“I have to say, Agent Stone, that your aura isn’t all that rich anymore. There’s unpleasantness ripping through it. Now, if you will both excuse me, the producer is here.”
“I don’t hear anything, ma’am,” Cheney said.
The front doorbell rang.
CHAPTER 34
SAN FRANCISCO
Late Monday afternoon
Dix slowly rose when he saw Charlotte Pallack coming toward him, weaving in and out of clusters of happy-hour young professionals at the Ugly Duck on Post Street. Odd, but he didn’t see Christie this time, not for even a brief moment. He saw a woman he didn’t know at all, a woman who had lied to him, a woman who’d been wearing Christie’s bracelet. He saw immediately she wasn’t wearing it now. He let her come to him, smiling at her as he waited. When she reached him, she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him on his mouth.
Dix tightened his hands about her upper arms and slowly eased her back. She looked up at him, excitement in her eyes, or perhaps it was satisfaction. “Do you remember what you said to me when you left me on Saturday?”
“Never say never.”
He saw the flare of triumph in her eyes; she couldn’t hide it. She said, “Such a memorable line, Dix. Ah, but I knew you’d come back. I’m so pleased to see you again.”
She kissed him again, lightly touched her fingertips to his cheeks. “You have a five o’clock shadow.”
“I’m sorry about that but I just got in.” She arched a brow at him. “It’s only been two days, Dix.”
“It seems longer,” he said, “much longer.” He looked up at the waiter, all in black with a white bow tie, and asked him, “What have you got on tap?”
He ordered a Budweiser for himself and a white wine for Charlotte.
“Two days,” she said again. “I must admit you did surprise me. You really called me from SFO?”
He nodded. “The moment I got outside the United terminal, yes.”
“Are you staying with the Sherlocks again?”
“They very graciously invited me back.” He gave her what he hoped was a sexy look. “Mrs. Sherlock said I’m welcome because I’m tall, dark, and dangerous. I must add that Judge Sherlock laughed.”
She laughed as well, took the glass of wine from the waiter, and clicked her glass against his. “To getting to know new friends better, much better.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “How about to the beginning of something that just might be very interesting indeed.”
“Hear, hear,” she said. “Was your flight okay?”
“As much as any flight can be nowadays.”
“What about your sons? You’re leaving them again so soon.” Did she sound suspicious?
He touched his fingertips to the back of her hand, gently smoothing them over her skin. “I told them I had more law enforcement consults out here. Since they’re all caught up with end-of-school finals and proms, it really doesn’t bother them that I’m not there all the time.” A lie, he thought, a big honking lie. If his boys had heard, they’d have laughed and pounded on him.
“Are you here to seduce me, Dix?”
Was that excitement in her voice?
“We’ll see, won’t we? You know, I heard about your brother, Charlotte, the one who plays the violin with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and attended Stanislaus Music School in my town.”
She blinked, rapidly, and then she nodded slowly, as if coming to a decision. She sipped her wine. “Is that why you came back to see me?”
“I did wonder why you’d lied about something so obvious, something that did indeed give us a very real connection.”
“Very well, I should have told you. Given how much I look like your missing wife, it would make sense for you to do all sorts of checking on me. You want the truth, Dix? His name is David Caldicott, as you know—that’s my maiden name— and the fact is we haven’t spoken to each other for a very long time. We had a falling out years ago, over money, of course. I loaned him some and he never paid it back. It was he who kissed me off, then headed to Europe. I’ve seen him only once since he came back. The meeting didn’t go well. And no, he still hasn’t paid me back.
“I heard he attended Stanislaus. I’ve heard of it, of course, but to be honest, I never connected it to you.”
“My wife knew your brother. Isn’t that a small world?”
“Incredibly small.”
“She liked to go to the concerts and recitals at Stanislaus. She really appreciated your brother’s talent and told him so.”
“Since you checked David and me out, can you tell me how he’s doing now?”
“He’s doing well, though I wonder why he wouldn’t call you after he’d met my wife to tell you how much you two look alike.”
She drank a bit more wine. “Do you know, I’d like some peanuts.”
Dix had decided to give her three minutes to think. He wondered what would come out of her mouth. He called the waiter over for a brief discussion of mixed nuts. When the nuts arrived, Dix watched her pick an almond from the bowl and slowly chew it. When she swallowed, she asked him, “Did you speak to David?”
Did he hear wariness in her voice? “No, I merely read his bio and found out he was your brother. That made me remember that Christie mentioned him.”
“So, you haven’t given it up, this idea there’s some connection between your wife and me? David never called me, not once. So you see, there’s nothing important you need to know about David at all. He’s just a musician and something of a flake. I wish him well. So I’m hoping we can put it behind us now. Tell me, Dix, how long are you planning to stay here this time?”
“That depends,” he said slowly, his eyes on her face, then only on her mouth. She licked her bottom lip and he stared at her tongue stroking over her wet mouth, and he smiled, with what he hoped looked like the promise of hot sweaty sex. Light color flushed her cheeks. Good.
“When you make up your mind, Dix, call me. Right now, my husband is expecting me.”
He frowned as he looked down at his watch. “I promised Mrs. Sherlock I would be there for dinner too. I’m sorry you have to leave so soon, Charlotte.” He clasped her hands between his. “But I had to see you, and I didn’t seem to have a choice.”
“I’m glad you called me.”
He ran his fingers over her hands, her wrists. “I see you’re not wearing the bracelet.”
“I thought about it, but I didn’t want to give you cause for any distress, so I left it in my jewelry box. Perhaps we can get together again tomorrow, maybe for the afternoon. What do you think?”
“Do you have a specific restaurant in mind?”
“No, not a restaurant, Dix. I was thinking I’d like someplace more private, like the Hyatt Regency at the Embarcadero. I’m like a little girl when I ride up in those glass elevators. What do you say?”
He wondered cynically if the Hyatt rented rooms for the afternoon, since that’s what she was intimating. “That sounds interesting. Can I call you?”
“Absolutely. Use my cell. I’d really like that.”
He rose, then walked around the table to help her out of her chair. They stood in the middle of the busy restaurant, simply looking at each other. Slowly, Dix lowered his head and kissed her. He felt no pleasure as she slid her tongue over his lower lip, only determination.
CHAPTER 35
SAN FRANCISCO
Monday night
Ruth lay on her back, gulping in air, hoping her heart wouldn’t burst right out of her chest. She was sweaty, she was grinning like a loon, and she felt incredible.
She laughed at the wonder she felt. “My, I do think you gave your all, Dix.”
Dix wondered how she could even string words together, amusing words, at that. His all? That was the truth, he was nearly dead.
He managed a grunt. “Maybe you were closing in on yours as well.”