sort of late by the time she pulled into a space at The Meridian, but at least she wasn’t about to be accosted by a killer in a restaurant parking lot. She slumped and let out a breath.
Maybe she was making too much out of an innocent coincidence of two people from the same place headed for the same area at the same time, but better to be paranoid than sorry. She’d have to report this incident to the police tomorrow, and see if any green Impalas had been stolen recently. Maybe by then they’d have Lange in custody, and she could relax.
Scrounging up her last scrap of energy, Hallie got out of the car and trod into the stucco and half-timbered restaurant. Laughter, the hum of voices, the clink of silverware and a mingling of divine food odors greeted her senses. People sat around cloth-covered tables under the mellow light of chandeliers hanging from exposed roof beams. Some patrons wore jeans, others suits or dresses. At The Meridian, no one felt out of place and everyone was pampered. Jenna and her business partners had a great thing going here.
Carla, a hostess Hallie recognized, rustled toward her, dressed in a modest, yet form-fitting black dress. “They’re waiting for you in the back. Dr. Pepper, right?”
“Thanks, but no caffeine and sugar tonight. I’ve had enough stimulation for one day. Ice-water with lemon would be a life-saver.”
“I’ll send a tall glass your way.” Carla smiled and glided toward the server’s station.
Hallie threaded between full tables and busy wait staff on a circuitous route toward the private dining room. Peace and quiet in sympathetic company beckoned. She opened the door…and stepped into a carnival.
Balloons. Brightly colored banners. Flashing cameras.
“Surprise! Happy Birthday!”
The joyful din assaulted Hallie from dozens of grinning people. Her feet rooted to the spot, and her mouth fell open. A steel band wound around her chest, and pressure flooded behind her cheekbones. Tears burst their banks.
THREE
Whoa! The birthday girl was about to fly apart. Brody shot up from his chair while everyone else still cheered and laughed. He put his wide shoulders between Hallie and her well-wishers. “Hang in there, trooper. You can handle this.” He dabbed at her cheeks with a linen napkin.
She sniffed a long breath, gazing at him with teary sable eyes. The air stalled in his lungs. She curled her fingers around his. He took in the contrast between their skin—his lightly tanned, her deeper tone natural and exotic. She slipped the napkin from his hand and finished wiping her eyes. Then she stuffed the piece of cloth into his suit coat pocket and stepped around him, a brilliant smile on her face.
“I’m—” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “I’m overwhelmed.”
Hallie’s friends who were throwing the party, slender Samantha and full-figured Jenna, hustled forward and gathered her in hugs then whisked her into the crowd, chattering away. So much for “Thanks for the quick thinking, Brody.”
A chuckle next to him drew his attention. It was Ryan Davidson, the tall guy who had introduced himself as Samantha’s fiancé when Brody arrived.
“Quite the trio, eh?” Ryan jerked his chin toward the three women who stood practically joined at the hip as guests greeted the birthday girl. “I never know what they’re going to come up with next. Hallie thought this was going to be a work night, stuffing and addressing wedding invitations. It’s not really her birthday until tomorrow.” He tucked a hand in a jeans pocket. “Sam and Jenna did the invites yesterday, but saved a couple for Hallie to do tonight so they can claim they didn’t lie to her.”
Brody laughed. “Clever. I take it the ladies have known each other for a while.”
“Since forever. They went to high school together and belonged to the same youth group in Hallie’s uncle’s church.”
Brody stared at Samantha’s fiancé. “I didn’t know Hallie was a Christian.”
“I don’t suppose faith is a common topic of conversation where you work.”
“You mean amongst the liberal media?”
The man opened his mouth, shut it, and then shook his head. “I guess that’s what I was thinking when I said it. Sorry if I was out of line.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Brody let Ryan off the hook with a grin. “I’m a believer myself.”
“No kidding! There’s at least two at Channel Six then. Must be why WDJN is my preferred station for the news.”
Brody studied his loafers to hide his frown. If he and Hallie were on the same page spiritually, how come they’d never sensed the connection? Maybe because they went out of their way to avoid one another. He needed to alter that habit if he expected her to be open to a discussion with him about what happened today. “Come to think of it, I don’t know much about Hallie. What do her folks do?”
Ryan’s brows lifted. “I guess you are in the dark. Her parents were killed on the mission field a long time ago.”
“Oh, man, that’s tough.”
“Sam says Hallie was a little girl when she came to the States to live with her father’s brother’s family. I don’t suppose she remembers much about Nigeria. Sam and I are having our wedding ceremony in Hallie’s uncle’s church.” The blond man rocked back and forth on his heels, grinning like his face would split.
Brody looked away. Here was one guy charging gleefully into matrimony. He’d been a starry-eyed groom himself once. Hopefully, Samantha and Ryan would make a better job of it than he and Deborah had. They could hardly do worse.
Ryan slapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s grab some of that awesome buffet spread before the rest of this bunch gobbles it up.”
“I’m right on your heels, buddy.” Brody smiled. He could sure like Hallie’s friends. Too bad she was such a prickly rose.
As he piled fresh fruit and veggies, cold canapés and steaming gourmet concoctions onto his plate, he studied her. She stood flushed and laughing amidst faces he knew from work and many he’d never seen before. Hallie stood half a head taller than most of the women and at least as tall as some of the men. Brody only topped her by a couple of inches himself. With her brand of class, she could walk the runway as easily as Alicia had done.
By the unclouded expressions on everyone’s faces, she was keeping mum about her experience this afternoon. A movement by the door caught his eye. Uh-oh, peaceful ignorance wasn’t going to last long now. Stan sauntered into the festivities. The lanky cameraman was never one to hang onto juicy information, at least not after it had already been reported.
Brody looked around. Vince Graham wasn’t here at all. Probably wouldn’t make it since he’d be haunting the police for breaking developments on the Drayton case. And none of the other evening news staff was present. Since the rest of the guests seemed to be ignorant of events, there was no reason for Hallie’s party to be darkened by murder talk, unless…Stan’s gaze stopped on Hallie’s group, and he headed that direction like a man on a mission.
Brody intercepted him. “Here you go, Stan the Man.” He held his brimming plate toward his coworker. “Chow down.”
“Helloooo delicious sustenance.” The cameraman took the plate. “Thanks. How did you know the smells were already driving me crazy? I haven’t eaten in at least…” He glanced at the wall clock…“four hours.”
Brody chuckled. “That’s forever to you.”
“I’m hypoglycemic.” He bit into a seafood and veggie wrap. His freckled face went slack and he moaned. “Whoever made this must be a five-star chef. Believe me, I know good eats.”
“Around here, a food aficionado should have no problem satisfying the beast. Though the way you eat, you should be a heavyweight not a welterweight.”
“Don’t