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“What’s creepy about him?” Soren asked, sitting up straighter.
“He wouldn’t look me in the eyes,” Finley said.
“That makes him creepy?” Soren asked. “Maybe he’s just shy around pretty women.”
“Are you saying I’m pretty, Mr. Moon?” Finley asked, grinning.
“You know you are, so don’t pretend you don’t know it,” Soren said, almost harshly.
Finley sobered. “You have no idea what I know or don’t.”
Soren put up his hands. “Sorry.”
Finley ignored him, turning back to Thad. “His name’s Dan Cutter, and he was asking a lot of questions too. About our staff, namely the restaurant crew.”
“Like what?” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Like how often we had openings at the restaurant and had we hired anyone new in the last year,” Finely said.
“And what did you say?” Soren asked.
“I told him if he was interested in applying for a job, to stop by the office in the morning. To which he laughed. A scary, high-pitched laugh like someone was tickling him.” Finley shuddered and wrapped her arms around her waist.
“Tickling?” Soren asked.
“That’s what I said,” Finley replied.
“Come sit,” Thad said. “I’ll pour you a glass of wine.”
“Are you sure?” Finley asked. “I don’t want to intrude on your evening.”
“It’s fine. We weren’t doing much of anything. Just chatting,” Thad said. “You’re always welcome here.” He splashed chardonnay into a glass and set it on the table in front of Finley.
Finley took a sip and murmured her approval. “Hits the spot.”
I was barely listening, thinking about the creepy guest. Could it be someone looking for me? Why else would he want to know about the restaurant staff? How had he traced me?
Don’t get ahead of yourself, I thought. He might be creepy but have nothing to do with me or the Underwoods. I didn’t have the monopoly on predators and abusers. Or could he be someone hired by the Underwoods? Like a detective? Or a hired killer?
“Did he give you a private detective vibe?” I asked out loud.
Finley’s brows raised for a second. “No. It was more of a thug type of feeling. For one thing, he’s enormous. A spiderweb is tattooed on the top of his bald head. It’s ugly. And scary. I hate spiders.”
“Should we go pay him a visit?” Soren asked Thad. “Find out why he’s here?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.” Thad headed toward the coat closet but turned back to say, “Ladies, please stay here. I’ll lock the door behind me.”
Soren followed him through the mudroom and out the back door. After they’d gone, I drank a few large gulps of wine to steady my nerves, even though it would probably give me a headache. Booze was not the answer to any problem. In fact, it was the opposite. I’d witnessed that truth every day of my marriage.
“What’s going on with you?” Finley asked, cocking her head to one side. “You’ve been as jumpy and nervous as one of the little bunnies running around here.”
I swept a hand across the table, then drank more of my wine. It was time to come clean with the people I loved. Finley had become a good friend. As had Elliot. Yet I’d held back, knowing the truth could drive them away.
“Do you really want to know?” I asked quietly, fighting tears. “Because it’s going to change how you look at me.”
“Will it explain why those boys just ran out of here with their hair on fire?”
I nodded and got up to fetch the bottle of wine. “We’re going to need more of this.”
