At Night's End

by Katherine Matzen

  “It’s one of mine,” Dani answered absently as she made coffee then pulled a coffee cake out of the fridge.

  “You make soap?”

  “How I pay the bills.”

  She handed out cake and coffee, the perfect hostess as she got him settled at the large table before sitting across from him.

  Kyle eyed the cake dubiously, not sure he wanted to take a chance. He spent a lot of time interviewing very lonely women who tried to keep him around by feeding him to prolong his visit. Usually those treats were anything but, as the desire for company seemed to be inversely related to any semblance of an ability to bake. He picked up his fork and took a deep breath before braving a tentative bite.

  “This is good,” he said, inwardly wincing at the excessive enthusiasm in his tone.

  Danielle ignored him, finding the contents of her mug more interesting than his company.

  “Would you like another piece?” she asked as he chased the last crumbs across his plate.

  “No.” He sighed regretfully and pushed the plate away to resist temptation. “Thank you very much. That was exceptionally good.”

  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and his heart stuttered. Not good, Manning. You’re not in the market for a girlfriend. And you really don’t want to be involved with the senator’s family. That bastard’s crazy. He ignored the thread of interest and got down to business. “Mrs. Hamilton.”

  “Call me Dani,” she interrupted quickly, blinking as an expression of pain flitted across her face. “Mrs. makes me feel ancient.”

  “Okay, Dani.” He smiled warmly at her. Don’t buy that excuse for a second, but I can let it go. Won’t matter at all if you’re not the one I’m looking for. “I didn’t come here to interrupt your work.”

  “Glad to hear it. Why are you here?”

  “My firm has been hired to find a dead-beat dad who was last seen in this area. His kid needs some… bone marrow.” He threw in the first thing he could think of then took a sip of coffee.

  “Really? Are you sure he doesn’t need a kidney?” Her mouth twisted in sarcastic humor.

  “Too much?” He shrugged. “People are usually willing to help when a kid is in danger, so I might have exaggerated a little bit.”

  She let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Little bit is an exaggeration. So, what are you really doing out here?” Dani rested her elbows on the table, her mug hiding part of her face.

  “I am looking for this man. He owes child support and his ex is worried about him. He’s been off his meds and that never ends well. He has shoulder-length black hair, an athletic build and is a bit taller than you.” Kyle studied her as he spoke, catching the sudden agitation she tried to hide as she turned her mug around and around in long, thin fingers.

  Her warm brown eyes stared into his soul and Kyle felt his heart lurch.

  “What does that have to do with me?”

  “Apparently you found someone a couple of weeks ago and allowed him stay with you?”

  Dani muttered a swift epithet under her breath. “I found an injured hiker. He stayed in a spare room for a couple of days, but he didn’t have a family, and wasn’t crazy.”

  “Have you seen the bald men who claim to be searching for a friend?” Kyle asked.

  “Don’t know.” She shrugged.

  He watched the life drain out of her expressive eyes. “Some people believe they’re aliens.”

  Dani snorted. “Where would your belief come from?”

  “Those guys all look very similar—kind of greenish, bald with large, dark eyes, odd accents and a bizarre way of speaking?” Kyle described them, his voice dropping off as recognition slid across her face.

  “A similar group stopped by here a few days ago,” she said. “Very polite gentlemen. I fed them breakfast and they left. The thought they might be aliens never crossed my mind.”

  “Did they ask for anything?” Excitement bubbled in his blood. Maybe he was onto something big. He had latched onto the hiker as a ruse in his search for his client’s daughter-in-law and the bald men were just an excuse, but maybe they were suspicious?

  “They ate, thanked me for the meal and left. Haven’t seen them since. Do you want some more coffee?” She refilled their cups, deftly derailing the conversation. “Have some more cake.” She rose and brought the cake to the table.

  “Thank you.” Kyle accepted another piece, letting the silence stretch as he finished eating. “What about your injured hiker?”

  “What about him?” She stared at her plate, picking apart the thin sliver of cake on her plate with her fork until there was nothing left but crumbs.

  “Did anything about him strike you as unusual?”

  Dani briefly met his gaze then retreated into her coffee mug. “Not really.”

  “Why was he out here?”

  “He didn’t say,” Dani said. “And I didn’t ask. We didn’t talk very much. I run a business by myself and this is one of my busiest times of the year. I don’t have a lot of time to deal with visitors.”

  “That’s the whole story?”

  “What else do you think there could be?” Her unexpected anger startled him. “I was out looking for some wild herbs, and I found a guy who was hurt. I played the Good Samaritan and gave him a place to stay until he recovered enough to be able to get home.” Her fork fell to the table with a clatter, flinging a spray of crumbs onto the polished wood of the table. “And now I have some obnoxious investigator bugging me and several people who suddenly think I’m an incompetent idiot unable to take care of myself.” She pushed her chair back from the table and grabbed the plates from the table, stalking over to the sink. “You should go now.”

  Kyle joined the distraught woman at the sink. Wonder what nerve I just crushed?

  “I don’t mean to be a problem.” He lowered his voice, deciding to treat her like a fragile crime witness. Can’t spook her now or she might rabbit before I can get proof of her identity. She has to be hiding to be so freaked out. He took the plates from Dani’s clenched fingers and put them in the dishwasher. “I’m trying to do right by my client. The kids deserve to know where their dad is.” What’s a little white lie among strangers?

  He ignored the twinge of his jaded conscience and gently led Dani back to the table. He refilled her mug.

  Dani reflexively took a sip, seeming to gather courage from the warm beverage.

  Kyle returned to his own chair, and they sat in silence, as she regained her composure. His gaze roamed the room as he waited, noticing the lack of any personal touches. No photos or knick-knacks cluttered any flat surface. Despite owning a soap business, there appeared to be very few items that couldn’t be abandoned. Damn, she really could be the one.

  “Why are you asking me about this?” She finally broke the silence.

  “I’m talking to everyone in the area.” Kyle heaved a dramatic sigh. “It’s what I do.” He put a note of resigned impatience in his tone and was relieved to see her relax.

  “I haven’t seen anything useful.”

  “Will you give me a call if something does come up?” Kyle pulled a card from his wallet and slid it across the table. “Doesn’t matter when—even the middle of the night. And doesn’t matter what. If there’s an odd light or if someone knocks on your door and makes you nervous, give me a call.”

  Dani shook her head. “If someone knocks on my door in the middle of the night you won’t be much help from Denver. It’ll take you a couple of hours to get here.”

  “I’m staying here in town for a while.”

  Dani shook her head. “I don’t think you need to worry,” she said. “It’s quiet around here.”

  “But I want you to know you have help if you need it.” He placed a hand on hers on the table, and her eyes darted up to his. “You don’t have to face problems all by yourself.”

 
She stared into his eyes for a long moment, then gently drew her hand away. “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be okay.”

  “Thanks for the coffee and the cake.” Kyle rose to his feet. “It was really good.”

  He could feel her gaze on the back of his head as he walked across the yard to his sedan. She remained on the front porch as he waved and drove off.

  Kyle pulled his phone out of his pocket and speed-dialed his office. “Find me everything you can on a Danielle Hamilton, but keep it uber quiet,” he said to his secretary.

  “Do you think she’s the client’s daughter-in-law?”

  “Probably not, but something about her is hinkey.” He was going to hell for lying to his efficient admin, but he could not reconcile the difference in the senator’s description with the delightful woman he had just left. I won’t put anyone in that man’s path until I’m certain. “She’s in the middle of the weirdness up here, and I want to find out why.”

  “Kyle Manning, don’t tell me you believe aliens are in the Rocky Mountains.”

  “Of course not.” He snorted his disbelief as he turned onto the only paved road running through the stupid town stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Folly Springs was an appropriate name for the wide spot on a road. The natural spring water was the only worthwhile thing in town. “I don’t believe in aliens. But Ms. Hamilton’s hiding something. I’ll keep an eye on her until we find out for sure who she is and what’s going on. The aliens are a perfect excuse to stay close and keep her from rabbiting out of here.”

  Chapter Eight

  Lateef’s mind drifted in thought as his body lay in a deep trance. He was back in his beloved Healer Hall as Mellora finished healing the last of his wounds. He hadn’t wanted to leave Earth and Dani, but he was grateful to feel the last, resistant pain fade away. Rissa’s right again. Healing someone else is so much easier than myself. Not that I’d ever admit that to her.

  “You’re a rotten patient.” Mellora’s acerbic mental tone cut into his consciousness. “You’re supposed to be too deep to think.”

  “There wasn’t much damage left. I’d have been okay in a few days without your help, but I appreciate it.”

  Her grudging acceptance of his thanks manifested as a warm green light brushing across his hand. The head of the Healer Hall would crawl through a tunnel of broken glass to heal anyone beside a Falgaran, but the woman was incapable of accepting a compliment. Or showing happiness, for that matter.

  Mellora’s response reverberated in his mind. “I am happy. I just don’t need everyone around me to acknowledge it.”

  Lateef winced. He’d forgotten how tight his psychic bond with Mellora was. They frequently worked together on severely injured patients, talents fused so closely he often struggled to tell where he ended and she began. There was less chance of keeping a secret from his boss than from his favorite sister.

  “No need for secrets between us, Lateef. What are you going to tell me about this woman you’ve fallen for?”

  He squirmed in his mind, body too relaxed to respond. “She’s just a human from Terra who helped me out. I haven’t fallen for her.”

  “Can’t lie to me, remember?”

  Embarrassment flashed through him. “I’m not lying. I’m responsible for her safety since I led the Hatti to her.”

  “So, a sense of responsibility is what I’m reading?”

  He strengthened his mental shields, refusing to answer.

  “Okay, then. I’ll let it slide, but you need to sort this out before you come back to work. Your mind is not all here. We’ve had a lull in the fighting, so this is a good time to talk her into joining you. Maybe then you’ll bother to use your quarters and free up a bed here in the hall.”

  Irritation, shame, and confusion tied his tongue in knots.

  “I don’t want to rattle you, Lateef. Your love life’s your issue, not mine. I really wish we had a sample of whatever drug was on that bolt you got hit with. The Hatti have an energy shield—they wouldn’t need a psi-blocking drug as well. I don’t want to have to treat a bunch of blocked Field Agents.”

  He agreed. The Field Agents, like Rissa, heavily relied on their psychic abilities. The ability to teleport and communicate instantly were the only advantages they had in their covert fight against the Falgaran Empire.

  “But that’s a problem for tomorrow.” Her mental voice faded as her focus centered on his condition. “You’re good to go. Spend another fifteen minutes or so in a trance to rest and I’ll release you for duty.”

  Joy surged through his veins. Being on the injured list sucked. “Thanks, Mellora.”

  Her response was a wave of amused affection.

  He tried to obey her instructions and rest, but he was drawn to Dani. Before he had a chance to resist, he was in her mind. It was early morning and she sat alone at her kitchen table, peering at a computer and drinking tea. Her exhaustion dragged at him, and her hunger made his stomach growl, but she refused to acknowledge either need.

  The scent of spiced tomato sauce snapped him awake.

  “Thought that’d get your attention.” Rissa waved a slice of pizza under his nose. An impish grin dominated her face.

  “Smells good.” He sat up, resisting the urge to gobble the pizza in two bites. Instead he ate slowly, trying to be certain the voracious hunger was his, and not left over from Dani.

  Rissa settled in a chair by his bed, her legs tucked under her. “I can’t remember the last time the hall was this empty. Seems like there’s always a dozen or more patients.”

  He stopped mid-bite and extended his senses. The main Healer Hall on Beryl was a series of large rooms with smaller treatment rooms around the perimeter of the fortified building. Colorful curtains covered the walls and doors. Each section was painted in shades of a common color, to help the healers find their location.

  During a major attack, most triage was done at the battlefield or on gurneys scattered throughout the center of the open rooms. Cabinets of supplies were paired with each bed. Most of the treatment was accomplished with psychic abilities, but sometimes injuries were bad enough that they had to supply extra hydration or nutrients.

  His normal station was decorated in shades of calming blue in one corner of the hall, far from the chaos of triage. He was one of two healers in the present generation capable of healing wounds well beyond the capability of most healers. His patients were the ones who barely survived transport back to Beryl and most of them walked out whole and healthy.

  “Have you heard any news about the war?” He continued to munch, the ache in his stomach subsiding.

  She shrugged. “Everything’s quiet. No one’s heard a word from Emperor Morfran, may his rotten heart burst out of his chest and strangle him.”

  His eyebrows raised in surprise at the anger in her tone. “You think losing Morfran would slow down the Falgarans? Isn’t his son ready to take over?”

  “I don’t think it matters which psychotic bozo is in charge. The Falgarans can’t be trusted. My handler hasn’t passed on any useful information, but she likes to thoroughly vet her data. She doesn’t seem to think I can be cautious.”

  “Maybe because you end up in the Healer Hall more than any other Field Agent?” He held up a hand at her angry glare. “It’s the truth. I had admin check a few months ago.”

  She swore under her breath. “See if I bring you pizza again.”

  “It’s because you get stuck in the hottest spots, Sis. No one else has your success rate at gaining allies, either.”

  “Tell that to Mom.” She rubbed at her temples. “She thinks I’m reckless and wants to send me to work as a diplomat for a couple of years so I learn what happens after the ambassadors move in and talk instead of taking action.” She brushed imaginary crumbs off her emerald-green formal dress that served as a uniform for the diplomatic corps. “Like I nev
er go back to visit once my peeps join the Alliance. I’ve seen what happens once the Diplomats take over. Not a pretty sight. They have a bad habit of talking us agents down. Not to mention the fact I’d have to report to dear brother Johfrit. I think I’m safer where I am.”

  Lateef blinked. “You know that Johfrit doesn’t actually hate you. He’s just… stuffy.”

  “Wound tight as a rabid snake, is more like it. Johfrit’s feelings about me are his problem, and by staying away from the diplomatic side of the job I can keep it from being my problem. Makes us both happy.” She snagged a piece of the pizza.

  “Why are you dressed like an ambassador? Mom didn’t change your status, did she?”

  She shook her head and grimaced. The elaborately looped braids in her dark red hair bounced with the movement. “Made me go for a fitting ‘just in case’. I came by to visit you before taking the uniform back. I have to keep the hair style until after dinner. Apparently, we’re going formal tonight, in case you didn’t get the message. She expects you to show up, too.”

  “It looks good on you. Maybe you could stay out of trouble in a dress?”

  “Keep it up, ’Teef, and I’ll show you how much trouble I can put you in, no matter what I’m wearing.”

  He grinned at her. He missed their verbal sparring. Rissa was out in the field so often they rarely had a chance to visit. “You know there’s always a place for you here in the hall, right? You have more than enough healing abilities to be a senior healer, and Mellora really is great to work with.”

  She shuddered. Green eyes opened wide as her face paled. “I like sunshine, fresh air and meeting new people on a regular basis. Conscious new people. I’ve seen how long you guys spend in this building. I’ll take my chances as a Field Agent, thank you.”

  “Merely saying you have options.”

  “Since we’re speaking of the ambassador division, how much do you know about Trevan?”

  Her question caught him by surprise and he tried to read her emotions, but her mental shields were firmly in place and she would not meet his gaze. He started to make a quick comment and then reconsidered. “We were in basic training at the same time and got along okay. He’s one of the few people I’ve stayed in touch with.”