Page 133 of Blue Moon

Echo glared at me like she was channelling the Dark Lord Sauron and Horus combined. Hmm. Horus? The gold cuff Hebert had sent to Luna included the Eye of Horus as part of the design. Did that mean anything? Or had he just bought it because it was pretty? I wasn’t an expert on Egyptian deities, but my assistant’s boyfriend waffled on about them whenever he was around, and I was almost certain Horus was god of the sky.

“Newsflash: I work faster when people don’t ask me questions every seven seconds. If you want to help, bring coffee. I haven’t slept in twenty-six hours.”

I was about to make a witty retort, but then I figured I’d be a bitch without coffee too. So I shrugged and headed for the kitchen, ignoring Dice’s snickering as I passed. Although my efforts were futile. Marcel had a fit when I headed for the coffee machine and waved me onto a stool next to Caro.

“Sorry,” she muttered as I sat down. “I’m just pissed at her, that’s all.”

“Everyone’s under stress; don’t add to it. Make one for me too, will you?” I called to Marcel.

“Sugar? Cream?”

“No and no. Do you have any snacks?”

“Of course.” He acted as if the suggestion that he might not was mortally offensive. “Veggie trays are in the refrigerator, fruit is in the bowl, potato chips are in the basket over there, and homemade cookies are in those jars.” Marcel waved towards three jars on the counter, pink, yellow, and green. “Don’t eat the green ones.”

“Why not?”

“Those are Dusk’s special cookies.”

Ah. “Plant-based?”

“Sometimes she doesn’t sleep so well.”

I was familiar with that feeling. If we stayed here for long, at least I knew how to relax. Dusk, meanwhile, was still with Nola Jiminez, wide awake and waiting for news.

“Hey!” Caro complained. “You just gave me three of those cookies.”

“You looked as if you needed them, chérie.”

“Give her a couple more,” I suggested as I picked up the tray and headed for the door with two kinds of cookie, three bags of chips, the coffee, and a token apple.

Which Echo completely ignored.

“I have Hebert’s Army records,” she announced. “His DD 214. Surprise, surprise, he was sketchy when it came to his résumé.”

That didn’t exactly shock me, but even the lie hadn’t shown him in a great light. He’d claimed that he left as an E-3, which told a story in itself. Why hadn’t he been promoted to corporal when he had enough time in service?

“Go on.”

“He claimed he got an honourable discharge, which is sort of true, but what he actually had was a separation under Chapter 5.13.”

I knew the DD 214 was his discharge form, but the ins and outs of US Army regulations weren’t my strong point.

“Refresh my memory.”

“Separation due to personality disorder. And that was after he filed a request for correction and the board granted it. Before that, he got a dishonourable discharge for dereliction of duty.” Echo scanned the screen. “Seemed he continually disobeyed orders. Only minor violations, but he wouldn’t do his duty because…hoo boy.”

“What?”

“He thought he knew better than his superiors because in a previous life, he was a general who commanded an army in Rome’s war against Parthia.”

“Pretty sure Rome lost that fight,” Pale said from his spot in the corner. He was sprawled in a chair, half-asleep. On jobs like this one, you had to grab a bit of shuteye whenever you could. “But I guess that explains a lot.”

“He spent time at Fort Jackson, Fort Irwin, and Camp Humphreys in South Korea. His next of kin is listed as Candice Hebert of Alexandria, Minnesota. His mom. Maybe he went back there?”

“She died,” Tulsa said from her spot beside Pale. She was stretched out on the floor.

“Right.” Echo’s fingers flew over the keys. “Four and a half years ago. Liver failure.”

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