Caden narrowed his eyes. “I thought you were some kind of subcontractor or employee?”
Evening offered a shrug as apology. “A slight, but necessary, distortion of the truth to gain your aid, and that of your sheriff. I did not lie when I said I use flicker phenomena on contactees who claim encounters with supernatural creatures. There are some who have no desire to remain silent, but are extremely vocal in spreading their stories. Many of what your people call monsters are simply dimension travelers. We work to sort true encounters from perceived fantasy, and do our best to erase those memories. You might frown on our methods, but the results are necessary to maintain the security of our separate populations.”
Caden’s head was spinning. At the same time, he believed everything Evening said. The rumors of Point Pleasant and the TNT existing on a ley line were true, which explained the area’s unusual degree of otherworldly activity. At least now he knew what he was dealing with.
“If Lyle surfaces, I can handle him.” He had no qualms about Mason. Tracking him down would bring one problem to a conclusion, and the guy couldn’t stay hidden forever. “Lyle’s head might be screwed up, but he’s human.” He leaned forward, forearms on the table as he met Evening’s steady gaze. “What do I do about the Mothman?”
Evening pushed the water glass away. “There’s nothing you can do. Let my father arrive—”
“But this bond I’ve got—”
“I understand.” A flicker of distaste twisted Evening’s mouth in a downward curl. Evidently, he was not used to being interrupted. “If there is any benevolence or morality that still lingers within the creature, he has chosen you as the conduit for that compassion.” Appearing thoughtful, he glanced to the side. “I am unclear why. Perhaps it is nothing more than the mercy you showed at your first meeting, when—perceived as a monster—he expected antagonism, fear or aggression.” Evening’s gaze snapped back to Caden. “Our conversation is over now, Sergeant.”
“Huh?” The abruptness of the statement made Caden wrench physically backward.
“Your fiancée is home.”
The words no sooner passed Evening’s lips, than the front door burst open and Eve hurried in, slightly out of breath. “Caden, you won’t believe what happened at the café.” She dumped her purse on the couch, then slipped from her coat and tossed the garment over the bag. “I met Ryan, Katie, and Jerome for dinner like we planned, and things exploded. Shawn Preech was out of control.” It took her a second to realize she spoke to an empty room, a second longer to spy the two men through the arched opening into the dining room. “Oh!” She crossed the distance to the table. “I didn’t realize you had company.”
Evening stood and Caden followed suit.
“A pleasure to see you again, Ms. Parrish.” Evening inclined his head in an old-fashioned greeting. “May I extend my congratulations? I understand you are recently engaged to Sergeant Flynn.” Taking her hand, he kissed her fingertips lightly, a courtly gesture resurrected from another time.
Eve flushed in delight. “Why…why, thank you.” When he released her, she placed the hand over her heart, an entranced smile warming her face.
Caden raised a brow. Evening might be odd, but he oozed genteel charm when it came to women, an inborn charisma further enhanced by his bearing and accent. “Lach was just leaving.”
Eve deflated. “You can’t stay?” She looked directly at their guest.
“I’m afraid not. Other matters demand my attention. But it was good to see you again. I can find my own way to the door.” Another tilt of his head as parting. His gaze shifted to Caden. “Sergeant.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
“What a charming man,” Eve said after he’d left. “I didn’t see a car outside. How will he get back to the hotel?”
Caden hadn’t considered that, but given the man’s peculiarities and abilities, he didn’t think traveling would be an issue. “I don’t think that will be a problem.” He pulled her close and kissed her. “What happened at the River?”
“You’re not going to believe it.” Just that quickly, Eve refocused. “Everything was going fine until Suzanne came in, looking for Shawn. She’s pregnant, you know?”
He’d heard the news somewhere before, probably from Eve when she was sharing town gossip with him. People tended to talk about anything and everything when they camped out at her café.
“Even Jerome was doing okay. We had him talking about stuff other than UFOs and spacemen, and then—” She stopped suddenly, her attention shifting to the healthy plant in the center of the table. “Caden, did you throw away my Dumb Cane and get a new one?”
“Your dumb what?”
“You did, didn’t you?” Indignation cracked in her voice. “I told you I was going to nurse it to health.” She motioned to the leafy plant in its bright ceramic container. “That’s the pot it was in, but that is not my plant.”
“Oh. Yeah. About that…” How did he explain what Evening had done? “I didn’t get rid of it.”
She knuckled her hands against her hips, jutting her chin to stare up at him. “Then where is it?”
“Um… Can we talk about this later? It involves Lach, and it’s complicated.” Taking her arm, he steered her toward the living room. “I promise I didn’t get rid of your plant, but at the moment I’d rather hear about what happened at the River.”
She pressed her lips together and eyed him as if measuring how truthful he was being. Finally, she exhaled, clearly having a hard time holding back whatever news she’d originally wanted to share. When he pulled her to a seat on the sofa, she pivoted to face him.