Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

to Diana’s house. Dinner there had become a routine. She practiced her cooking, he ate. He couldn’t have cared less about the food . He loved being with Diana.
    Tonight she ordered a pizza, which was fine with him. They devour ed it in record time. He patted his belly. “Good dinner . Pizz a from Gino’s Grotto is my favorite.”
    “I didn’t feel like cooking tonight. Hope you d o n’t mind.”
    They were sitting on the sofa . A n empty pizza box took up most of the coffee table , along with paper plates , soft drink cans, crushed red pepper , and the remains of freshly grated Parmesan.
    “Once my belly’s full, doesn’t matter whether I’ve eaten a gourmet meal or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. ” He moved closer and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. “Actually, my needs are more primal. Food is survival. Making love is soul food.”
    “ I love soul food , ” she whispered in his ear , “ b ut I want to hear more about Dione Compton.”
    “ Ri ii ght ,” he drawled, disappointed she didn’t pursue the more amorous angle.
    She g ather ed the crumpled napkins, tossed them into the box along with the paper plates , and brought them into the kitchen. Lucier carried the drink cans .
    He gazed wistfully at the moist spot on her neck and sighed. “When I asked Dione if she knew where her sister was, she gave me a rather cryptic answer . ”
    “Like what?”
    “How did she put it? ‘ Yes and no. ’ ”
    “She knows but doesn’t know the physical location ?”
    “That’s what I thought.”
    Diana finished her Coke and tossed both can s in the recycle bin. “ Y ou haven’t found possible properties?”
    “ A clever corporate attorney can tangle properties into all kinds of corporate mumbo jumbo. Neither Jason nor Ralph Stallings, with all the FBI’s data, came up with anything. The y’re still trying .”
    “If they hadn’t stolen the babies, we might never have known about this group .”
    “ T his is bigger than I thought. The idea gives me the creeps.”
    “Wherever this place is, it must be remote, and they go by private jet. What do the experts say? Ninety-eight percent of the population lives on two percent of the land ? That leaves a big part of country from whic h to carve out their hideaway.”
    “Thanks,” Lucier said. “ I feel a whole lot better. Both Crane Corporation and Compton International have their own planes, but the pilots aren’t around for us to interview . That leaves the airport and Dione. I bet Compton or Crane pays out enough money to the right people, who in turn will say whatever they’re told to say. ”
    “ Will Dione be at Compton’s the night of the crescent moon?”
    “I doubt he’ll allow it. Checking her cell phone means he doesn’t trust her, and I’m sure he won’t want her anywhere near me.”
    “Maybe if I say she asked for a reading. What do you think?”
    “ You’d be putting words in her mouth. ” Lucier stopped and weighed his words. He couldn’t deny how uneasy he felt about their upcoming evening. “What if I asked you not to do this reading?”
    She stopped wiping down the counters and raised an eyebrow . “What ? Say tha t again. I must have misheard.”
    “You didn’t. I asked you not to go to Compton’s on the crescent moon.”
    “Why?”
    “ T hey’ve done everything to broadcast that something will happen on the night of crescent moon. Dione confirmed t hat you’re in their plans. I have a bad feeling for good reason. ”
    “I’m the one who’s supposed to have those prescient feelings. Besides, it’s tomorrow night. What can they do, Ernie? People will know where we’ll be. Compton wouldn’t dare do anything. I f he was seriously planning something, why would he send notes and warnings ? ”
    “Maybe he’s not the one sending them.”
    “Then who?”
    “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” Lucier ’s premonition s came shrouded in a black cloud. He couldn’t shake it. Compton and Crane’s wealth and power had insulated them. They flaunted their misdeeds in the faces of those they considered inferior and expected to get away with them. Lucier didn’t know what they planned for Diana, but his job was to make sure nothing happened to her , both as a cop and a lover .
    * * * * *
    A ll the next day, Diana ’s thoughts focused on this night―the night of the crescent moon. She peeked out the bathroom window. Though still light outside, t he pale sliver of moon h ung low in the