Chapter 4 #2
Noelle hesitated. Did she want him coming to her room at the hostel?
That felt too…intimate. Nothing romantic would happen between them, of course, private setting or not, because she wouldn’t let it.
Sending him away had hurt too much in college to ever go through that pain again.
But why tempt fate? The low hum of attraction still vibrated in her core when she was around him, and his piercing blue eyes could still stir heat in her blood.
She needed a more public venue where societal decorum would ensure a chaste atmosphere.
“Why don’t we meet at a restaurant instead and get dinner? My treat,” she said.
He rubbed his chin as he studied her. “Okay. Yes to the restaurant, but no to you paying. I can’t accept anything that even smells like a bribe.”
She had to smile. “You always were honorable to a fault.”
“The same place as yesterday?” he asked.
“That place was good, but I enjoy a bit of variety.”
“Okay, then…the Cove is a nice place by the water. I can pick you up around six?”
His picking her up made the dinner feel like a date. Which it wasn’t. Just the idea of a date with Eli made her chest squeeze with longing. She shook her head resolutely. “I have Google Maps. I’ll meet you there. Six then?”
He frowned and opened his mouth as if to object. But after a beat, he sighed and bobbed his head in agreement.
That evening at 5:55, when she arrived, Eli was already at the restaurant.
He’d gotten them a table by the window with a view of the marina, lit with twinkling lights strung along the pier.
She’d had a tedious day of making funeral arrangements for Allison with a local mortuary and speaking to a lawyer about the probate of Allison’s estate, and she was more than ready for dinner and a glass of wine to unwind.
He stood and pulled out her chair, greeting her with a warm smile that made her stomach swoop. Mentally she checked herself. This is only a business dinner. Nothing more.
“You look beautiful,” he said, his compliment catching her off guard.
Heat stung her cheeks, and she flashed a grin of appreciation. “Um, thank you. I wasn’t sure these slacks were classy enough for this place, but since the only other dressy clothes I brought was a black dress for the funeral, I didn’t have much choice.”
He gave her an odd look, then a forced smile before returning to his chair.
“What?” she asked.
“What what?” he returned, lifting an eyebrow.
“That funny look you just gave me. Something I said bothered you. What and why?”
He sighed. “Your comment about bringing a black dress. It just…” He made a weary buzzing sound with his lips. “I’ve been immersed in crime scene photos this afternoon and—”
She gasped. “Oh, that’s right! You said the victims were all dressed in black dresses.”
His brow creased. “Did I tell you that?”
She put her napkin in her lap. “Didn’t you?
Or did I read that in a write-up online?
” She seized the opening. “I know the coroner’s report I received said Allison was in a black dress.
But the other victims were wearing similar dresses, too, weren’t they?
Isn’t that one of the details that links the victims?
” She gave him a level stare. “Am I right?”
His hand was resting on the table, and he tapped an index finger, a clear indication of his agitation. Which meant she was right. She sat back in her chair and tried not to look self-satisfied that she had been correct.
“Yes,” he said, his tone flat. “You’re right.”
“It seemed a logical assumption. If the killer went to the trouble of dressing Allison in a little black dress, and the press reported he’s putting fake engagement rings on all of them, it wasn’t a stretch to guess they’d be dressed similarly.”
Eli only grunted in acknowledgment of her assertion.
The waiter arrived, delivering glasses of water and a basket of rolls, then asked for their drink order. Once the waiter left, Eli inquired about Noelle’s day.
“It was depressing. But don’t change the subject. We’re supposed to be talking about the progress of investigation.”
“Now, wait a minute. You can’t tell me your day was depressing and expect me to brush over that. What happened?”
She rolled her eyes. “Funeral arrangements. Probate issues. My aunt and uncle have already filed a lawsuit to prevent me from inheriting anything, and I’m anticipating further interference with custody of her remains. So, nothing I want to talk about any further, because it will spoil my appetite.”
“And discussing the details of a serial killer’s modus operandi and forensic evidence won’t?”
“Well, discussing the case over a meal wasn’t my first choice.” Noelle gave him a pointed look. “I wanted to talk in your office or Scott Montgomery’s. Dinner was my backup plan.”
“I’ll give you that one.” Eli’s attention was fully focused on her, and he gave her a half smile. “You haven’t changed a bit since college. You’re just as beautiful, just as dogged, just as decisive as I remember.”
Noelle blinked and gave an awkward chuckle. “If not for the beautiful part, I’m not sure I’d take that as a compliment.”
“Definitely meant as a compliment. You knew your mind and were fiercely independent and self-assured, and I see no evidence that’s changed.
I remember you taking on the administration regarding the distribution of leftovers from the dining hall to food banks and the homeless.
You didn’t give up until changes were made.
I was so proud of you fighting for a cause you believed in. ”
She shrugged. “If you give up easily, is it really a core belief or just a passing fancy?”
“You’re right. And I remember how glad I was that the administration finally listened to your concerns, because I did not want to see you chain yourself to the dining hall doors and risk arrest. How would it have looked for me, pursuing a career in law enforcement, to have been dating someone arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace? ”
She frowned. “Would that have mattered to you? Was I supposed to abandon my cause to keep from embarrassing you?”
He shook his head, his smile fading. “Not at all. I was teasing. I never wanted you to change anything about yourself for me.” His expression grew more serious.
“Which is why I never understood why you ended things with me. All you ever said was that you could never be what I needed or wanted. That we were too different. But I never asked you to be anyone but yourself.”
Noelle’s heart tripped, and her palms grew clammy. “Please, let’s not rehash our breakup. That’s hardly pleasant dinner conversation, either.”
“Don’t I deserve to understand why you cut me out of your life? We had something good. No, something great. And then it was just…gone in an instant.”
Noelle took a moment, staring down at the starched white tablecloth. “You do deserve to understand. So I will try to explain it before I leave town.”
“Good.”
“But not now, not tonight. I just can’t…” Her voice broke, and she had to catch her breath and shove her runaway emotions back in a box before she could meet his gaze again. “I’m sorry.”
Eli saw the sparkle of tears filling Noelle’s eyes, and pain cleaved his chest. He reached for her hand and pressed it between his. “Not now, then. We’ll find something happier to discuss.”
She pulled her hand from his and used her napkin to dab at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I think my emotions are just raw tonight because of the unpleasantness of my day. And I didn’t sleep well.”
“Don’t apologize. You’ve been dealt a number of emotional blows lately.
” Not the least of which being me showing up in your life again.
He let the obvious go unstated. “You’re allowed to be on edge.
” He paused as their drinks arrived, and he searched for a topic he knew would comfort her.
“I saw a cat in a bookstore window the other day that reminded me of your old neighbor Mrs. Hooper’s cranky old cat.
What was its name? Whiffles or something. ”
Noelle’s expression brightened, and her nose wrinkled as she thought. “It started with a P. Puffy… Puffles—”
“Puffin!”
She snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “Yes. Puffin. It was black and white, and Mrs. Hooper thought it looked like a puffin when she found it on the shoreline.” She chuckled. “And it wasn’t cranky toward me. I think she just didn’t like men.”
“Who? Mrs. Hooper or her cat?” he teased. “Because Mrs. Hooper always gave me the stink eye when I came home with you, too.”
“She was just protective of me. She didn’t want some Lothario taking advantage of me.”
Eli barked a laugh. “She didn’t know you well, then. You were way too confident and smart for anyone to take advantage of you.”
“I appreciated her concern, just the same.” She dropped her gaze, and her voice softened. “It’s nice for someone to care.”
He detected an odd note of despondency in her tone, but rather than quiz her about it, he lifted his glass. “To Mrs. Hooper and Puffin.”
Noelle joined him in the toast, clinking her wineglass to his. “Where is this bookstore? I wasn’t sure how long I’d be in town or how much free time I’d have. I may want to pick up some reading material if the ME delays the funeral much longer.”
“I’ll be sure to point it out on the way home. It’s near your hostel.”
After a short, awkward lull in the conversation, Eli asked Noelle about her life. Did she live near the UW campus? No. She lived in Bellevue now. Was she still in touch with any of her old professors or friends? A few. She still met her mentor, Professor Norris, for coffee from time to time.
“Do you remember Kathleen Block and her boyfriend Tim Allscert?” Noelle asked.
“Sure. We went to the Lady Gaga concert with them. Had weekend barbeques and very competitive volleyball games. Why?”
“I’ve stayed friends with them. They married and had two kids. I went to their daughter’s baptism last month. They…asked about you.”
“Oh.” He smiled and nodded. “What did you say?”
“That we’d lost touch. They’ll be interested to hear we ran into each other this way and caught up.”
He selected a roll from the basket. “I liked them. Tim had a great sense of humor.”
“He still does.”
“That Gaga concert was something else, wasn’t it?”
Noelle smiled and nodded. “The woman has some pipes on her, huh?”
“I particularly liked what we did after the concert.” He peered at her over his glass as he sipped water, wondering if she’d recall that part of the date.
She paused in the middle of buttering a roll, angled her gaze to his. “The first night I slept with you.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
An endearing flush rose in her cheeks, and a sultry smile tugged her mouth. “That part was nice.”
He cocked his head, feigning insult. “Just nice?”
Noelle rolled her eyes. “Very nice. Superb. Best I’ve ever had.” She grew somber then and whispered, “Our lovemaking was never the problem between us.”
His chest clenched at the abrupt shift in the conversation back to the raw topic. “I thought you said we weren’t going to talk about our breakup.”
Noelle turned to stare out the window at the marina lights. “I know. I—”
“But if we don’t talk now, when will we talk about it? You’re leaving town again in a few days. When am I going to have another chance to see you, get answers?”
She stiffened. “Was that why you agreed to dinner, if you didn’t plan to answer my questions about the investigation? So you could corner me into talking about our breakup?”
He sighed. “No. I agreed to come because I’ve missed you. I wanted to be with you. Maybe I even hoped we could…reconnect.”
Noelle’s dark brown eyes widened, bright with what he could only call alarm. She shook her head vehemently. “I can’t go down that path again. It was hard enough getting over you the first time. If I let myself feel anything for you again—”
Eli fisted his hands in his lap. “It just…makes no sense to me, Noelle. If it was hard to get over me, if we had passion and shared interests and great sex, why would you throw that away? Why did you push me out? Was it something I did?”
She was silent for so long, her eyes misted with tears, he’d almost decided she was not going to answer.
But finally, after several heartbreaking moments, she bit her bottom lip and raised her gaze to his.
“No. You did nothing to deserve the pain I caused you. It was my family that did everything wrong.”