Out of Mind

fell rapidly in the thin, yellow dress.

Ben looked elsewhere. “When they found the body, there were little puncture wounds on the forehead.”

She looked sick. “Something attacked him? Nat mentioned there were marks, but they didn’t sound like anything serious.”

“Doesn’t look as if we’re going to know what scratched him because all the skin peeled off. From the ribs up, the skin is completely gone. There’s just raw flesh—”

“Stop it!”

“Sure. Sorry about that. I was thinking out loud.”

“I’m not squeamish,” Willow said. “But Billy was a friend and he was alive and normal this afternoon.”

Absently, her hand went to her neck and she felt around with her fingertips.

“What is it,” Ben said. “Does your neck hurt?”

“No!” she said fiercely, dropping her arm.

“How about the woman over the dance hall on South Rampart?” he asked.

She sat up very straight, and her freckles stood out sharply from her pale skin. “Surry Green? How do you know about that? Are they reporting anything about it on the news? What are they saying?”

No way would he mention his ride in her trailer.

“Nat knows about it.” Ben felt pretty safe saying so since Archer was bound to have found out by now. “One of your people was there, right? Where the woman died?”

“How do you know that?” She sounded desperate. “This has been a horrible day.”

“Pretty horrible for two people, anyway,” he said, without meaning to sound judgmental.

“You think I don’t know that? What are they saying about Chris?”

That was the guy she’d talked to on the phone. “I really don’t have any details,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll all be out by tomorrow. No one said anything about a stake in the heart, though.” The risk was worth it if he got a measurable response.

“That was just Chris speculating,” she said. “Some idiot said it in the crowd outside the building. Ben, what’s going on here?” She skewered him with a green stare like none other he had ever seen.

She knew the answer to her own question. “You know too much.”

“I have ways of finding things out, honey,” he said. “You can’t change that.”

“Why don’t you find someone else to interfere with?”

“You make that sound vaguely obscene.”

She actually snickered. “You know what I mean.”

“Obscene was that party you attended earlier,” he said. “Things like that aren’t suitable for you.”

“Why? Am I too pure?”

“Yes.”

“I wasn’t attending the party, I was talking about a job.”

“Which you won’t be taking under any circumstances,” Ben said. “You don’t belong in places like that.”

“It’s a very nice place, and if I decide the job is worth having, I will take it.”

“I saw the guy who got too hot for his clothes. He prefers the way he looks without them. He thought you would, too.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“You didn’t look away when he put on his show.”

“Did you look away when women were swimming nude in the pool?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. Sometimes it was best to wait for a better time to push a point.

“Ben,” she said quietly, “have you heard any comments about Mean ’n Green showing up at the sites of two sudden deaths today?”

He raised his brows, following her line of thought. “No,” he said, glad he could be honest. “Don’t worry about that.”

Her expression gradually grew horrified. “My scooter,” she said. “It’s outside the Brandts’ house. When they see it there, they’re going to ask how I got home.”

“It’s downstairs in the storeroom,” he told her.

“How—”

“It is. That’s all that matters. Are you going to cooperate with me? I need to know exactly what’s been happening. When did you start feeling as if you were being watched and followed around?”

“I never could keep anything from my meddling family. I figured they knew pretty much what was going on with me, but Sykes didn’t need to bring you all the way from Hawaii.”

“He knew I’d be mad if he didn’t.”

She looked at him. “Sykes isn’t intimidated by anyone getting mad. He’s just interfering.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Are you going to stop closing me out and let me help you?”

“With what? All I’ve got are silly premonitions, and—”

“Yeah. Only your premonitions aren’t silly. You’ve felt danger. And two people with some sort of connection to you died today. Stop the pretense, Willow. Do you think I’m not aware of it when you close your mind to me?”

“I’m not in your league.” She sounded almost frantic. “I never could be, and it only makes it more obvious when we’re around each other.”

“Fine, only I’m not leaving. If I have to shadow you day and night, that’s what I’ll do. I thought you might like to do what you can to help is all.”

Willow put down her coffee. “I don’t need a shadow.”

“Not if the shadow is me, right?”

She jumped to her feet. “I didn’t say that.”

Ben got up and moved closer. Willow backed away. “Dammit,” he said. “Why don’t you just give in and admit we need each other? Why don’t you stop fighting it? I want you, Willow. I’ve never stopped thinking about you.”

“Do you think this is easy for me? Something happens whenever we get too close.”

“You noticed?” He took her by the shoulders. “Willow… Okay, okay.” Resting his chin on top of her head, he took deep breaths.

He sat with her on the couch, and she gave one of the sweet smiles that reminded him of how shy she had been when they were first attracted to each other.

“Okay, Ben. We’re fine, aren’t we? Or we will be?”

Taking her hand to his mouth, he kissed her palm and folded her fingers over it carefully. “I will never give up on us.”

The phone rang and Willow jumped. She drew back as if she feared being attacked.

“I’ll answer it,” Ben said.

“No, I will.” She snatched up the receiver and listened, hardly responding to whoever had called.

She hung up and the thing rang again. Willow answered again. “I’m not answering any questions tonight. Leave me alone.”

A second passed and she said in a hesitant voice, “Nat. Sorry…yes, someone at the Times just called. It was nothing.”

Ben held out his hand for the receiver, but Willow motioned him away. “This has been a really long day,” she said. “I need some rest or I can’t think straight. Not that I know anything helpful anyway… Leave Chris to me. I’ll track him down in the morning. He doesn’t like to be interrupted at night.” She listened some more. “In the morning, Nat. I’ll be in your office first thing. That’s the best I can do.”

She held the phone away, and Ben took it from her fingers to hang up. “What’s that all about?”

“I was at Billy Baker’s right before he died. Chris was seen going into the flat above the dance hall on South Rampart tonight. Someone gave his name to the cops, but they can’t find him to ask him any questions.

“And my scooter was seen outside the home of Val and Cleo Brandt this evening. Apparently, a freaky and very localized storm set down on top of their guests at a pool party there. After all the mayhem, I wasn’t there anymore but no one saw me leave. Nat’s starting to think there are too many coincidences involving me.”