Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

Diana. Besides, the Fulceris said they weren’t there.”
    His voice was so persuasive she easily envision ed him convincing people to donate money to his worthy cause.
    “These girls have been through hell ,” he said . “ They trusted me when they came here to explain.”
    “You may not put cre dence in my visions, but I found that house, and then those young women disappeared. A man killed himself rather than talk about what went on there. Doesn’t that resonate with you?”
    “Obviously not in the same way it does with you. Both those girls were raped by their pedophile father from the time they were old enough to understand what he’d do to them if they told. I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t turn them over to the police and their interrogation methods. They need counseling . I made an appointment with a psychologist. I begged them to go , but I force d them . Not because I be lieve they had anything to do with Deems , that house , or those babies, because I don’t. I want them to straighten out their lives. ”
    “ You made a judgment call . I don’t agree .” Diana rose . “Thanks for the lunch, Edward, and for the book. I’ll read it.”
    “You’re upset with me again,” he said, standing. “I push your buttons, don’t I?”
    “You impeded a police investigation. If I’m right about t hose girls , and I am, they might have help ed us find the kidnapped babies. There’s something evil going on, and you’re purposely ignoring it , first with Compton, now with the sisters .”
    “ I f I were involved with the house on Parkside Avenue or thought the Fulceri sisters were connected in any way, would I have told you about them coming here ?”
    Slater made a good point, but she was still angry at his duplicity . “I don’t know what I think anymore.”
    “I suppose you’ll tell your lieutenant about this.”
    “I suppose so.”
    “I understand. Still friends? ”
    “Of course, Edward. Still friends.”
    * * * * *
    D iana waited until she and Lucier finished dinner and were settled in her small den with the remainder of the bottle of wine to tell him about the Fulceri sisters. He reacted exactly as she anticipated.
    “I have a good mind to arrest your Brother Osiris for aiding and abetting,” he said. “And you ― I ’m at a loss for words. ”
    Diana barely looked up from her note pad to say , “He’s not mine.”
    “You’re not listening.” Lucier huffed and sipped his wine. “First you go to the mission without telling me ―didn’t answer your phone either― then you report that those two women popped in there to say ciao and inform Slater they didn’t know anything about the missing babies. Now you sit here and ignore me while I make the case that Slater is in this up to his handsome neck.”
    Diana stopped doodling to focus on Lucier . “Am I supposed to tell you everything I do? Maybe you should get one of those GPS things and strap it to my ankle so you can track me every minute of the day. Put me on house arrest , why don’t you ? ” Her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t live like that, Ernie. It’s taken me twenty-five years to break from my parents and acquire a measure of independence. I won’t get into a relationship where someone’s telling me what to do all the time and hovering over me like I’m a child. I’ve lived that life. I don’t want a repeat .”
    Lucier set his glass on the coffee table and leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I worry about you. I can’t help it. I’m a cop. Cops worry about the people they love. If anything happens to you, I don’t know what I’d do. It took me a long time to find you, and I almost lost you once already . I d on’t want to go there again.”
    “This isn’t always about you.” She brushed her hand across his cheek. “You won’t lose me, Ernie. Ever. But you can’t tie me to you. That’s not a relationship, that’s control. We can’t make this work to suit only your needs. I have needs too, and they don’t include a bodyguard.”
    He pulled back.
    “I wanted to tell you I was going to the mission, but you’ve been so overprotective and irrationally opposed to Edward, I decided not to .”
    “Okay, I concede being overprotective, but not on Slater. You seem blind to the possibility that he’s involved. He’s protecting those girls, and you don’t see it.”
    Conceding, she said, “I do, and I’m torn between what I felt in that vision and Edward’s faith in those girls. Maybe I’m