5th Pentagram: The sequel to the #1 Hard Boiled Mystery, 9th Circle (Book 3 of the Darc Murders Trilogy) (Book 3 of the Darc Murder Series) by Ben Hopkin Page A

should have agreed to the date to begin with.”
    Trey chewed on that a bit. “Okay. I get it. I’ll be the first one to tell you that Darc can be a royal pain in the ass, but he’s a good guy.”
    “Of course he is,” Mala agreed. “But that doesn’t make him a good person to date.”
    And then Maggie entered the living room, carrying a steaming cup of cocoa over to Mala. She handed the beverage over, then sat down in the chair opposite.
    “You really have no idea.”
    “Excuse me?” Mala replied.
    Maggie let out a long breath. “All right. I wasn’t going to say anything. I mean, I’m the ex-wife, of course I’m going to be bitter, right? Except I’m not.” She glanced over at Trey. “Well, mostly not.”
    “I don’t understand what—” Mala began.
    “Your first date with Darc was a cakewalk compared to mine.”
    “That seems unlikely.”
    “Um. How about this? He shoved a busboy that got in his way, and the poor kid almost had to go to the emergency room for stitches. All while Darc just sat there eating his steak.” Maggie pursed her lips, almost like she had sucked on a lemon.
    “But that’s just the point,” Mala shot back. “Is he really capable of sustaining any kind of intimacy with someone? There’s such an emotional disconnect there.”
    “I wouldn’t have thought so, no,” Maggie muttered. “That’s why I divorced him.”
    “But then why would you—?”
    “Defend him? Yeah, I’m as shocked as anyone.” She gave a sad smile that broke Trey’s heart a little. “But he’s changed. I didn’t think it was possible, but he’s doing it right in front of my eyes.”
    “Forgive me for saying this in front of your new boyfriend, but it sounds like you want to get back together with him.” Mala’s tone was mild, but her words were direct.
    Ouch. Trey tried not to look like he was paying too close of attention. Of course, he was totally riveted. He needed the answer to this question as much as Mala did.
    But Maggie just laughed. It was Trey’s favorite thing about her. When she was really amused by something, it was like her laughter came straight from her gut, and nothing could hold it back. And those were the kind of belly laughs bursting out of her right now.
    “Oh. Oh… I’m sorry. That must seem like I’m making fun of you,” Maggie apologized. “I’m not, though. Seriously. No. I don’t want to get back with Darc. He made me crazy.”
    “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. That he’ll make me crazy too.”
    “But that’s just the thing. He won’t. Well, he will, but you’ll figure it out where I couldn’t.” She pointed at Mala. “You love his whole savant thing, right? I just tolerated it. Admired it at first, maybe, but mostly just put up with it.”
    “Even if that’s true,” Mala conceded. “What about his disconnect?”
    “Listen to what I’m saying to you. He’s changing . For you. In a way he never did for me, no matter how much I begged him to.”
    “But—”
    “He lied . That babysitter is a total stoner, by the way.”
    Mala perked up at that. “But he said…”
    “He pretended ,” Maggie continued. “Don’t you get it? He let Trey in his ear . He never would have done that for me. Hell, I don’t even want Trey in my ear.”
    “Hey,” Trey interjected.
    “He’s different now,” Maggie continued after giving Trey a look that he knew meant she would deal with him later. “And that’s all about you.”
    “That seems to make you sad.”
    Maggie let out another breath. “Of course it makes me sad. Darc’s a great man and an amazing detective. It was a thrill to be involved in that, even on the sidelines.” She glanced over at Trey. “But I don’t love him. Maybe I did once, but not now.” Returning her gaze to Mala, she spoke with surprising gentleness. “But I think maybe you do.”
    Mala dropped her gaze and looked over at Janey who was still sprawled out asleep next to her. Trey could tell that what Maggie had