Another shout of laughter from the bar. Griff glanced over, and this time Pierce happened to look his way. Pierce did a double-take. It was noticeable enough that the girl he was with followed his gaze and spotted Griff. She said something to Pierce. Pierce nodded hello to Griff.

Griff raised his glass in a return hello.

The girl spoke again to Pierce, Pierce bent his head to hear her better and said something in reply. Her mouth formed the words Ask him over. Pierce shook his head.

Griff’s face warmed and he stared out the window again. It wasn’t that he wanted to join Pierce and his friends, let alone meet Pierce’s girlfriend. But once again he felt a long way from home.

About three seconds later the chair across from him was pulled out and Pierce sat down at the table. Griff’s heart jumped and he had to work to keep his expression from giving anything more away than polite surprise.

“What are you doing here?” Pierce was frowning, but it seemed more puzzlement than disapproval.

“I’m on my way back to the house. I thought I’d stop for dinner.”

“I see.” Pierce seemed to weigh this. “The food is pretty good here.”

Griff snorted. “So glad you approve.”

Pierce tilted his head as though considering Griff’s tone. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a little on the prickly side?”

Griff smiled reluctantly. “I didn’t use to be.”

Pierce’s honey-brown eyes held his. He only said, “On your way back from where?”

“Sing Sing.”

Pierce’s gaze flickered. “How did it go?”

“I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know,” Griff admitted.

“Too bad.”

“I think it is, yeah.”

Pierce said, “I’m not being sarcastic. I do think it’s too bad Johnson doesn’t have the decency to give the family closure. Either way he’s never getting out of there.”

“He still swears he didn’t take Brian.”

“Of course he does.” Pierce’s smile was more of a grimace. “Did you believe him?”

Did he? Griff had been asking himself the same question on the drive back from the prison. “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell because if it is a lie, it’s a lie he’s been telling himself so long he actually believes it.”

“That’s a point.”

The waitress arrived with Griff’s meal. He ordered another beer and looked at Pierce in inquiry. Pierce shook his head. “I should let you get back to your dinner.”

But he didn’t rise. Didn’t make a move to leave.

Griff’s pleasure died as he glanced past Pierce and saw the dark-haired girl watching them. He said, “I don’t want to keep you from your friends.”

Pierce’s mouth curved in self-mockery. “They’re here every night. We’ll all be here every night for the next twenty years.”

“Really? It’s just...your girlfriend keeps looking over here like she’s wondering what’s going on.”

“My—” Pierce turned, startled, and then laughed. He turned back to Griff. “That’s my sister. Diana.”

“Oh.” Griff wished he didn’t feel quite so delighted at that news.

“My girlfriend!” Pierce chuckled. He stopped laughing, watching Griff and smiling oddly. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Oh?” He couldn’t seem to think of anything else. Pierce was still smiling that smile that gave Griff a funny, hopeful feeling without fully understanding why. Pierce’s expression was equally hard to read. Wary and challenging all at the same time.

“I’m surprised Muriel didn’t fill you in.” Pierce added lightly, “There’s nothing she likes better than a juicy bit of gossip. And it was quite the scandal at one time.”

“No. Nobody said anything about you.”

Shouts and laughter from the bar. Neither of them registered it. Pierce said with quiet intensity, “But you know.” His smile was very different now. Challenging but inviting too. “You’ve figured it out by now.”

Griff stared. He felt his own mouth curving. “I think so, yeah.”

Chapter Thirteen

“Hi!” A female voice broke the spell.

Griff raised his eyes. A tall, dark-haired girl, Pierce’s sister Diana, stood over their table. “Hi,” he said.

She was beautiful. As beautiful as Pierce was handsome. Willowy, sleek black hair, and those same striking amber eyes. A woman who had probably been told from the time she was a child that she should be a model. The Mathers must have taken some impressive family portraits.

“Griff, this is my sister Diana. Di, this is Griff Hadley,” Pierce said briefly.

Diana offered her hand and Griff shook with her. She had a firm grip and an open smile. Unlike Pierce, it probably wasn’t all due to Happy Hour. “It’s a pleasure,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Griff opened his mouth.

“Don’t ask her to sit down,” Pierce warned him.

“Can I sit down?” Diana asked.

“Sure,” Griff said, and Pierce sighed.

Diana slipped into the remaining chair. “How is the book coming?”

Griff threw a quick look at Pierce. Pierce’s mouth quirked.

“It’s coming. I’m still mostly just doing research. I think I figured out my title though.”

“What is it?”

“‘Stranger on the Shore.’ It was Gemma Arlington’s favorite song, and it was supposedly playing the night of the party.”

“I remember that song,” Diana said. She hummed a few bars and looked inquiringly at Griff.

“That’s it. I looked it up. It was actually written in the sixties, so it was the wrong time period for the party, but I don’t think that’s relevant.”

“Probably not.” Pierce gave his sister a pointed look. She—equally pointedly—ignored him. Griff didn’t mind. He liked Diana in that instant way you did with some people. Maybe because she sort of reminded him of the girls he worked with back home. There was something comfortable and familiar about her, even if she was wearing a cashmere dress that probably cost a couple grand.

“I think it’s a great title,” she said. “So how is the research going? Do you think you’ve managed to uncover any clues the police missed?”

“Diana,” Pierce said. He was no longer amused, no longer joking.

The return look she delivered was straightforward and equally unsmiling. She turned to Griff. “I used to babysit Brian.”

“You didn’t babysit him,” Pierce said. “You were a baby yourself.”

“I was twelve.” She continued to gaze at Griff. “I did babysit him. I don’t mean I was ever all alone in the house with him, but Gem used to let me watch him sometimes when she was busy.” She sat back and raised her hand to catch the waitress’s attention.

Pierce met Griff’s gaze, and Pierce shook his head. Did that mean don’t listen to her or well, there goes that? If the latter, that was too bad because while Griff did like Diana and while he was enjoying this meeting, he had been looking forward to seeing what was going to happen next with Pierce. He had been pretty sure something was about to happen.

Or maybe that was wishful thinking.

The waitress wound her way to them through the increasingly crowded room. Diana ordered a round of drinks, and then rose, saying, “I’ll be right back!”

“Sorry about this,” Pierce said as his sister disappeared into the throng.

Griff laughed. “She’s nice.”

“She’s okay.” Pierce’s smile was wry.

Griff hastily ate more of his sandwich. He didn’t want to drink on an empty stomach, and it looked like he might be doing some drinking this evening.

Pierce said, “You never explained how The Great Gatsby brought you here.”

He probably wasn’t a bad lawyer. He had a good memory and he was tenacious. Griff said, “Actually a 1963 Karmann Ghia brought me here.”

“Jarrett was telling me about your car. That’s what you like to do for fun? Rebuild vintage cars?”

Griff shrugged. “I like rebuilding that particular car. I like doing other things too. I like hiking.”

“Cars and hiking. That’s it?”