Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

of her parents to the safety of Lucier. She’d never experienced true independence. L ove came along and she ’d have been foolish to cast it off for … for what? Being alone? Is that what independence was? Why would she? She’d done everything she wanted. Traveled the world, experienced things few women, single or partnered, had the opportunity to experience. What more was there?
    She laughed out loud when she faced the two sweet potatoes on the cutting board. Learning to cook, that’s what. Number one on her personal list of things to do. Hopefully, she wouldn’t poison her lover in the process . She picked up the peeler and attacked the rough skin of the sweet potato wi th single-minded determination.
    Hmm, the doorbell. I’m not expecting anyone . She wiped her hands on the towel and fingered open the window blind. Her heart rate accelerated. She opened the door.
    Edward Slater held out a small bouquet of flowers. “Peace offering ?”

Chapter Thirty- Five
    A Little Background Music

    L ingering over coffee at the dinner table that evening, Diana noticed Lucier’s distraction. Something was on his mind he seemed unwilling to share. She didn’t prod. H e’d get to it eventually. W hen he read the fax Jason sent with the information about the group’s backgrounds , h e did .
    “ Everyone in the group other than Crane grew up poor as dirt. Fernando Reyes’s parents were migrant workers who came over the Texas border from Mexico; Martin Easley was raised by his mother after his father was killed by the police in a botched arrest; and Jeremy Haynesworth’s father was a drunk ― his mother cleaned houses to e ke out an existence. All of them were brilliant and found a way to pay for college ― their way out of hell.”
    Out of one hell and into another, Diana thought.
    “ T hey all worked for someone else and made their bosses a lot of money with their ideas or patents ,” Lucier continued , his brow furrowed in thought . “ Not one reap ed financial benefits personally until they hooked up with either Compton or Crane.”
    Diana listened. Coming from humble circumstances herself, she found the background stories of those climbing the ladder of success interesting .
    “Compton’s story is similar. Poor but hardworking parents. H e had a head for business and driving ambition. He also married well ― twice. His first wife’s father, Senator Gault Fannon , wasn’t rich, but he enjoyed a spotless reputation. What he had were connections.”
    “There’s a switch,” Diana said. “An honest politician. Or is that an oxymoron?”
    Lucier played with the remainder of a sweet potato on his plate, seemingly oblivious to her remark.
    “So Compton married well,” she said, trying to get him back on track. “What happened?”
    He looked up as if he suddenly remembered she was there and continued to explain the gossip about Fannon and the votes for the government contract that put Compton on the map. “Married well, but not as well as marrying into the Crane family.” Lucier related the phone conversation he had with Dione Compton. “She knows more than she’s willing to tell right now.”
    “Once she does, the whole thing will be out in the open. I can’t imagine she’d expose her family unless she fears for either her life or her sister’s.”
    “Compton sent Maia somewhere,” Lucier said. “Ralph Stallings is trying to unravel the properties owned by Compton’s conglomerate, but there’s so much c orporate finagling it’ll take aw hile . I’ll update my request to include Crane’s holdings.”
    “You know, Ernie, the property could be in the name of one of the others or their wives. Since they’re all related, it might be joint property.”
    “Dione said her father wasn’t the one in charge. That leaves Crane, the granddaddy of the group, and I bet his holdings are more convoluted than Compton’s. These guys know how to tangle business so you can’t find what they don’t want you to find. W e ’d be hard pressed to uncover the mystery location before the night of the crescent moon or before Dione Compton disappears if they find out she’s talked to me.”
    “Can’t you pick her up?”
    “She said no protective custody. Not yet. She’s not ready to turn herself over to us and expose her family’s shenanigans until she finds out more. There may be more children involved than just the kidnapped babies.”
    “You mean all the kids from the group’s second families who