Chapter 6 #2
“Lunch date. Want to join us? We have room for one more.”
“Thanks, but I have work to do.”
“When don’t you have work to do? Guess I won’t see you at the square dance later either.”
“Unlikely.”
“I figured as much. Have a good one, Maya.” He tipped his Eagles hat and carried on.
As I approached the main door, I noticed someone in my peripheral vision. I’d recognize the outline of a well-built demigod anywhere.
I turned to face Vale. “Wow. Write this day down in history, folks. The mountain came to Muhammed.” Dressed in a sea blue three-piece suit, the mountain looked like he walked directly from a fashion runway to the island.
“You emailed my office, and I got the distinct impression you didn’t plan on a return visit to Savannah.”
“Ever hear of a handy device called a phone?”
“I don’t share confidential intel over a telephone.”
His response caught me off guard. “You have intel about Stella’s report?”
“Possibly. We’ve had a few strange occurrences. Thought it would be a good opportunity to compare notes.”
I remained convinced a phone call or email would’ve sufficed, but I decided to humor him anyway. “This is Evermore. We specialize in strange occurrences.”
“I’m talking about slightly elevated incidents.” He hesitated, eyes narrowing. “Your hair looks…different.”
“Because I’ve been pruned by a dryad.”
“On purpose?”
“Hey, she said I’m a seven now. With a bit of makeup, I might climb to an eight.”
He bit back a smile. “No half numbers on your scale?”
I clutched my chest. “Ouch. You wanted to round me down to a seven and a half?”
“Maybe I was going to round you up to an eight and a half. Ever think of that?”
“Step into my office,” I said, yanking open the door to the main entrance. “I have nothing to offer you except an empty chair.”
“How disappointing that I won’t need to sit on your lap.” He didn’t sound disappointed. He sounded like he was mocking me and enjoying the hell out of it.
I was acutely aware of Vale’s close proximity as the demigod waited behind me while I unlocked the door to the security office. I ignored the quickening of my pulse as I switched on the light. We were having a professional exchange of information, nothing more.
There could be nothing more, I reminded myself like a mantra.
Vale stopped in the doorway to survey the room. “This is your office?”
Granted, the space wasn’t even close to the grandeur of Vale’s headquarters, but it served its purpose.
“I’d offer you coffee, but I haven’t restocked it.” I motioned to the chair at the desk that used to belong to Judd. “Your empty chair, Protector.”
Vale sat and the chair immediately rolled to the left.
“Oh, I forgot to mention the wheels are wonky on that one.” I’d swapped chairs after Judd died.
Vale put his foot flat on the floor to stop from rolling. “You mentioned potential criminal activity in your email.”
“That’s right.”
“As it happens, my team has been investigating a handful of incidents in the Savannah area involving fraudulent transactions.”
“Counterfeit money?”
“Sort of. Someone lists a valuable item for sale. A buyer comes along and offers over the asking price to secure the item. The transaction occurs, and within forty-eight hours, the money transforms.”
“Transforms?”
“It doesn’t seem to have been genuine currency. One man’s stack of hundred-dollar bills turned into one of those waving Chinese cats they have in barbershop windows.”
“A lucky cat? I love those.”
“Missing the point, August.”
I wasn’t. “I think Stella is a victim of the same crime.” The vampire’s report indicated that she’d sold an heirloom to a buyer on the mainland for a hefty sum, the money hit her bank account, but when she noticed her balance the next day, it was gone.
I’d assumed it was a glitch—Neighbors weren’t the best with technology—which was why I hadn’t pursued it harder.
“Some of the amounts are small, but not all. They prey on the wrong person and there could be a bloodbath.”
“Could be wizardry. Sorcery. Witchcraft. A random magician.”
Vale motioned to my hand. “Would you mind not doing that?”
I looked at the pen in my hand. “Doing what? This?” I started tapping again.
“It’s distracting.”
“It’s rhythmically soothing.”
“If you’re interested in rhythmically soothing, I can think of much more enjoyable options.”
I swore he made these comments simply to get a rise out of me. I refused to take the bait. “Is there any connection between the items?”
“None that we’ve pieced together so far. I’d like to speak to your victim, if that’s possible. Get more information about her communications with the suspect. See if they match the other victims.”
I twirled the pen around my fingers. “Couldn’t you have sent Gage or Cowboy to handle the nitty-gritty work?”
“I could have, but I decided to oversee this myself.”
“You’re a demigod. Don’t you have more important work to do?”
“What’s the problem? Is it that I outrank you?”
“You don’t outrank me on my island.”
“And here I thought this island was called Evermore, not Property of Maya August.”
I rose to my feet. “Come along, Protector. Let’s go pay a visit to Stella.”
“Von Hagen?”
I jerked toward him. “How do you know her name?”
All Neighborhood identities were supposed to be secret from those in the regular world.
“I’m the Protector of the Region, August. It’s my business to know.”
“And what? You memorized every name on the island?”
“I had one of my assistants create a master list and I recall her name.”
“Am I on that list?” I asked, giving the question my best injection of nonchalance.
“I said a master list, didn’t I? That includes staff.”
The pulse quickening resumed, but this response had nothing to do with Vale’s demigod bod. “What kind of information does this list have aside from names?”
“Why? Worried I’ll find out your birthdate?”
“We don’t age shame on this island, so no, I’m not worried.” I exited the office and locked the door behind us. “We can take my golf cart.”
“No need. I can drive us. Justine was kind enough to lend me one of the execu-carts.”
Executive golf carts belonged to members of the board of directors. They were roomier, more comfortable, and their maximum speed allowed an additional five miles per hour.
Begrudgingly, I followed him to the shiny golf cart and sat beside him in the passenger seat.
“Inhale that fresh air,” he said, starting the motor. “The sky is blue. The sun is shining.”
“And you have a nice boat.” The boat was actually a beautiful yacht, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging that. I could be petty like that.
“The water’s calm today. I saw a pod of dolphins on the way here.”
Okay, now I was a tad jealous. I loved dolphins.
“Which way to Stella’s?”
“What? You didn’t memorize her address too?”
“No. Only yours.”
I wasn’t sure if he was joking. I pointed us in the right direction, and he steered the golf cart toward the Divide, which provided us with a breathtaking view of the water.
“I’m starting to think my family made a mistake by locating our headquarters in a city instead of on an island like this one,” Vale commented.
“Evermore and the other island retirement communities were inspired by Breasal’s Island.” Breasal’s Island was the home of the gods upon leaving mortal soil.
“Land of perpetual pleasure and feasting,” Vale said. “The origin of the name Brazil, I believe.”
“See that, Vale? You’re more than just a pretty face.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “Since you’re so knowledgeable, do you happen to know anything about shadows that have disconnected from their bodies?”
Vale coughed, then cleared his throat. “That’s not a question I think I’ve ever fielded. Are you missing a shadow, Maya?”
I chose my words carefully. “Between you and me, there seems to be one on the loose, and I’d like to track it down.”
“You have an island full of retirees with nothing but time on their hands. Couldn’t you request their help?”
“Not in this situation, no.”
He studied me. “Why do I get the sense this shadow is responsible for more than cutting the cord from its body?”
I lowered my voice, not that anyone else was within earshot. “It appears to have killed someone.”
“A killer shadow?”
I shushed him. “Please don’t repeat this. I can’t have Neighbors freaking out.”
“I can see how tracking down a killer shadow is presenting you with a few challenges.”
I stared at him. “Are you smirking?” I smacked his arm. “An innocent woman is dead, Vale. This is no laughing matter.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that only you would have to hunt down a killer shadow.”
“There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the murder, which means he could strike again at any time.”
“Has anyone checked with Peter Pan?”
“Not funny.”
His shoulders shook as his laughter subsided. “Are you sure it’s a shadow, Maya? There could be a dozen other possibilities that make more sense.”
“It was a shadow. I’m certain. The victim said so.”
“Before she died? You spoke to her?”
“After she died, I spoke to her, but we don’t need to discuss that now.”
He eyed me closely. “There is so much about you I don’t know.”
And I intended to keep it that way. “It’s nothing that would violate the law, I promise.”
“I trust you.”
You shouldn’t, I nearly said, but caught myself in time. “Turn right and we’re there,” I said.
Vale pulled into the long driveway. “I thought the Neighbors lived in condos.”
“Not all of them.” And definitely not a vampire like Stella Von Hagen.