had paused, her forkful of food halfway to her mouth.
She was staring.
“What? A tall man with dark hair?” Nigel asked.
She nodded, still for a moment, staring.
Axel followed the line of her vision.
“A tall dark-haired man I know,” she said softly.
* * *
Raina stood automatically, surprised to see the man she had known most her life and had seen at her home so recently.
Jordan Rivera was there alone, it appeared.
He chatted with the hostess; Raina thought he was asking her about someone. The girl shook her head, and Jordan smiled and spoke softly again.
The hostess led him toward a table.
She thought Axel was saying something to her, but somehow it only registered on a back burner in her mind.
She saw where Jordan was being seated and started to walk in that direction.
She was surprised when Axel took her arm.
She looked at him blankly for a minute.
“Wait,” he told her softly. “Let’s see if he’s meeting someone.”
“He was at my house earlier. With a woman. And her dog.”
“So, let’s give it a minute. You’ve barely touched your food.”
She hesitated, but then relented.
The performers had taken a bit of a break, but they came back onstage, chatting for a minute, then moving into a Sonny and Cher number.
Raina turned to Axel and Nigel.
“How long do I have to wait?” she asked.
“A few minutes,” Axel said, glancing over at Nigel.
“He is waiting, it seems. I catch him looking at the door every few minutes, then at the time on his phone,” Nigel said.
“Yeah, he keeps looking at his wrist, too. He must have recently worn a watch,” Axel noted.
No one came.
Raina tried to be patient, but it wasn’t working well.
“No one is coming to meet him,” she said after a moment. She winced. “Sorry, guys, but at this point it doesn’t take a crack investigator to figure that out. He’s already downed one drink. He’s not a guzzler. Soon?” she asked.
“Now,” Axel said softly.
“You two go. I’ll observe,” Nigel said.
“Remember, it’s date night,” Axel said quietly next to her ear.
He took her arm as they wound their way to Jordan’s table. He’d been watching the door, then the duo onstage, and he jerked a little with surprise when he saw Axel and Raina appear in front of him.
“Oh, hey!” he said. Then he smiled and stood and indicated the extra chairs at his table. “Please sit. What are you two doing here? I just found out about the place a few months back. Please, join me. I think I’ve been stood up.”
“Are you waiting for Sara?” Raina asked him.
He flushed, looking away. “Um, no. A new friend. Met her here a few weeks ago, then ran into her again. We were supposed to meet tonight.”
“Oh, nice,” Raina murmured. “This afternoon I thought you and Sara...”
“Yes. Kind of. But we’re not at that stage yet,” Jordan said. “I’d made this date and, well, looks like my bad. I have been stood up. So. Cool. The two of you out together. I guess everyone needs a break from a long day. Are things moving forward for you at all, Axel?” he asked as if the question were a polite one, and he wasn’t really all that interested.
“Baby steps,” Axel said.
Raina looked at him.
He gave her a slight nod.
“Jordan, were you supposed to meet a girl named Jennifer?”
He’d been looking at the stage again. He jerked hard to stare at her.
“How did you know that?”
She glanced at Axel again. He was staring intently at Jordan.
“Jordan, I’m so very sorry to tell you this, but Jennifer—the girl you were to meet—is dead.”
Raina had seen Jordan’s performances in a few plays throughout their school years. He just wasn’t that good an actor. His look of surprise, quickly turning to one of sick denial, was real.
“Dead? No.” He shook his head. “No, I just saw her the other day. We agreed to meet here. You have to be wrong. I mean...it can’t be.”
“I’m afraid it’s true,” Axel said. “We’re so sorry.”
Staring at Axel, Jordan slowly swallowed and his face wrinkled into a bewildered frown, as if he still wasn’t quite comprehending, but should be grasping at something.
“That’s why you’re here,” he said sickly.
Axel nodded.
“The woman found in the Everglades.”
“I’m sorry,” Axel said again. He let that sink in. Then he leaned forward. “Jordan, maybe you can help us. You were meeting her. How well did you know her?”
“I knew her from here. She was sweet, bubbly, and she loved the music. She came with friends, and said it was because