Under the Moon's Shadow (17 page)

“Hi.”

“Hi,” he responded. His gaze dropped briefly to her legs before moving back to his hands. He didn’t look up as she walked to the bed and started pulling on her clothes.

“So that’s it? You’re just going to head out?” he asked.

“Would you feel better if I had hysterics or cried?”

A corner of his mouth turned up in a humorless smile. “Maybe.”

She touched his hair briefly, and watched as he closed his eyes. “Sorry, but I’m not going to do either of those things.”

“This was a mistake, what we did here. It never should have happened.” He met her gaze and silently dared her to disagree.

“Well, it did happen. There’s no taking it back. We’re both consenting adults, and we’ve been dancing around this for months now. You know that as well as I do, Ethan.”

“Yeah, but I don’t usually give in to this kind of temptation.” A hint of anger crept into his voice. “I’ve had more to drink today than I should.”

Beth felt her own exasperation grow at his excuse. “You had one beer!”

“That one wasn’t my first,” he told her as he stood up and headed down the hall, leaving her to follow. A stony silence settled in between them, and as he walked over to the front door, he stared at her with a look that was both hungry and angry. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and it was obvious that he was struggling with his emotions.

“Why don’t we just call it a night? We don’t need to talk about this right now,” Beth told him as she pulled her keys out of her pocket.

When he unlocked the door and held it open for her, a relieved expression on his face, a sharp pang of disappointment shot through her. Ducking under his arm, she went out onto the porch. She stopped with the screen door open and turned to look at him for a long moment.

“I’ll see you around, Detective.” Eager to be gone, she hurried to her vehicle and backed out of the driveway, pulling her seat belt on as she went. As she reached the road, she glanced back up at the house and was surprised to see that Ethan was still standing in the door, his body silhouetted against the light shining out from the house. Deliberately, she turned away from the sight and drove away.

Chapter Twenty Two

 As Beth let herself into her apartment late Monday evening after Taylor Bolen’s memorial service, she turned her phone back on. There were a few missed calls, and she kicked her shoes off as she dialed her voicemail. The first message was from Gordon, who had the information she had requested.

“I’m not comfortable talking to your voice mail about this. Call me back.” His paranoia caused her to smile, and she quickly deleted the message and returned his call.  He answered on the first ring.

“Gordon here.”

“Hey. I just got in and heard your message. Are you able to talk for a few minutes?”

There was a pause. “I am if you can give me one minute to wrap something up on another line.”

“Sure, that’s fine.” Beth made her way into her office, and sank into the chair behind her desk with a tired groan.

After a very short pause, Gordon was back on the line. “How are you this fine Monday evening, Ms. Hudson?”

“I’m doing well enough, all things considered, sir. How about yourself?”

He laughed. “Going crazy here, as usual. I have the information you needed.”

“Were we right, then? Is there a pattern?” She felt a welcome rush of excitement as she waited for his answer, and she grabbed the folder where she had stashed her notes.

“Oh, yes, there’s a pattern. All the disappearances? They happen around the new moon. Every single one of them. Whatever is happening, it’s occurring on the darkest nights of each month. Does that mean anything to you?”

“Not really, other than the fact that whoever is doing whatever they’re doing, they’re trying to stay unseen. Does that make sense?”

“It does. I came to that conclusion, myself.”

She picked up a pen and made a quick note on the file. “What about the occult aspect of all of it? Was there any connection in that arena?”

“Maybe, maybe not. To a lot of occultists, the dark of the moon is a time for renewal, healing. Also, some consider it a time to bring justice to bear. That might be an avenue worth pursuing.”

“I’m meeting with the sheriff, one of his detectives, and a couple other people on Friday to bring them up to speed. We’re going to go over all this and see if fresh eyes might see something I’ve missed. At least they aren’t pooh-poohing my ideas, now. Any chance you’d want to sit in on that meeting? I could arrange it.”

He hesitated. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about that. In the meantime, how’s your schedule tomorrow for dinner?”

“I’m pretty much clear after four o’clock. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking it might be nice to get together and go over things, so that if I can’t make it to your meeting on Friday, we’ve at least covered what we can. Plus, it’ll give me an excuse to take you to dinner. How does Chinese sound?”

“That sounds pretty nice, actually. It’s been a rough few days.” The time and place set for dinner, they said goodbye. 

Slumping down in the chair, Beth rubbed her gritty eyes. The funeral had been trying in more ways than one. Ethan had been there, and hadn’t said two words to her. After their shared intimacy, she had expected him to be different. As it was, though, they’d barely nodded at each other in passing.

She tried to not feel guilty about meeting Gordon, but she did. No matter how they tried to frame it, tomorrow night was as much a date as a business meeting. With a snort, she reminded herself that she wasn’t planning on running away with the man, or inviting him back to the apartment for a night of hot, steamy sex. It would just be a few hours spent in the company of a man who didn’t seem to resent her very existence.

~ * * * ~

Gordon picked her up Tuesday evening. He was dressed in a lightweight gray sweater that hugged his shoulders, paired with black jeans, and Beth was glad she had chosen to dress casually as well. With little conversation, they drove to The Dragon, Leroy’s popular, upscale Chinese restaurant.

When they reached their booth, she sank down into the comfortable seat, unable to completely hide her weariness. Gordon crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward. “You look beat. Not the most flattering thing to mention at the beginning of the evening, I know. Are you okay?”

She played with the tassel on her menu as she answered him. “It’s been a bad few days.” She told him about Taylor Bolen. “As horrible as that was, it doesn’t help that I’ve had an upsetting weekend personally. I’m probably not the best company tonight. I feel guilty for having you drive all the way up here.”

He shook his head. “Don’t feel guilty. We don’t have to have dinner if you don’t feel like it. I completely understand. We can discuss the disappearances another time.”

“You can’t possibly be that understanding.” She felt herself start to relax. “No, I’d like to stay and have dinner. I’ll be completely honest - I could use the distraction. I hope you don’t think I’m just using you, though.”

Gordon smiled at her words and picked up his menu, his eyes sparkling. He waited for their server to take their drink order before he spoke.

“I’ll be just as honest, then. We’re here to discuss business. However, I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say I’m attracted to you. I think you feel the pull, as well, and whether we end up being friends or being more, I enjoy your company. Why don’t we just relax and have a nice evening out in a good restaurant, and not worry about anything else?” He looked over the menu with a casualness Beth didn’t think he felt, given how tense the line of his shoulders was.

His openness was unexpected, and refreshing. Beth tilted her head and smiled. “You know, I think you’re a very dangerous man in more than one way, Galen Gordon.” He returned the smile and relaxed, and Beth raised her own menu to glance over it.

Once their orders were placed, she leaned forward and spoke in a low voice that carried only across the table. “Have you decided whether or not you’ll be able to make the meeting Friday?”

He leaned in, as well, and rested his arms on the table. “I don’t know. You said the sheriff will be there? I don’t want to step on his toes. If I were to attend, it wouldn’t be in an official capacity. I would just be there more or less to lend you support.”

“The last thing I want to do is put you in an awkward position. This other thing you’re working on - you can’t tell me about it?”

Gordon winced. “Not really. I’m not exactly undercover, but I’m not advertising my identity, either.”

Beth rolled her eyes at him and teased, “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

He chuckled. “My case probably doesn’t tie into your disappearances, but I suppose I could be there, just in case. What time is the meeting scheduled for?”

She told him, then sat back while their server placed a soup tureen on the table between them. He surprised her by ladling out a bowl for each of them.

“You
are
domesticated.” When he laughed outright, Beth cringed, mortified.  “Did I say that out loud?”

“You did. But I’ll forgive you.”

By the time they’d finished the soup, the server had brought out the sampler platter they had chosen as an entrée. In addition to the platter they were sharing, Gordon had gotten a sushi roll.

Seeing her skeptical look, he spoke, incredulous. “Don’t tell me you’ve never tried sushi.” 

She shook her head. “I’ve tried the California roll, but I just don’t do raw fish.”

“You aren’t the least bit curious about it?” He held a piece up between his chopsticks.

“Maybe a little. I just think it’d be cold and slimy.”

Gordon grinned. “It isn’t slimy, but it is cold. You should never eat warm or room-temperature sushi, unless it has a warm ingredient in it. It isn’t kosher, so to speak. Do you want to try it?”

The offer was tempting, and he saw her indecision. “Just one bite.”  Holding the morsel toward her with the chopsticks, he waited.  Curiosity overcoming her squeamishness, she relented and held her plate out, but he shook his head. Reaching across the table, he held the sushi out and silently dared her to take it straight from the chopsticks.

Trying to pretend like she did this sort of thing every day, she reached out and lightly cupped his hand with hers, taking the food he offered. She chewed, evaluating the flavors and textures of the unfamiliar dish. To her surprise, it wasn’t at all what she had expected.

“Not bad.” As Gordon saw that she found the sushi intriguing, he grinned. Absorbed in the meal, she didn’t notice her brothers and Ethan walking up to the table until Chase spoke, causing her to jump with surprise.

“Well, this is cozy,” he drawled, leaning up against her side of the booth. “Where’d you find this vagabond, sis?”

She knew her eyes were huge, and the sushi sat like lead in her stomach as she waited for the fireworks to start. To her surprise, Gordon wasn’t offended. Instead, he grinned and stood, his hand held out to Chase.

“Chase Hudson, I’ll be damned. It’s been too long.” They shook hands warmly.

“It has been. How are you?” Chase introduced Jason and Ethan. Ethan just stared at the hand Gordon held out, then sent an accusatory glare toward Beth.

 “If you will excuse me, I’m heading to the bar,” he said. He turned and walked away before anyone could respond, leaving a stunned silence behind him. Jason shook Gordon’s hand with an apology and followed Ethan, leaving Chase and Gordon standing awkwardly beside the table. Mortified, Beth scooted over in the booth and patted the seat next to her. It was all the encouragement Chase needed. He and Gordon sat down, and the two men caught up with each other’s lives quickly. Beth took the opportunity to regain her composure, and after a few minutes the server came over to check and see if Chase was going to order.

“No, I’d better go find Jason and Ethan.” He gave the girl a look that made her flush and smile as she left their table.

Beth snorted. “As much as you tease Jason about being a ladies’ man, you know how to turn that charm on, too, mister.” Chase’s expression told her to expect payback for that remark. Thankfully, though, he kept his mouth shut. He stood up and held out his hand to Gordon.

“Give me a call sometime, and we can play catch-up without the tag-along, here.”

Gordon promised Chase that he would, and with a quick salute to Beth, her brother headed in the direction of the bar. Gordon sat back down and met her gaze head-on, waiting for her to speak.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen each other?” she asked as they finished eating.

“Four years? Five? It’s been a while.” He hesitated. “Are you angry? That I know Chase?”

Beth shook her head as they waited for the server to return to their table with the check. Once that was taken care of, they walked to his car. “No. I’m just tired. It’s been a really bad few days, and it’s finally caught up to me. Thanks for dinner, though. Believe it or not, I did enjoy it, for the most part.”

His smile flashed brightly in the car’s dark interior. “Me, too.”

They were quiet on the short drive to her apartment. Gordon parked, and opened his door. “I’ll walk you up.”

“You don’t have to do that,” she protested as she opened her own door and got out. He just walked around the car and offered her his arm.

“With all the problems you’ve had lately, if you think I’m going to let you go to your apartment this late at night without an escort, you’re crazy.”

She accepted his arm, placing her hand on his forearm lightly. “Then I suppose we’d better head inside.”

As they made the trip upstairs, Gordon told her one bad joke after another. By the time they’d reached her apartment door, she was feeling a little better about the evening. She leaned back against the door and looked up at him.

“I really appreciate your being so understanding this evening. Most guys wouldn’t be.”

He frowned. “You’ve been hanging around the wrong kind of man, then.” He reached out and took one of her hands. “Speaking of other men – that guy with your brothers. Ethan? Are you involved with him?”