Page 13 of Glimmer in the Darkness

A few heads turned when James walked in, some friendly faces, most just curious about the guy whose sister had been the first victim.

Ten years had passed, but in a small town, nobody forgot.

He weaved among the tables and found a seat near the end of the bar.

Ernie wiped the surface in front of him. “Drinking tonight?”

“Just a Sprite and potato skins.”

James caught the eye roll as Ernie turned to fill his glass. He’d been known to have a drink or two on occasion, but those occasions were rare. Celebrations. Parties he couldn’t get out of. Some said they drank to forget, but for him, drinking only fed the memories and revived the ghosts.

He sipped his soda, ate potato skins, and tried not to think about Cassidy. But she might as well have been seated beside him for all the good that did.

Her presence felt so real that, when someone did sit beside him, he half expected it to be her. Instead, a twenty-something brunette smiled at him. He didn’t recognize her, and she was too dressed up for a Monday night at the local bar. Skinny jeans, tank top with skinnier straps. She propped her stilettos on his barstool. “Wanna buy me a drink?”

He nodded to the margarita glass in her hand. “You’ve already got one.”

She giggled and hiccuped. “Another one, silly.”

“Not interested.”

She leaned closer, not getting the hint. “What are you interested in?”

“Being alone.”

Her eyes brightened, and a smile tipped her too-red lips.

“Alone alone,” he clarified, “not… with someone else alone.”

She got the message and sauntered to a table in the far corner where four other women had watched the scene. When she sat, they all leaned toward her, shooting him furtive glances.

“You know what your problem is?”

James turned to the other side, where Vince had slipped in without him noticing. “Please, enlighten me.”

“With that beard, you look like Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings movie.”

“Whatever,” James said.

“Not my words. Lorelai said that. I think you look more like Gimli.”

Across the bar, Ernie’d been pretending not to listen, but his laugh gave him away.

“No clue who that is,” James said.

“The dwarf. The little one who wasn’t a hobbit. You know who I mean.”

He did, but he wouldn’t give his friend the satisfaction.

Vince sipped his drink, said nothing for a minute. Then, “You work today?”

James worked every day. He owned a restaurant in town, but the manager made most of the day-to-day decisions. He traded rare coins and bullion in his spare time because it had been a hobby of his father’s, one he’d come to love. But in the summertime, most of his time was spent in his third business, private backpacking tours.

“I cancelled the tour I had booked for this week when Ella went missing. In case Reid needs me for something.”

“You’re a good friend.”

James shrugged. Wasn’t much he could do, but he’d be there for Reid. “Where’s your girlfriend tonight?”