The Hidden

The keyboardist stepped over as soon as Eddie called. Scarlet knew him casually, the same way she knew all of them, except for Eddie. She knew him better since they’d gone for coffee a few times.

Hanley kept his head shaved—crazy for cold weather, Eddie liked to tease him—but he’d gone mostly bald by the time he turned thirty, so he’d decided to embrace the bald look and buy himself a big old hoop earring. In truth, like Eddie, he was just a nice guy who loved his music.

“Hanley, you thought you saw Cassandra last night, didn’t you?” Eddie asked him.

Hanley nodded. “Yeah.” He pointed to the back of the room, where there was a ledge with a few bar stools to the left of the door, providing a better view of the stage than the bar itself did.

“She was just standing there, leaning against that support beam off to the left,” Hanley said. “It looked like she was talking to someone, but they were behind the beam.”

“Okay, now we know she at least made it inside,” Diego said.

“I hope you catch the guy,” Hanley said. “I wish you could pretend this was still the Old West and shoot the bastard’s kneecaps out, then torture him to death.”

“Hey, don’t be shy, Hanley, tell them what you really think,” Eddie said drily, and then looked at the others again. “I gotta say, screw that humane punishment thing. I feel the same. At least Colorado has the death penalty. I hope you get the guy and that he gets it.”

Adam had joined them just in time to hear the last. He introduced himself and shook hands with the band, then said, “My agents—and the police—will get him. What happens next will be up to a jury.”

“Unless he shoots at you, and then you get to shoot back, right?” Hanley asked. “Sorry, I was crazy about her. We were just friends, but not ’cuz I didn’t want more. But she wasn’t into dating, not until she got herself through school.”

“We’re allowed to defend ourselves, yes,” Matt said.

“Well, I hope he shoots at you, then,” Hanley said. “I mean, I don’t want him to hit any of you or anything, but...”

“We understand,” Brett said.

“Are you guys going to stay around awhile?” Eddie asked. “If you are, we can try to point out some of the regulars when they show up, along with anybody I noticed in here last night. Maybe they’ll know who Cassandra was talking to or if she left with someone.”

“That would be great,” Diego said. “Thank you.”

“I think your table is ready,” Eddie said, pointing to where the hostess was standing and looking their way.

The others thanked him and headed over to take their table, but Scarlet waited and thanked Eddie again herself.

“The ex, huh?” he said, a rueful smile on his lips.

She nodded.

“But you’re not ready to let go, are you?” he asked.

“He came to help,” she said, ignoring his question.

“I just hope he’s smart enough to know what he has,” Eddie told her.

“I...”

“You’ve always been honest. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“I don’t really even have one,” Scarlet said. “We’re divorced, but he came to help me anyway, and yes...I do still care about him. And I hope you and I are still friends.”

“We are. I just hope they really can catch this killer.”

Scarlet nodded and hurried to join the others at the table.

Their waitress was there, trying to convince them that Rocky Mountain oysters were a can’t-miss hit with visitors.

“I know what they are, and no thanks,” Brett said. “I’ve never wanted eel in my sushi, either, even if an eel is just a snakey kind of fish.”

Everyone else opted out, too. At Scarlet’s suggestion they all went with beefalo steaks, which she explained were a little sweeter than regular beef, but very good.

Scarlet noticed a tall lanky man standing with his back to her by the same support beam where Cassandra had been standing the night before. She started to say something, but before she could, she saw a waitress move right through him, then pause and shiver before moving on.

The man turned and saw Scarlet, and grinned.

It was Daniel Kendall.