Dead By Dusk

He stood outside, taken by the darkness and the sea breeze, stock-still, as time ticked by, aware…



There.



With her.



He had to be with her.



The vigil had to continue, he knew. What might stand between them, he didn't know, only that he had to be there, to watch, to force himself into her consciousness, or subconsciousness. There was danger… deeper than any that might be imagined. There was a reason for everything. A reason for the torment…



And to watch.



Then, out of the shadows…



Light. A field of light. He fell back.



He gave himself a shake.



The vigil was over.



Breakfast was a buffet.



When Stephanie made it over to the restaurant in the morning, she headed immediately for the coffeepot, then noted just how beautifully and completely it was all arrayed. Every taste was catered to; there was even an assortment of foods that catered to any Japanese or Oriental clientele.



She selected a croissant, yogurt, and a fruit cup and headed for the large, round table where she had noted that Drew and Suzette were already sitting.



"Good morning," she said.



" Buongiorno!" Drew told her.



"Hey," Suzette said.



Stephanie slid into her chair. "Did they find the girl, Maria, do you know?"



Suzette shook her head. "I haven't seen Arturo yet this morning, but Giovanni was through here a few minutes ago." She smiled. "That is one good-looking young man. I think he wants in on the comedy club, but he says that he is too busy right now. Anyway, he said that they hadn't found the girl. Merc and Franco called into the next town—much bigger than this place—and they're sending a few men down to help."



"Maybe she eloped with an archeologist," Drew said.



Suzette shrugged. "Not the ones I've seen!" she said. "Except, of course, for Grant Peterson, and he's not really an archeologist. Stephanie! I still can't imagine that the guy you worked for at a comedy house is actually here—as an amateur digger."



Stephanie forced a smile. "I still can't quite believe it myself."



"He just left," Drew said.



"What do you mean?" Stephanie asked sharply.



"He was just in here, having breakfast. He's taken one of the cottages," Suzette said.



"You're kidding me!" Stephanie said, without thinking. A surge of anger filled her. It was bad enough that coincidence—as he swore—had brought them to the same place. He should have at least had the decency to keep sleeping out in his tent!



"No," Suzette said, and cast her head at an angle as she studied Stephanie. "Is that bad? He's devastating. The best-looking, most macho thing around here."



"Ouch!" Drew protested.



Suzette quickly put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry! Drew, you, of course, are adorable!"



"I don't want to be adorable. I want to be macho!" he protested.



"Of course, then there's Clay Barton. He's a hottie, too," Suzette said.



"And I'm adorable!" Drew moaned.



"Adorable is good," Suzette assured him.



Drew rolled his eyes.



"Really, you know, it seems that Grant is really willing to help in any way. I mean, Lord knows, props…



lighting. You can surely use him, Stephanie," Suzette said.



"Suzie, Suzie, Suzie!" Drew said, sitting back. "Women are supposed to be intuitive, and I think I've got it all over you on this one—of course, that may be since I'm the 'adorable' man that I am. There was something more than a working relationship that went on between our esteemed director and her ex-boss."



Suzette gasped. "Really?"



Stephanie shook her head, glaring at Drew. "Believe me, both Grant and I are totally professional."



"I would never doubt that," Drew said, but he was still smiling.



"I don't know how I didn't realize!" Suzette said. "I'm sorry… I wasn't honing in. I mean, he is just as sexy as all hell, but I'm not the type of woman… my hands are off now, I assure you."



"There's nothing between us now, really," Stephanie said.



"Maybe there's nothing between you, but there's something there," Drew said.



"There's not. We split up. We both thought that we were going places miles away from one another,"



Stephanie said.



"Bad breakup, huh?" Drew said.



"It's nothing like that. I care about him very much. As a human being, of course," Stephanie told him.



"As a human being!" Suzette nudged Drew, grinning.



Stephanie sighed. "Yes, I mean that he's a fine person, we're still… friends, yes. I hope his life goes well, that he lives long and happily, and all that."



"Right," Suzette murmured.



"Hey, good morning all." With a coffee cup in one hand and a plate in the other, Lena stood behind one of the chairs. Drew jumped up and drew it out for her and she sat. "So—they never found that girl last night, huh?" she asked. "That's what the waitress told me, anyway."



"No, apparently not," Stephanie said.



Lena yawned. "Wow—weird, huh?" She shook her head. "Damn, I am tired. I must have been worried for her last night, because I hardly slept. Or when I slept… I can't remember them now, but man, I had some bizarre dreams."



"Probably because of that scream Maria's mom let out," Drew said. "And, of course, in a small place like this, you can't help but feel that traumas are more personal, huh?"



"Who's in trauma?"



They all spun around. Clay Barton had arrived. He was wearing sunglasses that enhanced the sophistication and classic perfection of his features.



"They never found the missing girl," Drew told him.



"That's bad," he said, joining them. Apparently, he wasn't a breakfast eater. He had brought only a cup of coffee to the table.



"Well, there's a voice of doom," Drew said. "I tend to think that she found the right guy and eloped. This could be romantic rather than tragic."



"She was supposed to be getting married to a local boy within a year," Clay said.



"Oh?" Stephanie said.



"I talked to Franco late last night," Clay said.



" Well, that's great. Just scare us all," Lena said with a shiver.



"Maybe we should be a little scared—scared enough to be careful," Clay said.



"That works for me," Suzette said with a shiver. "We stick together as much as possible, then."



"Since I'm your average 'adorable' guy," Drew teased her, "I can safely volunteer to hang around you girls and keep you safe."



Clay Barton didn't crack a smile. "Seriously, we have a cast member missing, and a village girl who has disappeared. Yes, we should lock our doors, and look out for one another."



"Well, if that's agreed, we should finish up and head over to the café," Stephanie said, glancing at her watch.



"We're missing Doug," Lena noted.



"Maybe he headed straight over to the café," Suzette suggested.



"Maybe," Stephanie said. "Anyway, I'm going over now. We need to get started. Finish your food, but then, let's get going."



Clay stood. "I'll go in with you. We stick together, right?"



Stephanie smiled. "Well, that's fine, but I'm only going through the bar and the lobby to the club area."



"And I'm not eating. I'll come with you."



"Great."



As she started through the tables, Stephanie had an acute moment of discomfort. A snatch of her dream seemed to come vividly to mind. He had been there. In her dream. While Grant had been… doing very erotic things to her. If it had, indeed, been Grant.



It had been a dream, for God's sake! she told herself impatiently.



And still…



He set a hand upon her shoulder as they walked. Doug or Drew might have done the same.



Doug and Drew did not look like this man, or have his…



Raw sense of competence, assurance, power…



Sensuality.



"You know, you were a bit of a voice of alarm back there," she told him.



"I just suggested that everyone be careful," he said. He smiled at her then, and squeezed her shoulder.



"Hey, I'm sorry. I know we've got a show Friday night. It's going to be fine, I'm certain. You'll do great."



"Thanks." The sense of discomfort left her. She felt the most bizarre urge to rest against his shoulder.



They came into the club area. Doug was there, sitting on the edge of the stage, reading over his notes.



"Morning!" he called cheerfully.



Stephanie felt a keen sense of relief.



"Good morning," she told him.



"Hey, Doug! You mean you made it in here without coffee?" Suzette called out from behind Stephanie.



She turned to see that the rest of her cast had assembled, coming right behind her and Clay Barton.



Doug laughed. "I came right in here, and that blessed young Giovanni fellow brought in a pot of coffee right away. Good fellow. Anyway, it's over there on the table, with cups and cream and sugar, so help yourselves, for those who are in dire need of more caffeine!"



Stephanie decided that she was in dire need. She got a cup of coffee, then said, "All right, guys, let's go through the first outline. Without scripts or notes."



"You're Gema's character?" Suzette asked.



"I guess so," Stephanie said. "Anyway… let's go. Lights… Lena, you enter from the back of the room."



The rehearsal began, and despite the fact that she had to be on stage, Stephanie was pleased. She did have an incredible ensemble group. She let the first run-through go without stopping; the second time around, she did her role with her notebook in hand. Drew called out to her after they had picked up the action when she had given him a stage direction, and she had to jump down from the stage to watch the piece of business he was asking about.