Darkest Journey (Krewe of Hunters #20)(23)

Her?

Yes.

She saw him thank Emily as she pointed to Charlie and the film crew where they sat toward the back of the restaurant.

Brad nudged her to get her attention.

“Look, it’s Ethan Delaney,” he whispered. He didn’t wait for her to respond before he stood and called out, “Ethan! Hey!”

Ethan smiled and headed toward their table, where introductions were quickly made.

He wasn’t wearing a suit the way FBI agents always seemed to in the movies. He was wearing a tailored denim shirt, blue jeans and a denim jacket. He wasn’t dressed as casually as most of their crew, though. Most of them—including Jennie and Charlie—were in T-shirts and jeans or khakis.

“Guess you’re here to help solve the murders, huh?” Brad said. “I would have thought they’d leave this to the local police. Then again, maybe this counts as a serial-killer case, and that’s why the Feds are in on it?”

“Who really understands why the powers that be decide these things?” Ethan said, taking a spare chair at the end of the table. “But despite the reason, it’s good to be home, see some old friends.”

“Glad you still think of this as home,” Mike said, leaning forward. “And I didn’t mean that sarcastically, honest.”

“This will always be home,” Ethan assured him. “We still own the old house. My parents will never give it up, and honestly, neither will I. But enough about old times.” He turned to Brad. “I hear you Thornton brothers are tearing up the film world.”

“Hardly tearing it up, but...trying,” Brad said.

“You should be in the film! I’m sure we can find you a uniform and make you an extra,” Mike said.

“I’d love to be in your film, but I’m on company time right now. The taxpayers might frown on me taking time off for fun,” Ethan said. “But who knows? I hear it will be a few days before you can film out by the old church again.”

“Yeah, we’ve had to switch the filming schedule around,” Brad told him. “So, if you’ve solved the murders by then and you’re still around, I’m going to hold you to that.”

“It’s a deal,” Ethan said.

“I hope you’ll join us for something to eat,” Brad said.

“Thanks for the offer, but actually, I’m here for Charlie,” Ethan said.

“Oh!”

Everyone around the table spoke in unison, as if perfectly on time for some predetermined cue.

Then they all turned as one to stare at Charlie.

Of course, even those who had never met Ethan knew that, ten years ago, she had found a bracelet belonging to a murdered girl, and that when the killer had come back, Ethan had tackled him, saving her life.

“So Nick and Nora Charles are back at it,” Brad said.

“Brad, no one knows who Nick and Nora are these days,” Barry said.

“Okay, think Remington Steele,” Brad suggested.

“Still too far back,” Luke said with a laugh.

“Oh, come on!” Brad protested.

“Try The X-Files, Dana Scully and Fox Mulder,” Blane offered. “They just made a comeback.”

“Booth and Brennan—Bones,” George said.

Ethan looked over at Charlie and smiled. “Charlie’s an actress. She’s not involved in the investigation in any way. I just want her to go out to the field by the graveyard with me.”

“Relive old memories?” Jennie asked, shaking her head. “Not a good idea, especially when an old, abandoned cemetery is involved.”

Brad cleared his throat. “I don’t think they’re trying to relive the past, Jennie. He wants her to show him where she found the body. Actually, I can help,” he offered, turning to Ethan. “Spare Charlie from having to go through it all again.”

Ethan and Charlie were already out of their chairs.

“Brad, I’m fine. It’s not a problem, and I am the one who found the body. Besides, I know you. You’re already thinking about revising the shooting schedule yet again, then calling everyone to let them know the latest plans before you look over the dailies and moan about the fact that you have to be your own editor. Just call me when you have a final shooting schedule, okay?”

“She knows me,” Brad said to Ethan, smiling, then added, “We went to college together. We’re kind of like a sister-brother team, you know?”

“Sure,” Ethan said. “And as soon as I can get away, I’d love to hang out on set.”

“Cool. Anytime,” Brad offered.

Charlie was already heading for the door, waving goodbye to everyone over her shoulder. She wanted to smack someone, she just wasn’t sure whether that someone was Ethan for being so smooth or her friends for being so naive. Sure, he wanted to hang around on set, but not because he had any interest in being in the movie. He was suspicious of everyone involved with the film because, as far as he was concerned, any one of them could be a killer.

Ethan quickly joined her on the street.

“That was pretty rude, making them think you’re interested in their movie when all you really want is to figure out if one of them—one of my friends—is a murderer,” Charlie snapped at him.

He shrugged, looking at her as if he was trying to figure out what changes the years had made. “You’re the reason I’m here, and I assume it’s because you want the truth. Because we both know that it will haunt you forever if these murders aren’t solved. And, yes, some of your friends are under suspicion, though they’re hardly the only ones. But I’ll also have you know I was in one of Brad’s movies before.”