“Say,” Verity sassed in the arms of a dime-a-dozen matinee idol, having the last line before the fade to black. “Just what kind of a gal do you think I am?”

Nick snorted. He turned to Perry. In the darkness Perry could only see the gleam of eyes and what might have been a resigned grin. “Happy now?” Nick asked softly, and there was a note in his voice…indulgent?

And with an uneasy flash, Perry realized he was happy. Happy because Nick was with him. It wiped the smile off his own face. In a week or two Nick would be gone -- they would probably never see each other again. Getting attached to Nick would be even stupider than getting attached to Marcel had been.

It was dark when they walked out of the theater.

Perry was thinking how much he didn’t want to head back to the Alston mansion, when Nick said casually, “Let’s grab a beer.”

They crossed the street to a disreputable-looking bar with a neon sign offering a half-tilted cocktail glass. Inside the bar was dark and smoky -- although no one had legally smoked there for several years -- and a jukebox was playing the Young Dubliners. A couple of hard young men in flannel shirts hunched over the bar talking to the bartender.

It was the kind of place Perry would not have dreamed of setting foot in on his own, but with Nick beside him, it held all the fascination of a quick trip to a foreign land.

Nick nodded toward a table, and Perry sat down while Nick went to the bar and ordered two beers. Perry watched Nick chatting and smiling with the men at the bar -- he was obviously no stranger to the place.

“You want anything to eat?” Nick asked, setting the beer in front of Perry.

“They have food here?” Perry said, surprised.

Nick nodded.

Perry hesitated. “Are you having something?”

Nick read the hesitation correctly. And ordinarily he would have figured it was the kid’s problem he didn’t know how to budget, but…he was feeling flush. He had the Los Angeles job, and Roscoe had even offered an advance on his first paycheck. And…he liked to see Foster eat. He said brusquely, “Yeah. Why don’t we get the potato skins? We can share. My treat.”

He was rewarded with that shy smile.

“I guess it was kind of a waste of a day,” Perry said later as they ate potato skins stuffed with golden cheddar cheese and bacon and sour cream. Nick had ordered a couple more beers by then, and under the influence of alcohol the kid had relaxed and grown chatty and confidential.

Nick shrugged.

“Do you think the sheriff will let us know what they learn?”

“You’re assuming they’ll learn anything,” Nick said grimly, and Perry laughed. He was laughing a lot. Nick decided he didn’t mind.

A new song came on the jukebox. A slow, romantic ballad, and Perry said suddenly, “Why didn’t your marriage work out?”

Nick’s face closed.

“Sorry,” Perry said quickly. “I just…”

Nick said abruptly, “It didn’t work out for the same reason a lot of marriages don’t work out. By the end of it, we were completely different people than when we started. We didn’t have anything in common.”

Perry nodded. “Did you have anything in common when you started?”

It seemed an obvious question, but Nick stared at him. Then he gave a funny laugh. “Yeah, we came from the same town. I don’t think it occurred to me we might need more. My parents were together for fifty-five years -- till my old man died.”

“My parents are still together,” Perry offered.

“You an only kid?” Nick asked.

Perry nodded, and Nick nodded too as though this confirmed his thoughts.

They ate for a time in silence. Then Nick said, “I’ve been thinking about this séance.”

Perry’s mouth twisted, but he said, “I bet I know what you’re going to say.”

“Oh, you do?”

“You’re going to say it would be useful to watch everyone who takes part in it, and that I should agree to attend.”

“I do think it would be useful, yeah,” Nick said. “I’m wondering if there’s something else behind it -- something besides Center being a wacko, I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t drag you along with me.”

Perry smiled, seemingly unperturbed at the idea of being dragged along by Nick. He was staring with those long-lashed eyes as though Nick was the most fascinating person on earth. Flirting, Nick thought amusedly. Maybe Perry didn’t realize it himself.

He said, “You mean you think someone is going to try and ask Shane Moran what he did with the Alston sapphires?”

Nick shrugged. “Nothing would surprise me in that place. I wonder who exactly suggested that séance?”

Perry said slowly, “I got the feeling Jane did. I think she really likes Center. She might be pushing the idea of a séance as a way to get close to him. I never noticed her having any interest in ghosts and the supernatural before this.”

“I suppose there’s no doubt about how Watson died?” Nick asked.

Perry shook his head. “He had a heart attack in the village. It sounds pretty straightforward to me.”

“It sounds like the fastest case of cause and effect on record,” Nick remarked -- which seemed a little harsh, given his own dietary habits. Perry covered a smile with his beer mug.

They finished their meal companionably, and Nick waved good night to the guys at the bar.

The drinks hit Perry going out to the car. He stumbled a little and said, “Man, I’m tired. I feel like I haven’t slept in a week.”

Nick took him by the arm and steered him to the pickup. “I think you’ll sleep tonight.”

Perry blinked up at and said seriously, “Couldn’t we just stay in town tonight? Get a hotel room?”

“Are you making a move on me?” Nick asked amused.

Perry chuckled. “Want to experiment?” He smiled up at Nick trustingly.

Against his will, Nick laughed. “Not tonight, Josephine. We’ve got a séance to go to, remember?”

Perry made a face, though it was unclear whether at being turned down or at the recollection they were due to commune with the Great Beyond.

Nick unlocked the passenger door and went around to the driver’s side. He started the engine.

Pulling out of the parking lot, he glanced Perry’s way. He was so silent Nick thought he might have fallen asleep, but he was sitting up straight, staring expressionlessly out the window.

“You okay?”

He nodded.

“Listen,” Nick said. “Nothing is going to happen to you while I’m around, so relax.”

Perry said calmly, “I know. I’m just thinking about after you’re gone.”

Chapter Ten

The water was high and murky as they crossed the bridge. The lights of the Alston House shone with illusory warmth through the trees. The rains of the last couple of days had left the trees skeletal and stark white in the headlights of Nick’s truck. Piles of tattered leaves scattered the wet earth.

They parked and walked around to the front. They were walking side by side, and perhaps Nick thought that Perry was still a little unsteady -- he rested his hand lightly on the small of Perry’s back.

“No police cars,” Perry pointed out, taking pains not to show that he noticed Nick’s hand resting above his ass.

Sure enough the yard was clear of any marked cars. Within, the house lights blazed on the lower level. More lights than Perry could ever remember seeing on at any one time in the old mansion.

Nick said, “Looks like they’re planning a party.”

Perry laughed nervously as he pushed open the front door.