Glossed and Found

by India Ink

  Then there were the other citizens of Gull Harbor who had forked out the steep fee to attend. Some of them just wanted a little sparkle in their lives; others wanted to contribute to charity, but they also wanted to get something out of their contribution other than a tax write-off. And still others were here because it sounded like fun. They seemed the ones most at ease and likely to enjoy themselves.

  The music was decidedly oriented toward the techno-artistic crowd, most of whom were in my generation, and as Don the DJ slapped on a track off of the Gorillaz’ Demon Days, Killian nodded toward the dance floor. Auntie offered to take my wrap for me, and so we spun out, keeping perfect rhythm to the techno hip-hop that I loved so much.

  As the track switched over to the bluesy, sexy-as-hell “Every Planet We Reach Is Dead,” Killian pulled me into his arms. I matched my movements to his, hip to hip, barely a finger’s width between our bodies. His eyes danced with fire as he gazed at me, and I caught my breath in a swirl of hunger. All he had to do was look at me, and I wanted him. The corners of his lips twisted in a wicked grin, and he spun me out then in again for a dip so low my back almost touched the ground. Then up again and round and round, circling the other dancers so lightly our feet barely skimmed the floor.

  Three songs later, I caught sight of Barbara dancing with Dorian and gave her a little wave. She pointed to the buffet table, and I nodded. As the four of us walked off the dance floor, I could feel eyes on me. Hell yeah, this dress was good for my ego.

  When we approached the table, I saw one table was still free, and we sent the men to hold it for us while we attacked the table. Barb looked gorgeous, but behind the sparkling eye shadow and flawless foundation, deep circles were hiding below her eyes and a glint that told me she was about ready to break.

  “Oh God, Persia. So help me, I’m going to break that old bat’s neck. Dorian turns a blind eye to every insult she gives me. When she’s around, he’s her little boy again, and he loves playing the part. He left his boxers on the bathroom floor, and he hasn’t done that for years. And this morning he actually yelled at me for not making breakfast for everybody, even though I had to be at the bakery an hour earlier than he did.” She was blinking furiously, and I had the impression she was trying not to cry.

  I glanced over at the table where Dorian and Killian were talking. Killian had a mild look of distaste on his face, and I wondered just what was going down. Dorian, on the other hand, looked a little too self-satisfied for my taste. I’d always liked Dorian, but he could be a little overbearing, and when he grabbed on to an idea, he wouldn’t let go. And it seemed that Mama Konstantinos was filling his head with ideas. And yet, and yet . . . would he listen if he didn’t secretly agree with her? Shaking my head, I turned back to Barbara.

  “How long does she have left on her visit?”

  “God knows . . . she’s supposed to leave in about a week. I know she has to be back in Greece by December thirteenth because her sister Angelina is arriving from Brussels.” She halfheartedly stabbed an olive with her fork as we returned to the table.

  I slid in between Dorian and Killian. “Okay, you two. Have at it.”

  As they headed toward the buffet, I glanced over to see Kyle and Amy coming toward us. Amy looked lovely in a sky blue gown that hearkened back to the prom days of the seventies. It fitted snugly in the bodice, then flowed out in a pouf of chiffon and underskirts. Kyle washed up pretty good in his navy suit, though he looked uncomfortable. I had the feeling he’d rather be in his uniform or in jeans.

  I nodded to the extra chairs. “Care to join us? Dorian and Killian are at the buffet.” They sat down, but Amy seemed ill at ease, twisting a handkerchief in her hands. Frowning, I asked, “Is something wrong?”

  Amy glanced at Kyle, who nodded his head, then said, “Have you seen Lisa around anywhere?”

  I motioned to the throng of partygoers. “Isn’t she out there? I assumed she’d show up here, and to be honest, I was going to read her the riot act. She took off this afternoon and left us high and dry. I had to scramble to take care of the last four makeovers.”

  Amy sighed. “I don’t know if she’s here or not. I’ve been looking, but there are so many people it’s hard to sort through them all. She didn’t come home to get ready, and I assumed that she went back to your place with you and your aunt. Did she say where she was going?”

  I shook my head. “No. She did leave a note, but I don’t have it with me. She’s probably going to show up late. I’ll bet she’s at home getting ready now.”

  Kyle patted Amy’s hand protectively. “That’s what I said, but this woman is such a worrywart.” He turned to her. “I told you, Lisa will be fine. You’re just playing the older sister. Give her time to show up, and I’m sure she’ll have a good reason for why she’s late.” He flashed me a smile, and for once, he looked truly happy.

  “So, you two enjoying the dance?” I asked, making room as Killian returned from the buffet. He slid in beside me and slipped his arm around my waist, drawing me in for a kiss. I lingered on his lips for a moment before resolutely pushing away.

  Amy shrugged. “It’s very pretty here, but I’m not used to big parties. I think I’d be happier at home with a movie and popcorn.” She blushed, as if remembering that her date was sitting right next to her. “I mean, I’m happy to be here, but . . .”

  Kyle ignored her stumble. “I know exactly what you mean, and I feel the same way. I had to put in an appearance, being the chief of police, but as soon as it’s decorous, we can leave and go back to your place.”

  Killian suddenly pushed back his chair as Dorian returned to the table. He held out his hand and looked at me. “Dance?” I excused myself and followed him out to the dance floor. As we found a place on the floor, he whispered, “I had to get away from Dorian. No offense, but I don’t think I like your friend very much. He was going on and on about how I should marry you and make an honest woman of you. I think I offended him when I told him to back off, that we’d make our own decisions.”

  One thing I’d give Killian—he didn’t mince words, and he didn’t play games to keep the peace. He called things as he saw them. But that wasn’t what bothered me. What ticked me off was the fact that Dorian would go on a tangent about the marriage issue when he knew how I felt about it.

  “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. He’s being an ass lately, and his mama’s to thank for that. Now, are you going to dance with me, or are we just going to stand here?” I held out my arms, and Killian gave me that slow grin again, and the rest of the night was a blur of movement and sound and lights and his hot body pressed next to mine.

  By the time we got home, Auntie and Kane—whose car was still in the driveway—were nowhere to be seen. I assumed they’d gone to bed. I led Killian up to my room after we raided the refrigerator and made sure that the Menagerie was tucked in for the night. Everybody was curled up asleep, even old Delilah who raised one eye to blink at us as I gave her a little scritch on the head.

  Killian closed the door behind us, and I turned, ready to finish the night in style. The Gala had been lovely, and the music was still pounding in my blood. I flipped on the stereo, taking pains to make sure it wasn’t loud enough to filter through to Auntie’s room a floor below. The house was well insulated though, and I could usually get away with pumping up the volume to a decent level before she complained.

  I turned. “Unzip me?”

  His hands ran the length of my back, making me shiver, as he found the zipper and slowly lowered it. “Get undressed,” he said roughly, his fingers resting against my lower back. “I want you. Now.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, I slid out of my dress, hanging it up before turning around to face him, naked, and loving every minute of his scrutiny. His eyes narrowed, and his lips curled ever so slightly. Then, two steps, and he caught me up in his arms and laid me back on the bed, still in his tux and tails. I tilted my head back as his lips pressed against my neck, leaving a trail of kisses down to my breasts, my stoma
ch, and lower yet. I gasped, moaning softly.

  As he moved to take off his jacket, I stopped him. “No, leave it on. Please.” I gazed into his eyes, and he knew exactly what I wanted. What I needed.

  “Please, what?” he demanded, reaching for my wrists.

  “Please, sir,” I said, as the winds picked up. A clatter of rain thrashed against the window, but the world outside faded as we met in that ancient dance of power playing against power, deep within the night.

  The phone rang at seven thirty the next morning, and I shot up in bed, glaring at it for a moment before fumbling for the receiver. “Yeah, who is it and what do you want? It better be good at this time in the morning,” I said.

  Killian mumbled something next to me and turned over on his side. I gazed down at the lanky drink of water in my bed. He was muscled but lean, and a thick mat of red hair dappled his chest. His red was natural, that much I’d found out a few months earlier, much to both our delights. It was hard to believe that we’d only been dating since late August. It felt like we’d been together for a couple of years. We fell into synch without even blinking. And we didn’t have to talk to cover the silence, one of the nicest parts of the relationship. He could be reading while I worked out, and neither one of us felt the lack of conversation.

  The voice on the other end of the phone was not who I’d expected to hear. Actually, I had no idea who to expect. The only people I could think might call me at this time in the morning after a late-night party were Elliot—which he might actually be stupid enough to do—or Barbara. And only Barb if she were in trouble.

  To my shock, however, it was neither one. Kyle’s voice rang out loud and clear, and I had the feeling he and Amy had gone home early as planned. I didn’t remember seeing them leave, and we had closed down the place at two AM.

  “Persia, you awake yet?” He sounded impatient, and I growled in the phone.

  “Obviously, since I’m talking. However, a moment ago, I wasn’t. What’s up? We didn’t get in till two . . . I have had about three hours of sleep altogether.” I reached for my water bottle and chugged own a mouthful of warm Dasani.

  He cleared his throat. “I won’t ask what you were doing for the other two hours,” he said. “I don’t think I want to know. Anyway, I’m calling to ask you if you ever saw Lisa at the Gala. I’m at Amy’s. Lisa never came home last night, and we couldn’t find her there. Do you know who she was going with?”

  “Yeah, she said Mitch Willis.” I frowned. “Do you think that maybe she stayed over with him?”

  “What about that note you mentioned? When she left work early?”

  Oh yeah. I’d forgotten. “Hold on, let me get my purse.” I slipped out of bed and into my robe. Well insulated or not, the house still got cold, and central heating didn’t always do a great job when a storm came through. A glance out the window showed another dreary, rain-soaked day. The sky was that silver-gray that was so common on the coast, and I had the feeling that we’d seen the last of the sun until spring, unless we lucked out. There were no birds to be seen, nor squirrels. Everybody was hiding out until the downpour lightened up.

  I fished the note out of my purse and opened it, picking up the phone again. “Here we go. Here’s what she said . . . ‘Persia, I had to take off for the rest of the afternoon. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself, but I knew you’d be upset. Please believe me, this is very important and relates to what we were talking about at the pool yesterday. Don’t be mad, please. I wouldn’t put you on the spot if I didn’t have a really good reason. See you tonight, and I hope to have good news to tell you then! Lisa T.’ That any help?”

  “What did you talk about at the pool?”

  I bit my lip. She’d told me in confidentiality, saying that even Amy didn’t know. “I’m not sure I should tell you. What if she comes home? She was keeping a secret from Amy, and I know she wanted to wait to tell her about it until she was certain that it checked out.”

  Kyle cleared his throat. “How about you tell me, and I’ll look into it. If it doesn’t pan out, or if she comes home, I’ll let her be the one to tell her sister about it. I have a nasty feeling about this, Persia. I don’t usually go on hunches, you know but . . . Amy’s terribly upset. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s sure something happened.”

  After thinking it over for a moment, I decided that it couldn’t hurt. After all, I didn’t have anything specific to tell him. “Okay, but remember, if Lisa finds out, you made me tell you.” I ran down what she’d told me as generically as possible, then let out a long sigh.

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it. No specifics, no nothing.” Pausing, I lowered my voice to avoid waking Killian. “Kyle, what are you thinking? You really think Lisa’s in trouble, don’t you?”

  He didn’t answer for a moment, then in an equally low voice he said, “Yeah. I don’t know why, but I think she is. And I haven’t a clue about where to look, so if you think of anything else, let me know.”

  “Do you want me to come over?” I asked. “I don’t know if I can do anything, but maybe together we can think of where to look for her.”

  “That might be a good idea,” he said. “But wait a bit. Amy’s taking a little nap. She was up most of the night, and I made her drink some chamomile tea and try to rest.”

  I glanced at the clock. “I’ll go back to sleep for a couple hours and be over about ten, then. That be okay?”

  “Sounds good. Bring Killian, if you like. He seems a good sort, although I think he’s a little too much of a city boy for my tastes,” Kyle said.

  I laughed then, despite myself. “Well, then maybe you shouldn’t date him.”

  As I hung up, I wondered just what had happened to Lisa. Chances were, she had just stayed overnight at Mitch’s house. But Kyle’s worry preyed on my mind—he wasn’t given to hysterics. If he thought something had happened, then maybe it had. Whatever the case, I crawled back into bed and curved my body around Killian’s. He mumbled in his sleep again, and I closed my eyes. Lisa was probably okay, I told myself as I began to drift off. In fact, she’d probably be home by the time we got there.

  Chapter Five

  Killian and I decided to skip breakfast, as appealing as Auntie and Kane’s waffles looked. He needed to go home to prepare for his meeting on Monday, and I was on my way to Amy’s. Kyle hadn’t left any messages, so I assumed Lisa hadn’t returned yet.

  On the way out to our cars, Killian pulled me into his arms and gave me a long kiss. I held on to the feeling, not wanting him to let go. “I won’t see you until tomorrow night or Tuesday,” he said. “Wish me luck with the meeting.”

  “You’ve got it, sweetheart. And more. Call me when you get back to let me know what they said. And thanks for Betsy Sue’s number!” I watched his Jag speed off, then followed in my Sebring. At the corner of Briarwood and Statehouse Drive, he took the left turn that would take him the most expedient route to his condo, which overlooked Hampton Bay. I kept going straight. Amy and Lisa’s father had owned a house on Driftwood Lane, the house they were trying to save from the hands of the bill collectors.

  As I pulled into the driveway, I saw Kyle’s police cruiser there. I grabbed my purse, hopped out of my car, and headed for the door. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, misting over the island with a ghostly feel. The smell of woodsmoke from surrounding houses filtered down, a smoky reminder that we were nearing winter. I rang the bell and waited for a moment until Kyle opened the door and ushered me in.

  I’d been over to Lisa and Amy’s several times. The house was a good fifty years old, a simple three-bedroom, two-bath rambler. The kitchen and living room were large in the way that they often were in older homes, and the furniture was a good thirty years old. Lisa had told me that they planned on selling it all and replacing it once they had their financial affairs under control, but for now a retro-seventies feel, complete down to the green shag carpeting on the floor and the paneling on the living room walls, permeated the house.

/>   Amy was sitting at the kitchen table, a coffee cup in her hand. She glanced up at me and blinked. I could see the lack of sleep in her eyes. She was similar to Lisa in looks, though Amy’s hair was strawberry blonde, and she kept it pulled back in a ponytail. Where Lisa wore makeup and low-rise jeans, Amy’s face was almost bare, and her dress was a generic shirtwaist that had probably come from Sears or Kmart. She flashed me a wan smile that disappeared almost before I had a chance to return it.

  I slid into the chair next to her. “No word yet, I take it?”

  Kyle held up the coffeepot, and I shook my head and pointed to the plate of Danish sitting on the counter. “No thanks. I wouldn’t mind one of those, though, if that’s all right.”

  As he handed me the plate and a napkin, his cell phone rang. He stepped into the other room to answer it.

  Amy bit her lip. “Lisa may seem like a wild child,” she said, “but she’s never stayed out without calling before. At least not since we moved back to Gull Harbor. I know something’s wrong. I just know it.”

  “Does she have any favorite clubs? Nightspots? Are you sure she didn’t show up for the dance last night?”

  “Nope, she never made it there. There was a message on the phone this morning from Mitch, her date. He asked where she was and why she hadn’t called to tell him that she’d changed her mind. Kyle is trying to track him down—he didn’t answer his phone when we called him back.”

  “Did you check Lisa’s room to see if the dress she was going to wear is still here? That might pinpoint the time a little better. If she never came home to change, then it will give us some idea of when she disappeared.” I leaned back and looked around at the kitchen. There were touches of Amy all over—needlepoint samplers and copper molds on the wall—but very little to remind me that Lisa lived here, too.