Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

then, Mr. Slater? What ha ppens when the soul is damned?”
    The electricity in the room crackled. Diana and Slater traded stares, neither surrendering the stage. Luc ier stood silently to the side.
    “Why, you go to hell,” Slater said, maintaining the intensity of his visual focus.
    “Ahem, um, I think it’s time leave , Diana. I’m sure Mr. Slater has other things to attend to, and I have to get back to work .” Unopposed
    But the two people remained locked on each other until Slater broke contact.
    “It’s been very interesting,” Diana said, her outstretched hand ignored. She smiled. Slater was afraid of her touch. “Maybe one day we can continue this conversation. I’d love to discuss mythology with you, considering your obvious fascination with the subject.”
    “It would be my pleasure. The goddess Diana is a n important presence in mythology, with threads to nature and fertility, as is Osiris, I might add.”
    “S he’s also Goddess of the Hunt.”
    Again, the sparks ignited, and a small smile played across Slater’s lips. “Yes, she is,” he said. “A versatile and talented figure. Are you in the hunting business, Ms. Racine?”
    “I hope not, Brother Osiris.”
    When they left the building, Lucier showed his irritation. “What the hell went on in there? I felt like I was watching a stage play, with you two in the lead roles and me without a script .”
    “I’m not sure, Ernie. You noticed he wouldn’t touch me, didn’t you? I think he was afraid of what I’d see.”
    “And did you see anything without the touch?”
    “No, but I sensed Edward Slater is a very conflicted man. I’m not sure whether he’s the real thing or a blatant charlatan, a do-gooder or an opportunist, but he has a magnetic charisma, and he knows how to use it. He’s smooth as silk.”
    “Did you see the girl? She wasn’t his secretary; she was his disciple . There’s a difference.”
    “ More his slave , I think . The way she looked at him before doing anything. A young nubile thing like that can hardly be ignored by a virile man.”
    “I didn’t notice,” he said.
    She laughed and punched him in the ribs. “Get out, you did too. I saw you staring.”
    “Just a quickie. I am a virile man, you know.”
    “You sure are.” She latched on to his arm and snuggled beside him. “I’d love to know what’s behind those locked doors on the bookcase.”
    “ A first edition, some valuable signed version of a manuscript or publication, or maybe it’s not a book at all.”
    “Maybe, but somehow I think the secret to Brother Osiris is in that office.”
    As they walked to the car, they exchanged glances when a slim young woman head ed into the mission, her angelic face framed by straight blonde hair that blew slow motion in the breeze like a diaphanous curtain. Diana placed her age in the late teens. The buttons of her white blouse strained across her woman’s chest.
    Another runaway, or another disciple?

Chapter Nine
    The Pink Room in the Pink House

    “A nything on Deems, Sam?”
    “Nothing. He’s disappeared off the face of the earth. Could be he’s off kidnapping another baby. The feds are issuing a news release with his picture. ”
    “Good,” Lucier said. “Janitors come and go. It’d be perfectly natural for him to cruise the corridors without raising suspicions. He probably used different names and disguises.”
    “None of the babies ha ve turned up, and no ransom notes either.”
    “Sam, can you get me a list of contributors to the Sunrise Mission ? Should be public record. And dig deeper into Edward Slater, alias Brother Osiris. A complete profile. I wish the hell we could get his fingerprints.”
    “Why? Do you think he’s involved in this?”
    “Probably not, but my gut tells me there’s something fishy about our do-gooder . Diana thought so too.”
    * * * * *
    T hat evening when the doorbell rang, Diana checked to make sure it was Lucier before she opened the door . He would have chewed her out if she hadn’t . She kissed him on the lips. “You look tired.” She pointed him to the sofa. “ Relax, I’ll get you a beer.”
    “I a m tired. It’s been a long day.”
    She handed him the beer, then curled up next to him. He leaned back and took a long swallow. “Tastes good. Aren’t you having one?”
    “I promised myself I’d cut back.”
    “I thought it was just until you fully recovered. You’re recovered.”
    “I know, but it won’t hurt to take it slow.”
    He put