Ryan gave him a swift kick under the table. “You got a better idea, wise ass?”
“What are you two going on about now?” Eve had apparently picked up that their conversation switched back to the taboo subject of UFOs. Before either could answer, she refocused, her gaze flicking across the room. “Uh-oh. Look who just came in.”
Ryan glanced over his shoulder. Seated across from him, Eve and Caden had a view of the connecting hallway to the hotel. Patrons of the café entered from the street through the front door, or meandered down from their rooms and crossed the lobby. One of them, an obvious guest of the hotel, had chosen the latter.
“Guy likes black, doesn’t he?” Caden observed.
Ryan grunted.
Dressed in his customary dark suit, this time with a black button-down shirt and tie, Evening took a table near the hallway. While looking around the room, he set a folded newspaper beside his plate. In the subdued light of the wall lanterns, his whitish-blond hair reflected threads of gold. Nancy Arnold, Eve’s part-time waitress, rushed to wait on him before he even had time to open a menu.
“He certainly knows how to dress,” Eve commented.
Caden scowled. “He looks like an undertaker.”
“Jealous?”
A snort. “Hardly.”
“He’s…different.” Katie’s voice was thin, barely a whisper. “It’s like I know him from somewhere. A long time ago.”
Ryan looked at her sharply. “You’ve seen that guy before?”
“I don’t know.” Katie turned her attention to the glass of ginger ale in her hand. She was the only one who hadn’t selected an alcoholic beverage when Nancy took their order. “I think he was outside the hospital the night we found Jerome. And there’s something about him that reminds me of—” She stopped abruptly, sucking down a sharp breath. “I remember now. The night the bridge fell.”
“What are you talking about?” Caden’s eyes narrowed.
Ryan tensed involuntarily. The collapse of the Silver Bridge was a tragic subject for everyone in Point Pleasant, but not everyone had suffered the death of a loved one. He and Caden had lost their younger sister, Maggie, and Eve had lost her father.
“I was outside of my mom’s hair salon.” Katie kept her gaze lowered as if watching the memory unfold in her glass. “I remember there were a lot of birds in the air, like something upset them. Eve and Sarah were walking across the street toward the Crowne Theater. It made me think how nice it would be to have a close friend like that.”
Eve reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
Katie smiled faintly, looking at her friend. “A man asked where he could find my mom. I thought he was there about Wendy, because he looked so official, dressed all in black. And he had, he had…” She drew in a shaky breath.
Ryan slid his arm around her shoulder. “Katie, what’s wrong?”
“He had weird fingers.” She looked at each of them in turn. “Slender, but kind of fat at the end.”
“Just like Evening.” Caden’s expression was grim.
“He told me his name was Lach. He had blond hair.”
“Bingo.” Ryan glanced over his shoulder to find Evening staring directly at him. “I need to have a talk with our man over there.”
He started to stand, but Katie gripped his hand. Her eyes were wide when she gazed up at him. “Ryan, don’t. There’s something else.”
He eased back into his seat. “What?”
“He hasn’t aged. He looks exactly the same.”
“But that was fifteen years ago,” Eve protested. “How is that possible?”
“Dinners should be up in ten.” Nancy appeared at their table with a cheerful smile. Energy rolled off her in waves and bubbled over in social charm. “Would you like another round of drinks while you’re waiting?”
Seemingly flustered by the interruption, Katie lowered her head. “I’m good.”
“Me too,” Eve said.
Caden motioned to his bottle. “I’ll take another Michelob.”
“Same here.” Ryan slid his empty to the end of the table where Nancy scooped it up. “Hey, uh, the guy you just waited on…there behind us with the blond hair.”
“Oh, him.” Nancy’s voice escaped in a breathy rush, her gaze darting momentarily to Evening. “Yes?” To Ryan she looked like a love-struck schoolgirl.
Had to be the clothes. Either that or the accent, if he could ever place the damn thing.
“Did he say anything odd to you?” He didn’t know why he asked, only that the guy was starting to give him the creeps. He’d never bought the whole expert-on-supernatural-creatures story, or whatever Evening had termed his pseudo-science. But with every moment that passed, he grew convinced everything Evening said was a lie.
“Weird you should ask.” Nancy tucked a pencil behind her ear. “He wanted to know if you and Katie were a couple.”
“Shit.” Ryan bolted to his feet.
“Ryan, please.” Katie grabbed his hand. “He might remember me. Maybe he’s worried what I’ve told you about him.”
“Hey, if you know something, spill the beans.” Nancy’s voice was bouncy. “I’m too embarrassed to ask him about his accent, but I’d love to know where he’s from. He’s gorgeous.”
“Nancy.” Eve’s glance and tone carried the censure of a boss. “Drinks, please.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” The girl bobbed her head. “And food in ten, like I said.”
She’d no sooner hustled away then the door to the street burst open with an explosive bang. Donnie Bradley rushed inside, followed closely by a breathless Duncan.
“Hey, listen up!” Donnie thrust his fist into the air, his face a ruddy mask of excitement. “Break out the booze. We nailed that bastard.”
“What are you squawking about?” Shawn Preech swung around on his bar stool. “What bastard?”
“The only one that matters.” Duncan pushed past his brother. “I shot the Mothman. I think I damn near killed the fucking thing.”
Chapter 11
Caden waited only long enough for Duncan and Donnie to tell their tale before heading to Eve’s office and grabbing the phone. He called Weston at home, catching the sheriff in the middle of his dinner. “We’re going to need patrols in the TNT.”