Chapter Nine
Evangeline
I ARRIVED AT the Taste of Mesopotamia restaurant to find Clarke seated and waiting for me. He’d also ordered for us, as the table was filled with huge plates full of all sorts of delicious looking food.
“Thank you for joining me this evening.” Clarke stood as I approached. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
Jet black hair and a razor-sharp jawline that would make a Calvin Klein model envious, he wore a dark blue, tailor fit suit without a tie, and he looked fresh off the cover of GQ.
“Such manners from a fellow Yankee,” I said, as Clarke pulled out my chair and made sure I was seated before taking his own again.
“I guess this southern charm is starting to rub off on me. I hope it’s okay that I ordered for the table. You said that you didn’t have much experience with Kurdish Turkish cuisine, so I ordered a little of everything for us to try.”
I waved my hand toward the food. “This is a little ?”
Clarke chuckled. “Don’t worry. Whatever we don’t eat here tonight, will make great leftovers for days. Some of these dishes only get better with time.”
Clarke ordered from the wine list, and we fell easily into small talk as we sampled the myriad of appetizers laid out before us. Conversation was easy between us, but my mind was busy trying my best to size him up, and I’m sure he was doing the same with me.
“Why did you decide to become a cop?” I asked after we’d finished our first glass of wine.
“Ah, that old chestnut,” Clarke replied.
“I’m sorry. Is that too personal?”
“No, not at all. I guess, like most kids, you end up doing what you do for a living because of your father.”
“Your dad was a cop?”
“No, he was a degenerate gambler, a drunk, and a petty criminal.”
“Ah, so your door swung the other way,” I deduced.
Clarke refilled our glasses before raising his for a toast. I raised mine and he said, “To those who’ve risen above what this world has to offer. May we continue to climb out of the darkness and into the light.”
We clinked glasses and a lump formed in my throat. “I had no idea you were so poetic.”
“How do you like the food so far?” Clarke asked.
“Oh, my god. Are you joking? I can’t stop eating. Everything is wonderful.”
“I thought you’d like it. I tend to read people pretty well. An occupationally developed skill, I guess.”
“Makes perfect sense. I mean, in your line of work you must spend much of your time talking to people and while doing so you’re likely trying to judge whether they are lying to you or being truthful.”
“See? That’s what I mean. You understand completely. This is why I asked you to come here tonight. I had a feeling you and I would understand one another.”
As much as I hated to admit it, Clarke wasn’t wrong. There was a palpable connection between us that was impossible to ignore. I mean, he was at least half full of shit, and he was a cop, so it’s not like I could trust him in any way or drop my guard for even an instant, but there was something about Andrew Clarke, besides his good looks, that made him very attractive to me.
* * *
Clarke
“H ow do you stay sane living in a place like Old Sheep Junction?” Evangeline asked as I refilled her glass again.
I burst out laughing, almost spilling as I poured. “Black Sheep Hollow,” I corrected.
She raised an eyebrow. “Is that really any better?”
“Better n’ what the local kids call it, I’ll tell you what,” I replied in a mock Kentucky accent.
Evangeline chuckled. “Do you think you’ll ever move back to New York?”
“Maybe someday,” I replied.
“Someday when it’s time to settle down and start a family,” she said, pointing to my naked ring finger.
“What can I say? I’m a cliché cop who’s married to the job. But look at you. You write books, you’re a public speaker, you run a home for abused kids. I can’t imagine you have much time for yourself.”
Evangeline exhaled. “Not much, but when I do, I try and make it count. However, you’re right. I’m definitely a work-a-holic.”
“I hope I didn’t offend you by saying that.”
“I’ve got a pretty thick skin,” she replied.
“I sort of gathered that from your book.”
“You read one of my books?”
“Two of them, actually.”
“Really?”
“Don’t be so surprised. You’re a wonderful writer.”
“Thank you very much, that’s sweet of you to say. I’m just a little shocked. You don’t quite fit in with my usual reader demographic. That’s all.”
“Oh, I don’t huh?” I challenged. “What reader demographic do I fit into?”
Evangeline grinned wide. “I’m thinking you’re probably a big fan of D.W. Foxblood.”
“You think I read romance books?”
“No, not really,” she laughed. “If I had to guess, I would say the last thing you read was probably a police blotter or the manual to a handgun.”
I winced. “It’s kind of painful how accurate that was. Am I that transparent?”
“Actually, no. I think you hold your cards very close to your chest,” she replied.
Right now, all I wanted was to be close to her chest. I had to have her. It was as simple as that. So far, my gut was telling me there was no way Evangeline was our suspect, and I was looking forward to ruling her out completely. As soon as that happened, I’d make my move.
“I’ve never been much of a poker player,” I said.
“That surprises me. I would have thought as a cop, you’d be an excellent bluffer.” She smiled. “No offense.”
“None taken. In fact, I think maybe that’s why I was never invited to any poker games. Or maybe it’s just because I’m an asshole.”
It could have been my imagination, but I’d swear Evangeline had some sort of physical reaction when I said that. She shifted in her seat, ever-so-slightly, and her cheeks became flush.
“So, who’s the sheriff of Black Sheep Holler while you’re away?”
“That would be my new deputy. However, this is the first time I’ve left town since I took the job, and I’m just hoping my staff doesn’t burn the place to the ground while I’m gone.”
She cocked her head. “What about your investigation? Are you any closer to finding the guy who killed those men?”
I sighed. “Sometimes a case will reach a point where you feel you’re either on the verge of a breakthrough or you’re a thousand miles off course, and you can’t tell which is true.”
She bit her lip. “So, what do you do when that happens?”
“You keep moving forward until the evidence tells you what you need to know.”
This was a perfect opportunity for me to casually gather information from Evangeline in order to officially rule her out as a suspect. She knew the first two murders happened in New York and New Jersey, but I’d been careful not to mention the location of the potential third.
“It reminds me of something my uncle used to say. He lived down in Sarasota, and he’d take me sailing during the summer break when I was a kid. He’d say ‘Below fifty degrees south, there is no law. Below sixty degrees south, there is no God.’”
Evangeline laughed. “Meaning?”
“I think he meant life is tough no matter which direction you travel, but at some point, you have to choose a direction and set sail.”
“Sounds right to me.”
“I used to love those summers in Florida. Have you ever been?”
I studied her closely.
“Not yet. Hopefully I’ll get an invitation to speak there sometime. I hear it’s beautiful,” she replied without a hint of deception.
“Is travel always work related or do ever hit the road for fun?”
She chuckled. “Fun? No. I’m not sure I’ve done anything ‘just for fun’ in a hot minute.”
“So, it’s all work and no play for Evangeline Monroe?”
“I’m afraid the books are far more exciting than the author,” she replied.
I looked her straight in the eyes. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
For the next hour we talked easily and openly on a variety of topics, and as the evening went on, I found clever ways to gather information about her, and in doing so, two things became clear to me. I’d all but ruled her out as a suspect and that my desire for her was reaching a boiling point.
* * *
Evangeline
W hat the hell was this guy’s game? For every truth he gave me, he’d follow it up with two lies. Then there were all the little tests. “So, Evangeline. Have you ever been to Florida ? You know, the state where Judge James L. Faulkner was found dead?” Christ, Clarke thought he was slick and I’m sure this shit worked on the local yokels back in Kentucky, but I saw through him like Casper the friendly cop. My best bet was to play along, lie my ass off, and use his own permanent boner as a weapon against him.
“Look,” I said, after our leftovers were brought to the table. “I’ve had a really nice time tonight, and I’m not sure if this is really appropriate, but would you like to come back to my hotel room for an after-dinner drink?”
“I’m not officially on the clock, so yes, I’d love to,” Clarke replied, doing his best to hide the eagerness in his voice.
I smiled. I had Sheriff Clarke right where I needed him.
My phone pealed just as he accepted my ‘invitation.’
“Oh, this is Emory, do you mind if I take it?” I asked.
“Not at all,” Clarke said.
“Hi, Em.”
“Hey, it’s the call you requested,” Mouse said.
“Oh, no!” I exclaimed with a frown.
“Oh, shit, you’re on a date and he’s a creeper,” she whispered.
“And you have no idea why?” I asked.
“No, we have no idea why... shit, I’m not good at this,” Emory said.
“No, the timing’s definitely not ideal.” I glanced at Clarke. “But I understand. Yes, I can be at my computer in fifteen minutes.”
“You must teach me your ways, Obi Wan,” Emory hissed, and I nearly bust out laughing.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I nodded. “Okay. Bye.”
I hung up with a grimace and looked at Clarke. “I’m so sorry, but an emergency has come up at Papillon House and I have to take care of it. Rain check on the nightcap?”
“Oh, ah, of course.”
I stood and he did the same as I gathered my purse. “Gosh, I’m so sorry. I was looking forward to it.”
“I could always meet you after,” he said.
I forced a smile. “No, it’s okay. I honestly don’t know how long this will take. Sometimes things like this go into the wee hours of the morning and can be brutal.”
“Right.”
“The children come first, always,” I said, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
It was quick, but it was effective.
“Do you want to take any of this food?” he asked.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” I said. “You take it.”
I got the hell out of Dodge before he could follow and rushed back to the hotel. I had to keep him on the hook, but I also had to keep him at arms’ length. Keep your enemies closer as they say.