“Hey, hey,” Gray said. “Simmer down.”
“You listen to me,” Danny said. “I’ve been stuck in a room with two cops for hours. They asked me questions that aren’t any of their business. I’m goddamn sick of not knowing what’s happened to Amber, and goddamn sick of being treated like I’m the reason she’s gone. And I’m pissed off with you two because I think it’s all your fault.”
Gray tightened his hold on Marley’s shoulder. He rubbed her upper arm and felt a jolt. Touching her was electric. Under other circumstances, he’d laugh. “That makes a lot of sense, Danny. Listen to yourself run off at the mouth.”
Danny came a threatening step closer. “You asked a lot of questions last night. Just like the cops. You used to be a cop, Fisher. And her—” he pointed at Marley “—her family’s a bunch of psychics. Or maybe that should be psychos. You’re not the only one who can dig around in other people’s business. The Millets are a strange lot. Why are they mixed up in this? That’s what I’d like to know.”
Marley set her feet a little wider apart. Intimidation tactics didn’t impress her. Neither did blustering. “Rumors,” she said.
“Talk to me,” Gray told Danny. “The cops talked to you because you’re Amber’s boyfriend.”
“You told them she lives with me.”
“You should have told them yourself,” Gray pointed out. “Are they on their way here to see Pipes?”
“How the hell should I know?” Danny said. “Sidney’s the one who told me Pipes was back, not the cops.”
“She called me,” Sidney said. “That’s why I’m here.”
Gray looked at Danny. “Did you fill Nat Archer in about Amber’s son this time?”
Nobody said a word for far too long.
Finally Danny said, “Amber doesn’t have a son.”
“Really?” Gray shrugged. “If you say so. You’d know, Sidney.”
Sidney didn’t seem inclined to say a whole lot. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said.
Marley was struck afresh by the woman’s elegant features. The cream linen jacket and pants she wore looked expensive and fitted her perfectly. She was effortlessly casual—and unnaturally cold.
Gray shifted beside Marley. “Amber doesn’t have a son named Alan?”
“She never mentioned him,” Sidney said. “She would have if he was real. Amber tells me everything. Hi, Pipes,” she added, leaning to see past Gray.
With her arms wrapped around her middle, Pipes bowed her head over the table.
“Hi, Pipes,” Sidney repeated.
“Yeah,” Pipes said. “Hi, Sidney.”
“You said she called you over here because she wants to see you,” Danny said, glaring at Sidney. “Doesn’t look like it to me.”
“Why don’t you go back to Scully’s and cool off,” Sidney told him. “If I hadn’t stopped by there for my stuff you wouldn’t have followed me here. I wish you hadn’t. We’re all upset, not just you.”
“It’s not stopping you from taking care of business,” Danny said.
“You did call me, Pipes,” Sidney said. “You said you wanted to talk to me about getting together.”
Pipes nodded and the ends of her hair rested on the table.
“I got a pitcher of margaritas here,” Bernie announced in a booming voice. “Sit down, all of you. Holy mama, it’s hot and you’re all gettin’ hot along with the weather.”
Glasses clinked. He carried them upside down by the stems, a big bunch of them in one hand. In the other hand he held a brimming pitcher.
“What do you have in mind, Pipes?” Sidney said. She sat at the table with the other woman.
Bernie filled glasses, but only Danny reached for one.
“Amber’s gone,” Pipes said. “You don’t have anyone to sing with and you don’t like singing alone so we should get together.”
A crack made Marley jump. Bernie had come close to dropping his jug on the table. “What d’you mean? You sing alone, Pipes. We’re not payin’ for two singers.”
“Amber’s coming back, I tell you,” Danny said.
“I want to sing with Sidney.” Pipes still didn’t raise her head. “It’s sad about Amber. I’ll sing with Sidney. That’s the best thing.”
“People like you are solo acts,” Bernie said.
“Tell him, Pipes,” Sidney said.
“What?” the other singer said, looking up.
Sidney spread her hands. “About us. About what we’re going to do.”
“We’ll sing at Scully’s,” Pipes said. “I’ll go get my things.”
“You can’t.” Bernie looked at each of them.
“That’s a great idea,” Danny said. His shoulders dropped to normal height and he grinned. He was hearing the plan for the first time. “Welcome to Scully’s,” he told Pipes.
“So much for wanting to look after Amber’s interests,” Gray said under his breath. “Doesn’t look upset anymore, does he?”
“Nope,” Marley agreed.
“Hoo mama,” Bernie said. “I gotta stop this. Pipes, when Amber comes back, she’s gonna want her job. If she comes back.”
Marley closed her eyes.
“Don’t talk like that,” Pipes said. “You don’t know. She could—”
“This is horrible,” Sidney said calmly. “What an awful thing to say. Come on, Pipes, let’s go.”
Gray stirred beside Marley. “Pipes and I have an appointment,” he said. “I’ll walk her over later. First she’ll have to let NOPD know they can stop looking for her.”
“They’re turning this town upside down,” Bernie said, pausing in the midst of chewing a strip off a thumbnail. “Everyone I know—in the club scene—they’re all getting questioned. It’s been a couple of years since that string of women went missing and never showed up, but this is bringing that back full force. This wouldn’t be the first time a serial killer went quiet for a period of time, then started up again. Folks are scared.”
“They ought to be less scared once it’s put out that Pipes is back,” Marley said, hoping for a little reason.
“Yeah,” Danny said, and guffawed. “Now there’s only two women missing and one dead. That should make ’em feel better.”
He didn’t, she realized, look too steady on his feet. Bartenders who did a lot of drinking had more than the usual problems.
“Why don’t they find Amber?” Danny said loudly. “You tell me that.”
“I know they’re looking for her,” Gray said. “This is a different case than the Shirley Cooper one. This time we’ve got a body.”
Danny snorted. “One body and you can’t be sure it’s connected to Amber and Liza.”
Gray felt Marley shudder.
Sidney clasped one of Pipes’s hands and pulled the woman to her feet. “What were you saying about getting kicked out of your place?”
“I—” Pipes had her head up finally. Her eyes filled with tears. “That’s right.”
“That’s what I thought,” Sidney said. “You’re staying with me. I live in my folks’ house. There’s loads of room.”
“They might not like—”
“I told them and they’re glad,” Sidney said. “We need to rehearse if we’re singing tonight.”
Marley didn’t like Sidney. What she was doing felt disloyal to her missing partner.
“Pipes,” Bernie said, but kept his voice level. “At least come back and tell the boys in the band what you’re doing.”
She shook her head. “It’d make me cry.”
“So why are you going at all?”
“I need a change.”
