Blood Moon: A Rowan Gant Investigation (38 page)

“Oatmeal, chicken livers, chicken gizzards, and
suet,” a woman’s voice said. “All ground up with onions, a few
special seasonings, and slowly steamed in a sheep’s stomach.”

Ailleagan was standing behind my friend and now
rested her hand on his shoulder. I had seen her coming when she
exited the kitchen, but as soon as she saw me looking her
direction, she held her finger up to her lips, so I had kept my
mouth shut. The look now twisting Ben’s face made me glad I had
played along.

“You’re friggin’ kiddin’ me,” he replied, turning to
look up at her.

Ailleagan was a petite woman with pleasing curves
and an ample bosom. Her hair was a shade or two brighter red than
Felicity’s, and it framed a fresh, cherubic face. The sleeves of
her chef’s tunic were rolled up to expose intricate and colorful
tattoos on her forearms, which continued up to disappear beneath
the white folds of the jacket’s fabric.

She looked back at him through her stylish, dark
rimmed glasses and without cracking a smile said, “Why would I do
that?”

My friend shook his head and held up his hand. “No
offense, but that just ain’t my thing. Don’tcha have a coupl’a
burgers back there or somethin’?”

“You must be the infamous Benjamin Storm,” she said,
holding her hand out toward him.

He took it but maintained a confused expression.

“And, you must be Constance,” she continued, patting
Mandalay on the shoulder. “I’ve heard all manner of stories about
you two from Rowan and Felicity.”

“How are you doing tonight?” I asked, giving her a
smile and a nod.

“Fine, just fine,” she replied, shooting a wide grin
toward us. “So I finally get to meet these two.”

“Aye, finally,” Felicity agreed.

“Wait just a minute,” Ben interjected. “Let’s get
back ta’ the food. You ain’t really gonna feed us a bunch of
chicken guts, are ya?”

“Rowan’s right,” she replied. “You’re awfully
gullible for a cop.”

He looked at me. “You said that?”

“Only about certain things.” I shrugged. “Not the
important stuff. Mostly just when it comes to food.”

“Food’s important.”

“You know what I mean. For example, I got you to eat
ostrich.”

“Yeah, I still haven’t forgiven ya’ for that
one.”

“Relax,” Ailleagan told him, patting his shoulder
again. “I just gave you the basic recipe for my personal variation
on haggis. We aren’t serving that till next week.”

“What day?”

She cocked her head to the side, looked thoughtful,
and then said, “Probably Wednesday.”

“I won’t be here,” he grunted.

“Then I won’t set you a place. Seriously though,
Spring Chicken Wellington is just chicken,” she continued. “It’s
baked in a pastry just like Beef Wellington. I can’t tell you any
more of the recipe than that or I’ll have to kill you, and since
you’re a cop…”

“Yeah, I see you’re a funny one too,” Ben told
her.

“I like to think so. Now let’s see, where was I… Oh
yes… On the side, we’re serving Sicilian green beans sautéed with
garlic and diced salami. And for dessert, fudge brownie
sundaes.”

“I heard salami and fudge sundae,” Ben said with a
nod. “Those I can work with. I’ll let ya’ know on the chicken
thing. Usually I have mine fried.”

“Believe me, this will be better,” she said.

“So, Ailleagan, this might be too much to ask,” I
said. “But you wouldn’t happen to have any of the sacred pie back
there, would you?”

She grinned. “As a matter of fact, when Felicity
called I made one just for you.”

“You’re a doll.”

She feigned a curtsy. “I know.”

“Okay,” Ben grumbled. “What the hell’s sacred
pie?”

“Oh, you’ll find out. If Rowan let’s you have any,
that is,” she quipped then paused and gave the dining room a quick
scan before adding, “Things look under control out here. Doug
should be out with your dinner in just a minute. I think I’ll go
grab a plate for myself and join you.”

“That would be wonderful,” Felicity said.

“So you’re gonna eat with us?” Ben asked.

“Is that a problem?” she answered with her own
question.

“No…” he said. “I don’t guess so. Just not used to
the chef sittin’ down with me.”

“Welcome to Flipdoodles,” she said with a disarming
smile.

“Yeah, thanks,” he grunted. “So lemme ask ya’
somethin’. If you’re gonna eat with us, can I just call ya’
Jewel?”

Without missing a beat she replied, “Can I just call
you Geronimo?”

It was obvious from the look on his face and the
length of his pause that Ben hadn’t been expecting the quick
retort. Before he could answer, she nodded her head and winked.
“Ailleagan will do just fine, Benjamin.”

He shook his head and cast his gaze back and forth
between Felicity and her. “Ya’know, if ya’ had an accent I’d swear
you two were sisters.”

“Oh, you have no idea,” she said with a grin. “I’ll
be back in just a minute. Doug might be needing some help, and I
still need a plate for myself.”

As soon as she scurried off, Ben looked across the
table at my wife and said, “You’re enjoyin’ this, aren’t ya’?”

“Why shouldn’t she?” Constance interjected. “I
am.”

“This is gonna be a long friggin’ night,” he
muttered.

“I wouldn’t worry,” I told him. “If Ailleagan didn’t
like you, she wouldn’t…”My sentence was interrupted by the trilling
of my cell phone as it started to vibrate on my belt. I reached for
it while finishing the thought. “…she wouldn’t screw with you.
Relax. You’re all good.”

I pulled the device up and glanced at the LCD. The
caller ID was displaying an unfamiliar number with an out-of-state
area code. I pursed my lips thoughtfully for a second and then slid
the warbling phone back into the belt holder without answering.

“Screenin’ your calls?” Ben asked.

“Sort of, I guess. I don’t recognize the number, and
it’s from out of state. I’ll just check my voicemail later. If it’s
a client or something, they’ll leave a message.”

After a few seconds, my cell fell silent and stopped
tickling my side.

“Okay, so since according to you your friend
apparently thinks I’m okay, is she gonna be pickin’ at me for the
rest of the evenin’?” Ben asked.

“No more than Constance or me,” Felicity
replied.

“Great. Like I said, long friggin’ night.”

“What are you complaining about?” I asked. “All this
attention from three beautiful ladies… I’m a bit jealous,
myself.”

“Yeah, right.
Ipecackle
or whatever it is Firehair
always says.”

“
Cac
capaill
,” she corrected him. “Horse
shit.”

He wagged his finger in her direction and said,
“Yeah, that. Twice.”

The conversation was again interrupted by the
jangling tones of a cellular phone, but this time it wasn’t mine.
Felicity raised an eyebrow and then reached under the table for her
purse. Pulling it up she extracted her cell and gazed at it.

“That’s odd,” she mumbled then held the device over
in front of me. “That look familiar?”

I glanced at the number and let out a soft humph.
“Actually, yeah. I think that’s the same number I just
ignored.”

My wife pulled the cell back then flipped it open
and leaned her head to the side as she slipped the earpiece beneath
her bright auburn tresses.

“Hello?” she said. A look of recognition spread
across her face a split second later, but it definitely wasn’t
accompanied by happiness. “Yes, Doctor Jante,” she continued,
turning to look at me as she talked. “I’m fine, and you? That’s
good… Yes, actually he’s right here, but I am afraid we’re out to
dinner at the moment. Is there any way I can have him call you
back?… Oh… I see… Just a second then.”

Felicity pulled the phone from her ear and held it
out to me. I returned a slightly puzzled look but took it from her
anyway. A solid month had passed since we had spoken with the FBI
psychologist, so the fact that she was calling, especially late
into a Friday evening, piqued my curiosity at the very least.

Constance was already whispering across the table,
“Is that Doctor Ellie Jante with the BAU at Quantico?”

Felicity nodded and mouthed, “Yes.”

“Doctor Jante,” I said into the phone, my voice
guarded. “This is Rowan.”

“Mister Gant,” she replied. “I’m sorry to bother you
this evening. Your wife already explained that you are out to
dinner, but I personally felt this was important enough to warrant
a call.”

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“That remains to be seen,” she replied. “Annalise
Devereaux is asking to have a face-to-face meeting with you.”

I didn’t reply. I simply sat with the phone against
my ear and pondered the words she had just offered. This was
something I had been trying to make happen for what seemed like
forever. But now, just coming off this recent case that still had
me questioning myself, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to be mired back
in the ethereal quicksand so soon.

“Are you still there?” she asked.

“Yes, sorry,” I replied. “I’m just… Just a bit
surprised I guess.”

“I understand,” she told me. “Normally this is
something I would advise against, especially with the way her
attorneys were posturing in recent weeks. However, this morning she
fired the entire team. And, since you seemed rather adamant about
just such a meeting when we spoke last week…”

“Fired?” I asked, a bit of disbelief in my voice.
“All of them?”

“Yes, Mister Gant, the entire legal team. I haven’t
quite figured out what her ploy is, but on a clinical level she
seems to be extremely vulnerable at the moment. If we are even
going to think about putting you into a face-to-face with her, now
would be the time.”

“By now you mean…”

“I’d like to get you on a plane as early as tomorrow
morning if you are agreeable.”

“Tomorrow morning?”

“Yes.”

“If I say yes to this, where am I going?”

“She’s currently being held in the psychiatric wing
of FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas while awaiting trial. It’s a
federal medical center specializing in female inmates.”

“Sounds lovely,” I huffed then paused for a moment.
“Okay… I’ll come… Just let me have my dinner, then when I get home
I’ll look into a plane ticket and get…”

“That won’t be necessary,” she interrupted. “The
Bureau will handle the travel arrangements. I’m going to have the
Saint Louis field office assign an agent to accompany you as
well.”

“I said I would be there,” I replied. “Do you think
I’m lying?”

“No, Mister Gant. I would just be more comfortable
if you had an escort.”

“Okay… Can I have you hold on a second?”

“Certainly.”

I clicked the phone over to mute but held it under
the table with my hand covering the microphone pickup just in
case.

“What’s going on?” Felicity asked.

“It seems Annalise Devereaux wants a one-on-one
meeting with me,” I replied.

“She wants, or you want?” Ben asked.

“Yeah, I know I’ve been pushing for one. But now
she’s the one asking for it,” I replied with a shake of my
head.

“And you’re goin’…” he returned, the words more an
observation than a question.

I glanced over at Felicity’s frowning face then back
to him and nodded. “Yeah. This is something I really need to take
care of.”

“What does Doctor Jante think about this?” Constance
asked.

“She seems like she might be a little on the fence,”
I replied. “But, apparently Annalise fired her entire legal team,
and Jante thinks she’s in a vulnerable state at the moment. She
said if this is going to happen, the time is now.”

“She’s one of the best, Rowan,” Constance told me.
“She knows what she’s doing.”

“You really think so?”

She nodded. “I took several of her classes at the
academy. In my opinion you can trust her. If she is sanctioning
this, even reluctantly, there must be a good reason.”

“Okay, then let me ask you this. How do you feel
about Texas?”

“What do you mean?”

“For some reason Jante says she wants to have the
local field office assign an agent to escort me.”

“If I heard you correctly, you’re leaving tomorrow
morning?” she asked.

“That’s apparently the plan.”

She nodded. “I can pack tonight.”

I looked over at Ben. “Mind if I borrow your
girlfriend for a day or two.”

“Not a problem,” he replied. “At least Firehair and
I will know you’re not runnin’ off gettin’ yourself into trouble if
she’s with ya’.”

I turned back to my wife. “Honey… I know you aren’t
exactly okay with this, but… Well… Are you okay with this?”

She nodded, but her expression was still sour. “Aye.
It’s something you have to do, I know that. And I agree with what
Ben said. If Constance is with you I’ll at least feel a bit better
about it.” She turned her gaze toward Mandalay and added, “Just
don’t trust him if you tell him not to do something and he agrees
with you too easily. It’s a good bet he’s lying.”

I ignored the addendum then drew in a breath and
muttered, “Okay,” as I noticed Ailleagan and Doug coming through
the swinging door that led in and out of the kitchen. Both of them
were hefting food-laden platters that looked amazing even at a
distance.

I quickly thumbed the mute button then tucked the
phone back up to my ear and said, “Sorry about that Doctor
Jante.”

“That’s all right. I assumed you would want to speak
to your wife.”

“Uh-huh,” I acknowledged. “So as far as this whole
escort thing goes, do you mind if I make a request?”

“What is that?”

“Agent Mandalay has returned to…”

Before I could finish the sentence, she replied,
“And you would like for her to be assigned as your escort.”