He smiled when she looked at him. She was reminded of a vulture hungrily watching its prey.
"Then someone will catch them."
Hank leaned back in his chair and continued to smile lazily at her.
"Personally, I doubt it. So many kids disappear every day in this country that it's become an unfashionable crime to pursue."
She frowned. "This is different though."
"Oh? How?"
"I remember reading a bit about this in our local paper. Haven't sixteen kids disappeared?"
He smiled. Something in his eyes suggested she'd just made a major mistake, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was. "So they say. No one's really sure of the exact number."
She swallowed. The exact number was currently seventeen, if you included Evan. "Well, that's a rather large number to end up missing from the one area, isn't it? It'd have to raise the police's suspicions."
"But they haven't all disappeared from this area. I said the only known connection between the disappearances was Taurin Bay."
"Oh."
"So which newspaper did you read all this in?" She shrugged uneasily. "Just a local paper. The Mail, I think. Or it could have been the Courier. "
"I'll have to hunt the articles up. Been keeping something of a scrapbook on the case."
Maddie forced a smile. It would only take one phone call to discover her lie.
"Something to show the grandchildren later in life?"
"Something like that." His dead gaze ran past her for a moment. "That boyfriend of yours is getting mighty friendly with Miss Dumeresq."
"Let him. I don't care." She threw her napkin down on the table and pushed her chair back. Enough was enough.
"Going already?" Hank raised his eyebrows at her, a knowing smile touching the corners of his thin mouth.
"It's been a long day," she replied tightly. And it looked as if it was going to be an even longer night.
Jon could take his turn on the damn sofa tonight—if he even bothered coming back to the room, that was.
"I don't suppose you'd like company?"
She glanced down sharply at Hank. He smiled blandly back.
"I meant to the door, of course."
"Of course," she muttered. "But I'll be fine, thanks." He nodded. "See you tomorrow, Miss Smith." He gave her a smile that held more than a hint of malice, then added, "Maybe."
A chill ran down her spine. Maybe going up to the room alone wasn't such a good idea. She glanced back at Jon and found her gaze meeting his. But there was no comfort to be found in the blue of his eyes. He was doing his job, and she was only getting in the way. His gaze said as much.
She licked her lips and turned away. Hank's gaze burned a hole into her back as she walked quickly from the room.
***
"What about that nightcap, then?" Eleanor arched an eyebrow at him and walked her fingers down his chest.
Jon stopped her hand when it reached his stomach. "You choose. You know the town better than I do."
"There's a lovely little bar a couple of blocks away, on Fourth. Blue Moon, it's called. And the best thing is, it's only a five minute walk from my place." He raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like an invitation."