without recriminations, without regrets.
“Chase…”
He gave me a look that said he knew where I was going and wasn’t ready to go there himself. “Yes?”
I paused again, then shook my head. “Nothing. Let’s get back inside.”
We headed back in, and I slid into my chair again while Chase made a show of straightening his papers. He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward.
“We know this is a rough time for all of you, so we’ll be in touch. Please, think about what we asked. Delilah and I will be dropping over to your homes tomorrow to see if you’ve remembered anything that might help us. Meanwhile, if you’d like, we’ll have an officer escort you home.”
Marion and Claudia stayed, but Geraldo and Shane were up and out the door before Chase could say another word.
Claudia stared at her hands, spread out on the table. “Before I go…I just remembered Exo said that he had a meeting with a new client who was interested in booking the hotel for a convention, but that he’d declined. He said something felt off about the man.”
“When did this happen?” I leaned forward as Chase jotted down the information.
“A week…five days ago? Sometime the past week. I know because when Exo told me he turned away a convention, we got in an argument. I said it was foolish to turn down that kind of money. He told me they weren’t good people. I…I…”
She swallowed, hard, and stared at us like a deer caught in headlights far too bright and blinding. “I told him he didn’t love his family, that he was always putting his ethics ahead of our welfare. Exo tried to talk things out, but I pushed him away and made him sleep on the sofa. Yesterday he brought me roses before he went to work and told me he loved me. I wasn’t over being mad yet—I didn’t say it back! And now…and now I’ll never have the chance. He died thinking I stopped loving him.”
As Claudia crumbled before our eyes, Nerissa was beside her, arms around the woman’s shoulders, whispering something in her ear.
I glanced at Chase. This was too intimate—we were witnessing a private breakdown, a moment of grief and regret to which no one should be privy. As Nerissa cradled the fragile woman, we quietly walked out of the room with Marion, who was shouldering her own trauma.
“At least Trixie and I parted on good terms. The last time I saw her, we were discussing plans for her upcoming trip to Europe. She’ll never make it now.” Marion shrugged in that resigned sort of way that tells you someone’s given up hope. “When I heard about the explosion on the radio…I knew. She was going to help plan out the spring dance and had gone down to the hall to meet some of the organizers.”
The spring dance—Viva la Primavera—was scheduled to take place on the weekend right after the equinox, but those plans had been blown sky high. I draped my arm around Marion’s shoulders.
“How about you? You need a ride home?” I stopped her, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Coyote shifters were gaunt; they were lean and always had a hungry look in their eyes, even when well fed. But now, Marion just looked tired.
She shook her head. “My husband’s on the way. I’ll go through Trixie’s stuff tonight, to see if I can find anything that might indicate the Koyanni or Van and Jaycee are around. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep very well. Tomorrow, I’ll call you if you don’t reach me first.”
And with that, she pushed her way through the cubicles. Aswe watched her hurry out of headquarters, toward the main doors, I had an uneasy feeling that she might vanish into the night—a victim of whatever phantom we were facing.
Exhausted, I followed Chase into the visitor’s room, where Shade was waiting. I’d given the keys to my Jeep to Camille so they could drive home in comfort, rather than everybody squeezing into her car. Now I dropped into a chair, wondering how the hell we were going to get back home, but
“Chase…”
He gave me a look that said he knew where I was going and wasn’t ready to go there himself. “Yes?”
I paused again, then shook my head. “Nothing. Let’s get back inside.”
We headed back in, and I slid into my chair again while Chase made a show of straightening his papers. He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward.
“We know this is a rough time for all of you, so we’ll be in touch. Please, think about what we asked. Delilah and I will be dropping over to your homes tomorrow to see if you’ve remembered anything that might help us. Meanwhile, if you’d like, we’ll have an officer escort you home.”
Marion and Claudia stayed, but Geraldo and Shane were up and out the door before Chase could say another word.
Claudia stared at her hands, spread out on the table. “Before I go…I just remembered Exo said that he had a meeting with a new client who was interested in booking the hotel for a convention, but that he’d declined. He said something felt off about the man.”
“When did this happen?” I leaned forward as Chase jotted down the information.
“A week…five days ago? Sometime the past week. I know because when Exo told me he turned away a convention, we got in an argument. I said it was foolish to turn down that kind of money. He told me they weren’t good people. I…I…”
She swallowed, hard, and stared at us like a deer caught in headlights far too bright and blinding. “I told him he didn’t love his family, that he was always putting his ethics ahead of our welfare. Exo tried to talk things out, but I pushed him away and made him sleep on the sofa. Yesterday he brought me roses before he went to work and told me he loved me. I wasn’t over being mad yet—I didn’t say it back! And now…and now I’ll never have the chance. He died thinking I stopped loving him.”
As Claudia crumbled before our eyes, Nerissa was beside her, arms around the woman’s shoulders, whispering something in her ear.
I glanced at Chase. This was too intimate—we were witnessing a private breakdown, a moment of grief and regret to which no one should be privy. As Nerissa cradled the fragile woman, we quietly walked out of the room with Marion, who was shouldering her own trauma.
“At least Trixie and I parted on good terms. The last time I saw her, we were discussing plans for her upcoming trip to Europe. She’ll never make it now.” Marion shrugged in that resigned sort of way that tells you someone’s given up hope. “When I heard about the explosion on the radio…I knew. She was going to help plan out the spring dance and had gone down to the hall to meet some of the organizers.”
The spring dance—Viva la Primavera—was scheduled to take place on the weekend right after the equinox, but those plans had been blown sky high. I draped my arm around Marion’s shoulders.
“How about you? You need a ride home?” I stopped her, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Coyote shifters were gaunt; they were lean and always had a hungry look in their eyes, even when well fed. But now, Marion just looked tired.
She shook her head. “My husband’s on the way. I’ll go through Trixie’s stuff tonight, to see if I can find anything that might indicate the Koyanni or Van and Jaycee are around. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep very well. Tomorrow, I’ll call you if you don’t reach me first.”
And with that, she pushed her way through the cubicles. Aswe watched her hurry out of headquarters, toward the main doors, I had an uneasy feeling that she might vanish into the night—a victim of whatever phantom we were facing.
Exhausted, I followed Chase into the visitor’s room, where Shade was waiting. I’d given the keys to my Jeep to Camille so they could drive home in comfort, rather than everybody squeezing into her car. Now I dropped into a chair, wondering how the hell we were going to get back home, but
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