At Night's End

by Katherine Matzen

  His breath caught in his chest as he let her go. Deep in his bones he knew he was doing the only thing he could do for her now. He couldn’t risk putting her in danger by staying any longer. And if the Hatti caught up with him and he didn’t survive… Well, maybe it was better he left before she knew exactly how much she meant to him. She already carried far more guilt than she should. He couldn’t add to the burden.

  Chapter Six

  Dani downed her fourth cup of coffee as she checked new orders on her website. Need to pour an extra batch of honey soap next week. Never expected that one to be so popular.

  She jotted a list of supplies to order and her mind drifted to the Founder’s Day celebration Anna had talked her into catering. Most of the early prep’s already done so it won’t take too long to finish up the last-minute stuff. Lateef would have been a lot of help.

  She snapped the computer lid shut, wincing at the click. He’d only been gone a couple of days and she couldn’t believe how much she missed his company.

  “You’ve been alone for over a year. How on Earth could having him here for a couple of weeks completely change that?”

  Abby’s low, menacing growl interrupted her. She looked at the dog then lifted her own head, eyes un-focusing as her senses were overwhelmed. A babble of unfamiliar voices drowned out the normal kitchen sounds, accompanied by a feeling of distaste and determination, with an undercurrent of hunger. Suddenly she knew company was on the way. Must be the people Lateef warned me about.

  She stored the laptop, doubly glad she was nearly ready for the brunch. They’ve been stealing fresh produce in the area, and Lateef said they were obsessed with food. Treats distract Abby, so that should work on these guys, I hope. With the ease of long practice, she whipped up a crepe batter and placed it in the fridge to rest. Then she finished a batch of semi-cooked diced potatoes and zucchini with onions and garlic, pouring in scrambled eggs and cream when the veggies were soft. A fresh pot of coffee brewed as she put together a Framboise and fruit sauce. English muffins went in the oven to toast and some of the Saunders’s apple, hyssop and plain goat cheese went on a plate to spread on the muffins in addition to the butter and a squeeze jar of local honey. Just as she finished, she caught motion in the yard through the large window and looked down at Abby, who stood guard at the door.

  “Show time. You be good, you hear? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  Abby stared at her as if understanding her instructions and then sneezed. A knock at the door startled her and she let out a yip of fear before barking maniacally.

  “Enough, Abby.” Dani snapped. “Behave.”

  The sheltie gave her a hurt look and retreated across the room, grumbling under her breath as Dani crossed the slate tile floor to the back door. She paused with one hand on the knob and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Just keep the visitors off balance so they don’t have a chance to ask any questions I don’t want to answer. Easy as pie. She pasted a curious smile on her face and pulled the door open.

  “Yes, can I…” her voice trailed off and she stared in surprise at the two men who waited on her back porch. They stared down at her with completely black eyes and awkward grins on green-tinged faces. Poorly fitting, dark grey suits with white shirts and red ties covered muscular bodies. Well-worn black, thick-soled boots peeked out from under the baggy pants. Giggles burbled in her chest at the sight of the too-small baseball caps perched precariously on top of their largish, bald heads.

  The expression of one of the men began to darken and she quickly feigned a coughing fit to give herself time to recover her equilibrium.

  “Sorry. You’d think by now I’d know you can’t breathe and swallow at the same time.” She opened the door wider.

  The clickety-clack of nails on the slate floor gave her barely enough warning to catch the dog darting toward the door. She caught the motion of the men reaching for something at their sides and spoke quickly.

  “I’m okay, Abby-girl.” She crouched down to hide the frantic dog from the strange men, remaining frozen until everyone relaxed, and then pushed the dog back toward her bed.

  She stood back up and smiled at her visitors. “She’s a bit nervous around strangers. She’ll be okay now.”

  “We are…”

  “You’re right on time.” Dani interrupted the taller of the two visitors. She held out a hand to invite them in. “Breakfast is done.”

  “But…”

  A faint whiff of burning butter rose from the stove. “Oh, crap!” Dani ran back to the stove. “Almost forgot about this.” She pulled the pan off the heat and flipped the crepe over. “Didn’t burn it, though.”

  The men stared at her with identical bewildered expressions.

  “Come in before the food gets cold.”

  They slowly moved across the room to the table, whispering to each other in an unfamiliar language as they walked.

  “I’m Danielle Hamilton, and the over-protective dog over there is Abby.” She placed mugs of coffee in front of each of them, pointed out the sugar and cream and went back to the stove to load the crepes with a cream cheese filling and placed one on each of two plates, topped with the warm fruit and some Crème Anglaise. She then added a serving of the scrambled egg mixture and placed a plate in front of each of them and came back with a basket of toasted English muffins and the goat cheese and butter.

  “We are not here for food!” The taller of the two men protested, but his companion took in a deep breath and then closed his eyes, blissfully sniffing at the fragrant air.

  Dani watched in bemusement as he leaned close to the plate and carefully smelled everything before picking up a fork to taste a small bite of the crepe. She jumped as he let out a low moan of pleasure and half-melted into his chair, his eyes rolling back into his head. His color flashed from the light green to a darker shade and back. He spoke a few unfamiliar words and his companion eyed him skeptically. Several more intense words passed before the belligerent man took his own bite—only to have the same reaction.

  This is too weird. Dani watched as her visitors carefully sampled all the food. They look like a pair of wine connoisseurs, except thankfully they aren’t spitting out what they taste.

  A sound at the still open back door made her glance up to see two more identically dressed men staring back at her.

  “Well don’t stand there,” she said. “Come on in and have a seat. There’s plenty.”

  The two men were hesitant until the shorter of the men at the table said something in that lilting language. The newcomers appeared to disagree with whatever he said. With a glare at her they stalked over to the table while she filled mugs of coffee and put two more plates together, sliding them onto the table as a heated conversation between the strangers concluded. The first man gave her an adoring look, while the two newcomers were much more skeptical, until their first bite. Dani had to struggle to keep from laughing hysterically as they too, moaned and melted into their seats.

  The shorter man rose to face her, a note of respect in his tone. “I am Taltos of the Kanesh Clan.” He introduced himself with a nod of a slightly too-large head. “We are here to…”

  “Let me get you some more.” She grabbed his empty plate and headed back to the kitchen before he could say anything else. By the time she got back there were more plates to fill and more people at the back door and she stayed busy making sure they were all far too busy eating to talk, much less ask her any questions.

  Abby remained in her doggie bed, watching silently. Every once in a while, she would let out a muffled woof, but she didn’t move from her bed, even when it looked like some food might fall to the floor.

  An hour later Dani was exhausted, and her ten guests sat slumped and stuffed at the cluttered kitchen table. Their large eyes were glazed and looked as if they had been drugged instead of fed.

  Dani stood at the kitchen island with a fresh
cup of coffee, watching the men from the corner of her eyes. Looks like I made a good impression. She stifled a yawn. I could so use a nap round about now. I’ve never seen anyone so fixated on food.

  Slowly and with great effort, Taltos pushed away from the table and rose to his feet. His crew copied him and Dani again had to stifle a laugh, trying not to attract attention. I feel like Snow White facing the Seven Dwarves. Although there are ten of them, and they are all taller than me and I’m very definitely not the fairest in the land and… maybe that isn’t the best analogy. Maybe it’s more like Alice in Wonderland.

  The group of identically dressed men gathered in front of her and she straightened, keeping the counter between her and them. She put the mug down with a loud click in the suddenly silent room.

  “Have you seen…” the tallest man said when Taltos interrupted him.

  He snapped a couple of sharp words in the unknown language and the other man flushed green and looked at the floor. Taltos nodded his head and turned to her and bowed. The rest of the group followed suit and she bowed back uncertainly.

  “We wish to thank you most profusely for the hospitality and the incredible meal you have provided,” he said. “I am ashamed to admit we did not come prepared with proper guest gifts, since we truly did not expect to encounter anything like this.” He threw a longing glance back at the table. “In all my life I would never have expected to partake in such an incredible feast on such a…” He halted abruptly, looking back at her and then bowed again as his face flushed deep green. “We thank you,” he repeated. “We shall return with proper guest gifts when the opportunity arises and in the meantime shall inform Thane Hantili a Master Chef resides in this home.”

  “Thank you,” Dani said, hearing the capitalization of Master Chef, like a title of some sort. “But your appreciation’s the only gift I’ll ever need. It is a true pleasure to serve those who enjoy food as much as you all did. Thank you very much.”

  The visitors’ low bows caught her by surprise. She waited until they rose again.

  “We shall take our leave now. Until we meet again.” Taltos came to stand before her, holding his right hand up vertically in front of him, palm toward her. He looked at her expectantly and she slowly raised her own hand to mirror his. He reached forward and touched his palm to hers. “I am Taltos. For the bread from your table, I thank you.” He nodded once and moved aside and waited as the rest of the crowd introduced themselves before they all moved out of the kitchen.

  “But we…” The same tall man tried to protest, but his companions grabbed him and hurried him away from the house. Dani watched them leave from the doorway with Abigail panting by her side.

  “What was that all about?” She closed the door and slid to the floor, hugging her furry companion. “This has got to be the strangest morning ever. But they did like to eat.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I’ve done dinner parties for fifty people where I’ve prepared less food. Glad I’ve got time to order more. Holly’ll die of curiosity trying to figure out how I ate so much.” She buried her nose in the dog’s soft back. “What’s going on here, Abby?” she whispered. But there was no answer.

  Chapter Seven

  Kyle Manning climbed out of his dark gray sedan and adjusted his sunglasses as he looked around. The two-story log cabin was surrounded by a veranda which sported wicker furniture and a variety of clay planters holding an array of colorful plants and flowers. Dog toys were scattered across the porch and a rawhide bone dangled precariously off the top step.

  Nice place. Awfully big for just one person, though. High pitched barks carried on the still air. He moved toward the front door, but paused as he realized the sound came from the left. He looked over and caught a glimpse of a small head peering at him from the side of the house.

  The dog bolted for the back yard, the frenzied barking never slowing.

  He warily followed and saw a slender woman cutting flowers in a large garden as the dog stood between her and him.

  Dog’s got guts, even if it would be barely a single bite for a hungry bear. He shook off the silly image. Get your head back in the game, Manning. This woman could get you the fat check you need to get rid of the client from hell. He walked closer, one eye on the furry guardian as he studied the woman. Baggy jeans and a well-worn tee shirt were covered by some kind of apron and she sat on a rolling bench with her right leg stretched out to the side. Long brown hair was in a ponytail that reached to her waist and threadlike scars were scattered across her throat and collarbone. Looks like the aftermath of a nasty car crash to me. His mood brightened.

  “Are you Danielle Hamilton?” He spoke loudly to be heard over the dog.

  “Who wants to know?” The woman made no effort to hide her unhappiness with the interruption, continuing to snip the stems with an intensity that made him squirm.

  “I’m Kyle Manning.” He pulled out his ID and stepped closer, totally unnerving the dog.

  “Get over here, Abagail,” The woman snapped as she glared at the dog. The dog gave a final bark and refused to look at the woman as she walked over to give her face a contrite lick.

  “You have your act together now?”

  The dog gave her another excited lick and wiggled in place.

  “Good watch dog.” Kyle eyed the creature warily, ready to grab his weapon if necessary.

  “Sorry. We’ve had too many uninvited visitors lately so she’s a bit stressed out.”

  “Too bad.” He kept his expression bland. “What kind of visitors have you been having?”

  Her stare could have frozen a mammoth in seconds. “Unwelcome ones.” She held the glare a long second before returning to her task.

  Kyle adjusted the sleeves of his dark, well-tailored suit coat, trying to decide how to continue. I’m so tired of the backwoods hicks in this community. They all talk a lot and say absolutely nothing useful. Old geezer at the last house even made me buy some stinky cheese, but getting the lead on this woman was worth the stench.

  “I’m sorry to disturb your day, Mrs. Hamilton, but it’s important.”

  She shot him a disbelieving look, then snipped a plant stem with a bit more force than necessary. “That’s what people always say. For the most part, I fail to share their urgency.”

  Kyle tamped down a surge of anger. I want to be done with this stupid chase for a woman who vanished months ago, but the money’s too good to pass up. And I’m afraid the want-to-be-re-elected-senator is a bit crazier than I want to cross. He crammed the thought further down in his mind. Didn’t pay to question the guy who wrote the checks.

  “I’m looking for a dark-haired man.”

  “Good for you. I’ve always heard there’s a partner for everyone. You might do better with an online dating site instead of bothering strangers, though.”

  Heat flashed through him and his words fled for a second. “That’s not what I mean.”

  A wicked smirk played on her lips as she continued to cut flowers and his anger drained away. This interview could actually be fun. She can’t be the target. He described a vicious, gold-digging shrew, not someone who does her own gardening and has a sense of humor.

  The dog tore across the yard and dropped a ball on his foot, leaving strings of drool on his new leather shoes. He shook his foot in an effort to dislodge the disgusting mess.

  “Guess the dog likes me.”

  “That brainless mutt will play with anyone.” Another batch of orange flowers landed in the basket. “If you ignore her, she’ll eventually go away. But you can kick the ball and make her deliriously happy for hours. You don’t even have to get your hands dirty.”

  Kyle stared at her, unsure if she was making some kind of underhanded statement about him, but the woman’s expression was serene as she focused on her task. He pushed his sunglasses up on his head and then kicked the ball. The wide smile on his mouth was unconscious as the dog dashe
d along behind it. The game continued for several minutes. He was surprised to realize the tension in his neck was fading away. Playing fetch was oddly soothing.

  Danielle piled the last blossom into her basket and stripped off purple gloves covered with a cartoonish creature and he knew it was time to continue his interview.

  “So, have you seen him?” He threw the ball far, smiling as the dog dashed across the large yard, panting happily in pursuit.

  The woman looked at him for a long moment and then bent to gather her basket.

  “I’ve seen a lot of dark-haired men,” she replied. “Let me put these away and I’ll start some coffee.”

  The dog dropped the ball once again at Kyle’s feet. He reached for it, but she was faster. She danced back a few steps and dropped the ball again. He took a step forward and she grabbed the ball and ran in a circle, then bounced back to drop the ball at his feet. He bent forward and the dog once again grabbed the toy.

  “Don’t know what you want, do you?” he said under his breath. “Typical female.” The face of the senator’s niece flashed across his mind’s eye. She wasn’t your typical anything. He found it hard to believe the cheerful young woman was related to his obnoxious client. Mandy was like a ray of sunshine on a stormy day. He shook his head, dislodging the pleasant memory and finally managed to snatch the ball to throw again.

  “She doesn’t know when to stop,” Dani said. “Come on in and she’ll get the idea.”

  He followed her past the raised garden into a large, spotless kitchen. She washed her hands at the double stainless-steel sink set beneath a bay window framing an incredible view of a valley between mountain peaks before handing him a bar of soap.

  “This is different.” Kyle sniffed at the soap, pleased by the spicy, earthy scent. There was something gritty in the bar, scratchy enough to make his hands feel clean, but not scrubbed raw.