She was tired, frightened, andhorribly alone. That was the only excuse she had for the vain thrill that he’d noticed what she wore. “So I need to store my Superwoman costume in telephone booths with the bikes? Maybe I’ll just take uphitchhiking.”
“Don’t recommend it. Small towns come with crazies too.” He opened the door of his tall SUV and assisted herin.
Her hand felt swamped by his rough grip. At the sametime, she was reassured by his strength. Hormones played havoc with her swirling emotions. Why on earth did this a scruffy cop strike sparks when the wealthy resort ownerdidn’t?
She stared at her hands as he climbed in rather than study the profile of the man who might one day lock her up. “Are you free to talk about the grave we saw today?” That was better than—can the police tell thatI don’t have anidentity?
“Not really,” he admitted. “Not without a coroner’s confirmation. But it’s not one of the settlers as the Kennedys will try to make youbelieve.”
“So the body is bad news to keep from thetourists?”
“You catch on quick. But it’s old news and shouldn’t cause too much of a stir, unless the Lucys go loco. I don’t suppose you can offer any influence there?”His tone didn’t sound negative, justdiscouraged.
“Lucys?” The fog was rolling in again, and she couldn’t see his expression in the dashboardlight.
He slumped in his seat and steered with one hand. “The local psychics, witches, whatever. I understand the early spiritualists called themselves the Lucent Ladies. It kind of devolved fromthere.”
“Understandable,” she acknowledgeddryly. “So the normals got called Nulls in retaliation. No, I don’t have a bit of influence there. The best I can do is sneak you a pie at Dinah’s when I start workingthere.”
“That will put you in command central. Try to keep them calm. Feed them lots of Dinah’s pie.” Amusement tinged his voice, until they arrived at the town square. The parking lot was full and all the café’s lights wereon, and he turned grim again. “I don’t suppose that means she’s serving hotbeignets.”
“Probably not?” she guessed. It appeared to be standing room only inside the smallcafé.
“Mind if we stop? I can understand you’d rather go home, but I either need to go in there and calm the Lucys or run back up and stand guard over thatgrave.”
“I need to keep walking shoes in my superwomanbooth,” she said. “Let’s stop. I’d rather not be dragged out of bedagain.”
“I kinda like the gladiator shoes you have on,” he said, parking the truck. “At least they’re not the kind with the spikyheel.”
Feeling daring, Sam swung her gladiator wedge at him as he came around to help herdown.
“Don’t tempt a hungry man,” he countered, causing her a visceral thrill as his greengaze took in her leg. “It’s been a damned long day, pardon mylanguage.”
Damn if that hungry look wasn’t a little bit dangerous, but he caught her hand instead of her ankle. “Your mother brought you up right,” she said, hopping down. “Did you grow up aroundhere?”
“Hardly.” Returning to taciturn, Walker put his wide hand at the small of her back and steered her toward the café. Goldenlight streamed through the gray fog and the aroma of coffee spilled out when he opened thedoor.
The crowd noise died down at theirentrance.
Mariah waved from her perch on the counter. “Kitchen’s closed but you’re welcome to volunteer for the séance. Cass isn’t here to lead it, but Tullah said she’dtry.”
“You need to learn not to bring the fuzz,” a male voice called fromthe corner of the room. Wearing all black, with his hair tied back in a leather thong, seated on a stool and bending over a guitar, the musician looked up long enough towink.
“I bring a pretty lady and all I get is insults?” her escort asked without rancor. “Shall weleave?”
“Harvey, pipe down,” Mariah scolded. “We’re trying to help the deputy. Tullah, you make the choices. Howmany of us do youneed?”
“May I ask who you’re trying to contact?” Sam asked, surprisingherself.
“The spirit polluting the vortex, of course,” Val said from the shadows of the room. “We must send him across the veil so he does no moreharm.”
“She means she wants to know who the body belongs to,” Mariah translated. “None of us has been here long enough to know of anyone gonemissing in recent times. He’s not a settler, is he?” she asked directly ofWalker.
“That’s for the coroner to say,” he replied in a low rumble that reached the entire audience. “If you don’t need us, I think I’ll take the lady home. You’ll scare her back down the mountain with all this hocuspocus.”
“But she’s the reason we’re here,” Daisy protested. “If we don’t consult the spiritand find a murderer, Samantha willdie.”
