you dont know my son at all, do you? he asked. I dont have to come back here. Hes going to come to me. Eventually.
He made a Lets go gesture to his six-foot bodyguard, and together they went back out the side door of the kitchen. Claire ran to pull it shut and lock it, both locks plus the newly installed sliding bolts.
Which made her wonder why it hadnt been locked beforeoh. Of course. The cops had come in through the kitchen.
She took some deep breaths, rinsed the taste of that sweaty hand off her lips, and picked up the coffee cups.
Her hands were shaking so badly, there was no way she could carry anything liquid. She put them back down and went back to the door to call through, Making some fresh!
She poured out the rest of the pot, loaded it again, and, by the time the machine finished, had mostly gotten herself under control.
Mostly.
Claire had a break between classesit couldnt really be called a lunch break, because it fell at ten a. M. and she walked over to the UniversityCenter for coffee. The UC was large and kind of seedy; the carpet was ancient, and the furniture had seen the eighties, at least, and maybe the seventies. It was one large, open atrium filled with couches, chairs, and eventucked in one cornera grand piano. Student-activity banners, most badly painted, draped overhead and fluttered in the weak air-conditioning.
Most of the couch groupings were already claimed by students talking or separately studying. Claire had her eye on an open study table near the corner, but shed have to hurry; there were plenty of people looking for places to settle.
She hurried to the coffee bar at the back of the atrium, and smiled and waved as she spotted Eve behind the espresso machine. Eve waved back, pulled two shots at the same time, and dumped them into steamed milk. The line was about five deep, and Claire had plenty of time to think about what Shanes dad had said. And what he hadnt.
What was he doing there today? Really? Maybe hed come to fetch Shane, but she wasnt sure. Shanes dad seemed to have a plan, but she had no idea what it was. Maybe Shane would know, but she didnt want to ask.
Michael. Shed tell Michael everything, as soon as he appeared.
Large mocha, Claire said, and dug out the required three-fifty from her jeans pocket. It was a huge expense for her, but she figured it was only right to celebrate Eves first day on the job.
The cashiera bored-looking guy who was probably wishing he were anywhere elsetook her cash and waved her on to the line for drinks.
She was standing there, thumbing through her English-lit book, when she heard muffled laughter, and then a wet dull thud as a drink tipped over on the counter. She looked up to see a ring of guys standing around a spilled drink, which was dripping off both sides of the counter.
Hey, zombie chick, one of them said to Eve, who was standing next to the counter, still pulling shots and very obviously ignoring them. Wanna clean that up?
A muscle fluttered in Eves jaw, but she silently got a handful of paper towels and began to mop up the mess. Once the counter was clean, she raised the hinged section of the bar and cleaned the floor on both sides.
The boys continued to snigger. You missed a spot, said the one whod spilled the drink. Over there.
Eve had to bend over to get to the spot where he was pointing. He quickly stepped up behind her and began banging his crotch against her butt. Oh, baby! he said, and they all laughed. Laughed. Youre so fucking hot for a dead girl.
Eve calmly straightened up, turned around, and stared at him. Not a word. One thing Claire could say for Goth makeup, at least it covered up blushes. She was blushing, furiously, on Eves behalf. And shaking.
Excuse me, Eve finally said, and moved him aside with one hand flat against his chest. She got behind the bar again and slammed down the hatch, took the two espresso shots and dumped them into a fresh cup, stirred, put a lid on it, and put it on the bar. Here. On the house.
The creep reached out, grabbed the cup, and squeezed. The top popped off. Coffee went everywhere, splattering Eve, the counter, the floor, the guy holding it. His buddies burst into open