Page 10 of Fall Into Temptation
Franklin lugged a huge pot to the table and settled it on an owl shaped trivet. “Italian wedding soup,” he announced.
Phoebe appeared behind him with a basket of bread in one hand and a large wooden salad bowl in the other. “Fresh garlic bread and beet and arugula salad,” she said, putting them down on the table.
Eva appeared with two glasses of red wine and handed one to Donovan. He didn’t think it was his imagination that her fingers lingered under his for just a second too long.
They took their seats, Phoebe pointing him to the seat on Eva’s left, and the food dishing and passing commenced. If dinner was half as good as it smelled, Donovan decided he was going to owe Franklin and Phoebe a nice bottle of wine. Franklin owned and operated Villa Harvest, Blue Moon’s Italian restaurant.The man knew his way around a kitchen, that was for sure, Donovan decided, spooning up another bit of hot, flavorful soup.
“Now that you’re here, Donovan, you can help us interrogate Eva on how she got that black eye,” Phoebe said, nodding at her stepdaughter. “She’s being awfully cagey.”
“Something about a kitchen accident,” Franklin said. “Sounds suspicious to me.”
Eva pointed a finger in Donovan’s face. “You, keep quiet. You’re bound by sheriff-citizen confidentiality.”
He laughed. “That’s definitely not a thing.”
She screwed up her nose and frowned at him. “Fine. How about this?” Eva took his hand in hers and stared up at him, her green eyes wide and guileless. “Donovan, are you my friend?” she breathed each word as if she were imparting a secret.
He nodded, heart in his throat. Damn if that woman didn’t get his blood flowing from one wide-eyed look.
“Good,” she said brightly. “Because friends don’t snitch!”
Vixen. Eva Merill was a sneaky, sexy, manipulative…
“Donovan was with you when it happened? Did you walk into a glass door during the fire?” Franklin asked.
Donovan snorted. “No, but that does sound like something Eva might do.”
“Not nice, Cardona.” Eva glared at him. She sniffed, haughty as a queen. “I clearly need better foundation if you can still see it. It’s tiny. Practically invisible. Phoebe, what kind of cover-up do you use? I think I’m ready to graduate from drugstore makeup.”
The conversation shifted from bruises and makeup and then on to Franklin’s fall specials at the restaurant. Donovan realized Eva had successfully maneuvered interest away from her face and onto other topics without anyone but him catching on.
The woman had depths, devious ones.
“So, what brings you out our way, Donovan?” Franklin asked. “Nothing to do with the fire, I hope?” He shot his daughter a look.
Donovan shook his head. “No, that was a pretty straightforward investigation. Accidental and—believe it or not—not caused by Eva.” Phoebe and Franklin laughed while Eva stuck her tongue out at him.
He shouldn’t have gone rock hard at that, but he did anyway. He cleared his throat, tried to focus.
“Actually, it was something Minnie mentioned. We had a lot of strange calls today, and she mentioned something about some kind of planetary crossing?”
Phoebe dropped her spoon in her bowl, drawing Donovan’s attention. “Are you sure that’s what she said?” Phoebe asked before taking a gulp of wine.
He nodded, forcing himself to focus on the conversation. “She said it happened back in the eighties. Something about the whole town going nuts.”
“And they never recovered?” Eva asked with a wink.
Phoebe ripped off a piece of bread and threw it in her stepdaughter’s direction. “Very funny.” She grinned at her step daughter.
“I don’t remember Mom ever talking about it, and she didn’t answer my call today. I thought maybe you’d remember something about it,” Donovan continued, dipping a piece of crusty bread into the soup.
It was Phoebe’s turn to clear her throat. “Those were very dark days for Blue Moon,” she began. “It was like the full moon lasted an entire month. People were just going crazy.”
“Wait! Are you serious?” Eva interrupted, picking up her wine glass.
“Deadly serious.” Phoebe nodded. “Hazel didn’t sleep for the entire month. People were doing things so out of character. Vegetarians were stealing cold cuts from the butcher. Couples who had been cohabitating for decades were suddenly deciding they needed to get married and then filing for divorce the next day. Grown men were pulling fire alarms in the movie theater and the grocery store. There were more than twenty arrests for public nudity.”
Donovan felt it, that cloud of dread as it grew over his head. “What caused it?”
