“Where’s Ann going?” John asked as he set drinks down on the table.
“Powder room,” Lark said, staring at her retreating back.
“Lacey,” John yelled over the music as he headed away from the table. “Make her sit down and relax when she gets back, and for God’s sake, don’t let her get snapped up to dance with someone else. I want to pull off this surprise.”
“What’s he doing?” Lark asked.
“He’s crazy, simply crazy.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know,” she said, staring into the dancing crowd, her face sad.
“What’s he up to?”
Lacey sighed and looked over at him. “He’s requested a couple of love songs he knows she likes to dance to.”
They watched John intercept Ann on her way back to the table. Their conversation was very animated, with Ann pulling him towards her and cupping her ear so she could hear him. She pulled away, laughing, and shook her head coquettishly. John shoved his hands down in his pockets and smiled as he rocked on the balls of his feet and said something to her. She laughed, smacked him playfully on the arm, and then threaded her arm through his as they headed towards the dance floor.
“Would you like to dance?” Lark asked.
“No.” Lacey dug her purse out from under the table and stood up.
“What would you like to do?” he asked, a sinking feeling in his chest.
“I think I’m going to cut out early.” She smiled down at him. “It’s been so nice seeing you again.”
“It’s much too early to go home,” he said, standing up.
She put her hand on his arm and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “Take care of yourself,” she said, smiling into his eyes. “I hope we get to work together again.”
He stood there stunned, watching her walk away.
“Buddy, you’re a fool,” Joel said into his ear as they watched Lacey walk out of the room.
“I know,” Lark said, jamming his hands down in his pockets.
“You know, you know,” Joel yelled, jerking him around by the shoulders. “Then what the hell are you doing standing here? This isn’t a damn rehearsal—this is your life. Wake up.” He let go of Lark’s jacket and gave him an old-buddy punch in the arm.
“Joel,” Molly cried out, hurrying over from the bar with their drinks. “What the hell are you doing? That’s it. I’m giving this drink to someone else. You’ve had enough.”
“Life support, I’m giving life support,” he said as he watched Lark walk towards the hallway. “And just maybe we’ve had a successful resuscitation.”
Lark walked around the corner and into an empty hallway. He went into the coatroom, ripped his overcoat from the hanger, and headed for the door, stuffing his arms into it as he went. He got outside and realized he had no idea what kind of car she drove. He charged out into the parking lot, slipping and sliding on the patchy ice. He looked for car lights but didn’t see any. After scanning the parking lot for what seemed like hours, he walked back in the coatroom. He took his coat off, but just before hanging it up, put it back on. He realized that his best plan was to find Joel and ask him what kind of car Lacey drove. Deep in thought, he walked into the back of a woman, almost knocking her over.
A muffled expletive drifted up from the hood of the woman’s coat. He grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to keep from falling himself as he righted them both.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you all right?” he asked as the person turned around.
You’re leaving, too?” Lacey asked, a look of astonishment on her face.
“Yes. I mean, no, I mean …” Lark stammered, so shocked at finding her after he thought she’d left that he was nearly tongue-tied.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless,” she said, grinning at him, her face surrounded by the hood from her black coat. “It’s not an unpleasant picture.” When he continued to stare at her, saying nothing, she grabbed his arm. “Lark, are you OK? Have you had too much to drink? Do you need a ride home?”
“No, it’s not that.” His eyes bored into hers.
“Thank goodness you can still speak. I was wondering if you were having a stroke in your old age. I’d better get on the road.” She headed for the door. “I’ve got a long drive ahead of me. I was going to stay over with John and Ann but I’ve decided to go home.”
He followed her outside. “Lacey, why don’t you stay over and we can have brunch tomorrow. I’ll cook or we can go out.”
Her eyes bored into him. She pulled her hand out of her pocket and laid her palm against his cheek. “I can’t. It wouldn’t be right.”
“Why not?” he asked, taking her hand and kissing the tips of her fingers.
“Because I want something you don’t want.”
“What do you want?” he asked.
“I want what they have,” she said, flipping her head back towards the ballroom. “What John and Ann have. I won’t settle for less.”
“I want the same thing,” he said.
She rushed on as if she hadn’t heard him, staring down at the hole she was toeing into the snow. “I’ve been dating an attorney in Wausau. He’s out of town visiting his family for the holidays, but he’ll be back tomorrow. We’ve made tentative plans for brunch. I just left a message on his machine that I’ll meet him at noon, so I need to get back. Call me if you get to Wausau and we’ll have dinner.” She patted his arm and stepped off the curb, her coat swirling around her as she walked out into the parking lot.
Speechless, Lark watched her walk away. It had never entered his mind that she might be serious about someone else. Dejected, he walked back into the club, hung up his coat, and wandered back to the table. Molly and Joel were the only ones sitting there.
“How’d it go?” Joel asked. “From the look on your face, not well.”
“She’s serious about someone else.”
“Bullshit,” Joel said, dumbfounded. “She’s been our baby-sitter for two Saturday nights this month and I haven’t heard a thing about another man.”
“Some attorney in Wausau who went home to see his family for the holidays.”
“She’s dated that asshole off and on since she’s been up here. He doesn’t mean jack shit to her.”
“He must, she went home to be with him,” Lark said, listening to music.
“She left because you were ignoring her and she told you this guy is important to her because she was embarrassed.”
“What kind of car does she drive?” Lark asked, watching the Ransons walk back to the table.
“Dark green Grand Cherokee,” Joel said, smiling. Lark grinned and raced towards the parking lot after Lacey.
COLD HUNTER’S MOON. Copyright © 2002 by K. C. Greenlief. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Designed by Lorelle Graffeo
eISBN 9781429974547
First eBook Edition : February 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Greenlief, K. C.
Cold hunter’s moon / K. C. Greenlief.—1st ed. p. cm.
ISBN 0-312-27847-0
1. Police—Wisconsin—Fiction. 2. Wisconsin—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3607.R46 C65 2002
813’.6—dc21
2001041982
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