Beneath the Bleak New Moon

by Debra Purdy Kong

  “I didn’t really notice. Too busy taking down license plate numbers and trying to keep you out of trouble. Speaking of which, the police should approach Eagle, not you.”

  “The second they do, his parents will probably hire some big-time lawyer. Can you help with more surveillance? Mom’s making a new batch of cinnamon buns.”

  “It won’t work,” Casey replied. “Roadkill members know my car and most of them will recognize us.”

  “We could wear disguises and borrow cars. You must have a friend who’ll lend you one.”

  “I wouldn’t ask. Call me tomorrow.”

  She hung up, feeling more than a little uneasy. Somebody needed to convince Danielle not to pursue Roadkill, but who would she listen to? Meanwhile, Casey needed to keep busy. Schoolwork would help, and she’d now have time to rearrange her closet and drawers to make room for Lou’s things.

  He still hadn’t brought much over, and they hadn’t yet sorted out the furniture issue. Talking over her concerns about living together hadn’t eased her worry. Each new day brought on more doubt. What if they saw flaws in each other they hadn’t noticed before—flaws they found intolerable? What if Lou just up and left? Decided she wasn’t good enough to build a future with? What would she do? What would his departure do to Summer? He was the only male role model in her life . . . Oh lord, where had the air in here gone?

  Casey shut off her PC, grabbed her coat, and hurried out the door. Each breath grew more shallow and more rapid. She jogged down the two sets of stairs. By the time she reached the ground floor, she was close to hyperventilating.

  Casey looked down the corridor at the lunch room on her right, the ladies’ locker room farther down on the left. She kept a change of clothes and shoes in there, an umbrella, makeup, a couple of sci-fi paperbacks. Nothing she needed. Nothing that mattered.

  She crossed the hall, pushed the glass doors open, and let the cold November air fill her lungs. Beneath the dark clouds, Casey closed her eyes and began to feel better. She had a good future with Lou, and her suspension would be lifted. Everything would turn out just fine.

  Casey started for her car, when a petite blonde strutted toward her. The blonde’s hands were shoved in the pockets of a pink coat trimmed with fake, white fur. The woman looked familiar, yet Casey couldn’t quite place her. The woman stopped a few feet away and stared. Casey noticed she had dark roots and wore pink lip gloss that matched the color of her coat. Furtive, pale blue eyes looked translucent beneath the cobalt eye shadow.

  “Casey?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Tina Berger, Greg’s wife.”

  Crap. “Hello.”

  “Greg said he changed his mind about asking you to reduce the rent. Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to put the request back on the table. See, I love that house, and if we had the money, we’d buy it from you. But I’ve had to leave my job, and we’re having another baby. I don’t know what to do.”

  So, she wanted the first wife to solve her financial problems? Casey opened the Tercel’s door. “Does Greg know you’re here?”

  “He will.” Tina’s pink lips pouted. “I’m only asking for short-term help. Our little boy just started preschool and he’s so shy that changing schools would devastate him.”

  Casey slid into her car. Using the kid to gain sympathy was beyond tacky. “Sorry, but you’re already paying about four hundred bucks less a month than the going rate.”

  Tina glared at her. “You hate me because you think I’m a home wrecker.”

  “Actually, I’m quite relieved that he’s with you and not me.” She closed the door and then rolled down the window.

  “I don’t want our kids to be shuffled around every two years like I was.” Tina’s voice rose. “Don’t do that to my children.”

  “Tina, your family life is not my concern. In fact, it has nothing to do with me.”

  “Greg was right.” Tina stepped back. “You are a self-absorbed bitch!”

  Casey started the engine. “And you are a total waste of time!” She shoved the gear into reverse.

  “Just try and evict us!” Tina yelled. “We have rights, you know!”

  “I’m not evicting anyone! Greg changed his mind about asking for a rent reduction and gave notice instead. Obviously he didn’t tell you.” She enjoyed the shock on Tina’s face. The woman opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. “He promised you’d be gone by December thirty-first, and he had better keep his word.”

  As Casey backed up, she saw Tina march to their big SUV. If money was tight, why weren’t they driving something older and smaller? The roar of a souped-up engine caught Casey’s attention. She turned in time to see a dark, sporty vehicle race past Mainland’s entrance and disappear.

  THIRTEEN

  CASEY CLIMBED ONTO A CHAIR and began wiping down the baking-supplies cupboard in the downstairs kitchen. The cupboard hadn’t been cleaned since Winifred’s mercifully short stay last year. The only other good thing to have come from that visit was Winifred abandoning her attempt to gain legal custody of Summer. Too bad Summer hadn’t inherited her grandmother’s need for cleanliness. Much as the girl loved to bake, she spilled everything and had gotten lazy with the cleanups.

  Casey’s cell phone rang. She retrieved it from her pocket and answered, “Hello?”

  “Hey, kiddo, how are you doing?” Stan asked.

  “Hanging in there.” She hadn’t talked to him in two days, not since he’d told her she was suspended. “How did Thursday’s meeting go?”

  “The Wieczs never showed.”

  She got down from the chair. “That doesn’t help.”

  “Gwyn tried the number the mother gave, but the phone’s still out. One of the twins called from the diner yesterday and left a message saying there’d been a medical emergency with their mom, but that she’s okay now. Gwyn will try to reschedule on Monday.”

  Casey’s spirits sank. Rumors about her absence would be flying at work.

  “I’ve been trying to get hold of Danielle Carpenter,” he went on, “but she hasn’t returned my calls.”

  She hadn’t heard from Danielle in a couple of days either. “I’ll see if I can get a hold of her.”

  “The sooner the better. I really need a statement from her to give Gwyn.”

  “Please let me know when the meeting takes place.”

  “Count on it. Take it easy.”

  She’d been trying, but it wasn’t going well. Casey shoved the phone in her pocket and turned back toward the cupboard, when she heard the familiar sound of Lou’s pickup crunching the gravel in back. Thank heaven. She could use a supportive shoulder. Casey opened the door as Lou removed two fairly large boxes from the passenger seat.

  “Need some help?” she called out.

  “I’m good, thanks.” He traipsed through the backyard and up the steps. “I brought my lava lamps.”

  Oh, no. Lou owned ten of them: red, blue, purple, green, yellow; large and small. She never understood his fascination with watching icky globs float up and down and slowly break apart into smaller globs, only to merge again. She hadn’t spent the night at his apartment since she’d become Summer’s guardian and had almost forgotten how Lou liked to plug in the lamps while they were in bed. She’d never had the heart to tell him that she found them more quirky than romantic.

  “I’m not sure there’s enough space for all those lamps in the bedroom,” she said.

  He placed the boxes on the kitchen table. “We could put some in the living room, and I brought my disco collection over. It’d be cool to listen to them with the lamps on, just like old times.” He kissed her, then stepped back. “What’s wrong? You’re smiling funny.”

  This wasn’t the time to confess that disco and lava weren’t her idea of romance. “I just talked to Stan.” She told him about the canceled meeting. “I resent teenaged punks who hold far too much power over my future.”

  “It will work out, Casey. Stan would n
ever let you go.”

  She hugged him. “Thank you.” No one at Mainland was indispensable, though. “He hasn’t been able to reach Danielle, and she had a date with Dominic Mancuso last night. I’m a little worried.”

  “You’re letting things get to you.” He kept his arms around her. “It’s almost noon. Maybe she’s busy running errands.”

  “Maybe.” Casey picked up her cleaning cloth and climbed back on the chair.

  “Where should I put the lamps?” he asked.

  The tool shed sprang to mind. “How about the downstairs living room? Christmas isn’t far off, and we’ll be spending more time there anyway. It’ll be fun having them glowing with the tree’s lights.”

  “Don’t you want them in our bedroom tonight?”

  She kept her back to him. “Not really.”

  “Okay.” He paused. “You should tell me what else you don’t want upstairs, and, while I think of it, what about ground rules?”

  “Ground rules?” She stopped wiping a shelf and looked over her shoulder. Was he being sarcastic?

  “Yeah, I need to know about stuff like remote controls and toilet paper rolls.”

  “You’re rhyming.”

  “Not intentionally.” Lou smiled. “I just don’t want you getting mad if I hog the remote or put the toilet paper roll on wrong.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Just post the rules, boss, so I know what they are.”

  “Lou, I don’t want to be the boss.”

  “It was a joke.”

  “Sorry. Little slow on the uptake.” She turned back to the shelf.

  “Actually, I think you’re still a little freaked out about me moving in, aren’t you?”

  Casey paused and then stepped down from the chair, tossing the cloth on the counter. “Not freaked out, just afraid that I’ll disappoint you.”

  “We’ll have good days and bad days.” Lou started to frown. “Do you think I’ll only stay as long as we’re having fun?”

  “Something like that. What if things turn lousy and stay that way a long time?”

  “Then we’ll work on ways to make them better.”

  Casey sat down. “When I was with Greg I thought that too.”

  “Greg wasn’t committed to your marriage. He bailed way too fast.” Lou reached for her hands. “We’ve known each other over ten years. I was there when you got married and when your marriage fell apart. I was there when your parents died. I’ve seen you angry, depressed, and upset. I’ve seen you doubt yourself more times than I can count. Why would I leave over a rough patch?”

  She attempted a smile. “All the big moments, huh?”

  He stroked her hair. “I know you’re the fastest flosser in the universe and that you only snore when your nose is stuffed up. What more is there to know?”

  “That I’m probably not a great person to live with if unemployed.”

  “I also know you’re a worrier.” His reassuring arms engulfed her. “Maybe we should grab something to eat.”

  “Actually, I want to hang around. Summer’s bringing Jacob over shortly, so I’ll finally get a chance to meet him. I’m a little surprised she hasn’t introduced us yet.” She noticed Lou’s smirk. “You never told me much about him after the Halloween party.”

  “There wasn’t much to tell.” Lou grinned as he picked up the boxes.

  “Is there something I should know?”

  “Not really.”

  “Your face says otherwise. What’s up?”

  “He likes jewelry.”

  “What kind and how much?”

  “You’ll find out. Why don’t you give Danielle a call while you wait?” Lou carried his lamps down the hall.

  Casey took his advice, but the call went to voice mail. Was Danielle still with Mancuso? How far would that girl go to get information? Casey picked up the cloth and returned to cleaning.

  The front door opened and she heard Summer’s voice. Cheyenne, who’d been napping in the living room, gave a couple of excited barks. Casey stepped down from the chair as footsteps headed toward the kitchen. Summer entered the room, followed by Cheyenne.

  “Is Jacob with you?” Casey asked.

  “In the living room. I’m just getting us a snack.”

  Lou returned and said, “I’m going to grab another box. Wait for me and we’ll meet him together.”

  He was grinning again. Good lord, what was wrong with the boy? Casey turned to Summer, who was rummaging through the fridge. “What have you two planned for today?”

  “Jacob’s helping me build the Christmas village. It’ll be fantabulous.”

  “A Christmas village already?”

  “You said I could start after Remembrance Day.”

  “Right.” She’d forgotten.

  Summer placed cheese, bologna, and crackers on plates, then grabbed two cans of pop, before heading back down the hall. Casey was tempted to follow, but since Lou clearly wanted to accompany her, maybe it would be better to show some restraint.

  Once he returned, he put the box down, then took her hand and led her down the hall. In the living room, Casey found a short, scrawny kid sporting a tall mohawk that she was pretty sure was horribly out of fashion, not to mention stupid. All ten lava lamps were on, and the kid seemed mesmerized by the floating globs.

  “Dude,” Lou said, looking alarmed. “What are you doing?”

  “I wanted to try them out,” Jacob answered. “They’re cool.”

  Lou joined him. “I know, right?”

  Summer and Casey exchanged puzzled looks. Apparently Summer didn’t see their value either.

  “Ask me first next time, okay?” Lou said. “Some of them are practically antiques.”

  “I could use these for my band,” Jacob remarked.

  “Casey, this is Jacob,” Summer said.

  As the kid turned around, Casey gaped at the long, narrow face full of piercings in his brows, nose, and lips.

  Making a V sign, he said, “Peace.”

  “Back at ya.” His blue eye shadow matched the tips of his mohawk. “I guess you two don’t need lunch?” She had no idea how Jacob could eat cheese and crackers without trapping food in those horseshoes piercing his lips.

  “We’re eating light,” Summer replied. “Jacob has band practice in an hour.”

  “What do you play?” Lou asked.

  Casey bet it wasn’t the trumpet.

  “Base guitar.”

  Her cell phone rang. It was Denver. She’d half expected his call. Yesterday, she’d left him a message with the new license plate numbers and Richie’s name.

  “Thanks for the info about Richard Kim,” he said. “How did you manage it?”

  Casey was afraid he’d ask. Denver was big on whys and hows. She told him everything that had occurred at Winnie’s Donuts: the argument between Richie and Liam MacKenna in the bathroom, Richie’s fight with Danielle, and Danielle’s plans to go out with Mancuso last night. After Casey had finished talking, the line was silent for so long she thought they’d been disconnected.

  “Denver?”

  “I’m here.” He didn’t sound pleased. “What’s Miss Carpenter up to now?”

  “I don’t know. We haven’t spoken in a couple of days.”

  “If I can’t reach her, I’ll contact her parents. Maybe they can talk some sense into their daughter. Did you know there was another race on southwest Marine Drive last night?”

  “No. Was anyone hurt?”

  “Not this time, but they got away. If Carpenter’s been monitoring these guys, she might have seen something.”

  “I’m surprised she didn’t tell me, unless she was afraid I’d start lecturing again. Were the racers Roadkill members?”

  “It appears so.”

  Why hadn’t Danielle called? Where the hell was she?

  FOURTEEN

  “TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY a hit-and-run vehicle at approximately nine-thirty last night,” the radio newscaster announced with the same voice he used for weather reports
and lost pet stories. “The incident occurred at Vancouver’s Hastings and Carrall intersection. The victims’ names are being withheld pending notification of family members.”

  Casey stopped rinsing her cereal bowl and darted to the TV remote. She turned on the morning news, which showed two covered bodies on the road, partly illuminated by street lights. Casey looked for familiar faces among the authorities and onlookers visible in the background.

  The camera zeroed in on a disheveled woman with wisps of unruly hair fluttering in the wind. She swept one long strand across her toothless mouth. “Guy just bombed right through.” The woman waved her hand in the air. “Didn’t even try to stop.”

  A journalist peered into the camera. “This isn’t the first hit and run to devastate the city this month, which raises two important questions.” The journalist paused. “Why have there been so many hit-and-run deaths lately, and is more than one person responsible?”

  Casey plunked onto the sofa. Anger surged and her heart beat faster. Had Danielle heard about this? Casey had finally gotten a hold of her late Saturday afternoon, but Danielle had been too busy working on an article to talk for long. She hadn’t known about Friday night’s Marine Drive race and was furious that Richie hadn’t told her. Also, her date with Mancuso had been a waste of time, as he hadn’t told her a damn thing about the racing scene. She’d promised to call Stan. When Casey spoke to Stan earlier, he confirmed that Danielle had followed through. Stan then mentioned that a meeting with the Wieczs had been arranged for later in the day. This was Tuesday; about bloody time.

  Casey dialed Danielle’s number and got a breathless, “Hello!”

  “Are you okay?” Casey heard voices in the background. “Where are you?”

  “At the airport. Eagle’s getting on a plane for Hong Kong in twenty minutes.”

  “Have you called the police?”

  “I was about to, but it’d be better if you called. They take you more seriously.”

  “Give me his flight number.” After Danielle did so, Casey said, “Is he traveling alone?”