dropped onto the room like a heavy blanket, plunging everyone into silence. She didn't want to be rude to Peyton's friend, but one thing they were not going to discuss was their family background.

Kimber, after a frozen moment, gave herself a shake and took another sip of wine. "Alright. Family drama runs a little too deep. So, why don't we talk about all the places you've been to, so I can live vicariously? Other than a trip to Cancun and some concerts around the state, I've never really left Santa Maria."

Taking another bite of her egg roll, Tessa steeled herself. She thought having a third person as a buffer would help, but frankly, she'd much prefer the smothering tension between herself and Peyton. It would have been far less irritating.