Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

Wilton,” the woman said. “Come in.” Her husband joined them and Lucier listened as the two people related what went on in the pink house.
    “I’m not a busybody,” Mrs. Wilton said, “but ever since that house sold ― what, Stan, a year ago?”
    “ Give or take ,” Mr. Wilton said.
    “Ever since, weird things have been happening over there . Not all the time. Maybe twice a month.”
    “Like what?” Lucier asked.
    “They’re not close to us, and you have to be outside to hear the sounds . Chan ting, wouldn’t you say, honey?”
    “Sounded like that to me. Cars on the street and in the driveway. Expensive cars. Cadillacs , Mercedes, Lexus, even a Rolls once or twice. That’s how we knew something was going on.”
    “Don’t forget the girls,” the boy said.
    “What girls?” Lucier asked.
    “Two of them. I tried to talk to one once, but she wouldn’t even look at me. Both of them were really pretty.”
    “I’ve seen them too ,” Mr. Wilton said . “ They come and go at different times, like they ’re swap ping shifts .”
    “What did they look like?”
    “Built,” the boy said without hesitation.
    “Jeff!” his mother scolded.
    “Well, they were. You couldn’t help noticing. They were older than me. The younger one had long blonde hair and the other dark red. Both of them had big, you know, big ― ” He cupped his hands in front of his chest. “Really big. You’d have to be blind not to notice.” He looked at his dad, who bit his bottom lip and turned away, embarrassed.
    Oh, yes, Lucier thought. You’d have to be blind. “Did you call the police about the noise?”
    “No. Like I said, you couldn’t hear it in the house , and I didn’t want to get involved. They weren’t bothering anyone. It was just curious, that’s all. I did ask the only man I saw during the day what was going on in there, and he said they were playing cards. When I asked about the singing, he said they listen ed to Gregorian chants . He apologized if they bothered us and assured me they’d lower the volume. He seemed nice, not at all threatening.”
    “What did he look like?”
    “Red hair and beard, about five-eight, always wore a brown jacket. He and the girls were the only one s I saw on a regular basis. The others came during their get-togethers.”
    Lucier flashed the picture of Ridley Deems . “Is this the man?”
    The father and son nodded. “That’s him,” Mrs. Wilton said. “We ’ve been on vacation the last week. What’s going on there, anyway?”
    “Nothing now. Anything else unusual ?”
    “No, but I don’t make it a habit to spy on my neighbors .”
    “Of course,” Lucier said. “Did you happen to notice a tall, good-looking man coming or going? Middle aged, graying hair.”
    “No pe , just the bearded fellow.”
    “And the group, would you recognize any of them?
    “No t in the dark. Their card games started late, around ten, sometimes later. They never put on the outside light.”
    “Any license plates stick in your mind?”
    “I never paid attention. I’m sorry.”
    “What’s this about,” Stan Wilton asked.
    “We’re not sure, Mr. Wilton, but whatever’s been going on there is over.”
    “I’m glad,” Marjorie Wilton said. “ The whole late-night thing was strange.”
    “If you think of anything else, or if someone turns up in the middle of the night and you happen to see, here’s my card. Call.”
    “I will.”
    Lucier left the house sure what the Wiltons had described , and h e’d bet the meetings took place during specific moon changes . Who would make th at connection?
    He sauntered back to the pink house. Diana wasn’t waiting in front, so he went inside. An unearthly silen ce greeted him .
    “Diana?” S he didn’t answer. Fear shimmied down his spine , and he drew his gun. Heart pounding, he cleared the first floor .
    She must be upstairs . I should ne ver have let her come in alone.
    “Diana? W here are you?”
    He scanned the room with the symbols on the wall, then moved stealthily toward the pink room , stopping at the door . Diana sat in the rocking chair, her arms crossed over her chest. He wasn’t sure whether she was in a trance or asleep. His heartbeat thudded louder.
    “Diana?” He crept closer and spoke s oftly, careful not to alarm her . Leaning down, he saw that she’d been crying. He touched her face. “What’s the matter?”
    She lowered her arms, revealing the circles of dampness over her breasts. “It started when I