The hand reappeared, two fingertips tapping the table. “Ryan?”
“Flynn. From the sheriff’s department.”
“Oh, yes.” Evening looked thoughtful. “Did Sergeant Flynn explain the entire situation?”
“Thoroughly.” She’d been shocked to hear it, more to learn of Lyle’s claim of encountering the Mothman in the past. In all the time they’d been together, he’d never mentioned anything to her. Knowing her ex, he’d probably invented the tale, hoping to ride a gravy train as far as it would take him. That mentality was in line with the Lyle she knew. “I haven’t seen him, Mr. Evening.”
“Lach.” He inclined his head cordially. “Please.”
She ignored the solicitude. “Ryan told you about the van outside of my house?”
“He did.”
“That’s all I know.”
“Very well.” He withdrew from the booth, then stood at her side. “If you do encounter Mr. Mason, please contact me the moment you see him. It’s imperative I take him back to my facility in Pennsylvania in order to restore his mind. I plan to stay at the hotel for however long is necessary.”
She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or bothered by his dedication. He bid her good day, then left through the front entrance, holding the door for Sarah as she hurried inside. Katie’s friend beamed her gratitude with a fetching smile, but Lach merely nodded politely and continued on his way. Sarah hurried to the booth and peeled off her coat. She scooted in across from Katie.
“Be still my heart. He held the door for me.”
Any man with manners would do the same.
“Lach Evening?” Katie had no idea her friend was so infatuated.
“Who else? I’ve been trying to find an excuse to talk to him.”
How ironic considering Katie wanted nothing of the sort. “Tell him you’ve seen Lyle, and you won’t be able to get rid of him.”
“Your ex?” Sarah set her purse aside. “What does he have to do with anything?”
Katie gave her the run down on Lyle, Evening, and the facility Evening supposedly worked for.
“So our distinguished gentleman is some kind of head doctor?” Sarah waved for Nancy, calling out an order for a Coke. “Freaky that he does hypnosis, but consider me under his spell.” She wriggled her eyebrows. “Even if he does dress like one of those weird Men in Black, it looks good on him.”
Katie sipped soda through a straw. “I think he’s one of them.”
“He can question me any time he wants. Hey—speaking of questions—did you hear about Suzanne Preech?”
“What about her?” Katie tried to keep pace with the swift change.
“I heard from Jenny at the drugstore she’s pregnant.”
Katie thought back to the night Suzanne had shown up at the hotel looking for Shawn and the words he’d slurred when she’d walked into the café: Look who it is. My lovely wife. And mother-to-be. “I thought she might be. Shawn blurted something when he was in here the other night.”
“I don’t think she’s happy about it.”
Nancy arrived with Sarah’s soda and asked if they were ready to order. They both settled on grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup.
“Suzanne asked me to dig up some old records on Shawn’s family,” Sarah explained after Nancy had left.
Aside from working in the records division at the courthouse, Sarah counted genealogy among her hobbies.
“Well, Shawn’s always bragged his ancestors go back to the time of Fort Randolph.” Katie had no such illustrious forebears. As far as she knew, her grandmother had been the first of her family to arrive in Point Pleasant, brought by her husband when she was a young bride of sixteen. By contrast, Shawn claimed his forebears were original settlers, descended through Obadiah Preech, who’d been stationed at the Revolutionary War fort. Maybe Suzanne wanted to determine if Obadiah was real.
“Are you going to help her?”
Sarah nodded. “You know how I like digging around in old documents. Besides, it will be interesting to discover if Shawn’s bragging about his ancestry is true. He’s not a bad guy, but he likes to ride the celebrity wave.”
Dirt track racing.
Maybe Suzanne was unhappy because she worried something might happen to Shawn before the baby was born. Katie knew from experience how hard it was to raise a child on your own. Thank heavens she’d had help from her mom.
They finished lunch by discussing everything from the cute bow pump shoes Sarah had recently bought, to favorite TV shows like Dallas and Simon and Simon, to the opening of the new Epcot center in Orlando, Florida. Anything and everything but the Mothman. Katie was tired of thinking about the creature, and apparently, Sarah was too. In the good news department, Jerome had been released from the hospital and was resting at home. Katie made a mental note to visit him.
After work, she swung by the grocery store for a few boxed goods and some toiletries. She’d barely gotten home and deposited the groceries on the counter when someone banged on the front door.
“Just a minute.” After dropping her purse on the table, she retraced her steps through the living room, then halted with her hand on the doorknob. There were so many strange people lurking around Point Pleasant lately, and according to Lach Evening, Lyle might be stalking her.
“Katie.” It was him.
Another thud on the door as if he’d rolled up his fist and was battering it against the wood. How dare he try to threaten or frighten her? If he was the creep who’d been parked on the street, she’d put an end to his spying right now. She wouldn’t subject Sam to potential tirades from a man who’d disowned him before he’d been born.
Furious, she wrenched open the door. “What do you want?”
Lyle stood on the stoop, looking momentarily confused. He blinked rapidly, then shoved past her, forcing his way inside. “Is he here? I want to know where he’s hiding.”