“Next question.The woman in yellow,please.”The moderator motioned to the front of the room.
A young woman with blonde hair stood up.“Myquestion is for Wes Stewart.What are your top tips for first-timeauthors when it comes to writing a mystery?Oh, and are yousingle?”She waved coyly.
Wes faced the audience.“For question numberone, focus on creating fulsome characters, and make sure to usemisdirection to keep your audience engaged.”He paused.“As forquestion two, yes, I’m single and happy.I’m way too highmaintenance for most men,” he joked as the audience laughed.
“Next, the man with glasses at the front,”the moderator said, pointing to an older man in a suit.
“My question is for Ethan.Are all yourstories based on true crimes?And have you ever been asked to goback to work, to solve cold cases, for example?”the man asked,then sat back down amongst the crowd.
“To an extent, many of my stories areinspired by crime scenes I worked on or heard about through mynetwork.But I have no desire to go back to my former life.I’m oldnow, in case you haven’t noticed.”Ethan indicated his grey hair asthe audience quietly laughed along with him.“And I have not beenasked to review any cold cases.”He paused.“But I wouldn’tnecessarily say no if I was asked.In a private capacity, ofcourse.”
Excited murmurs echoed in the conferenceroom.
“Okay, folks, final question.The lady inred, please.”The moderator pointed at a beautiful woman in a sharpred suit.
“Wes, you’ve been asked by several reportersin recent weeks if you’re working with another author on a newseries.Is that true?And if so, are you working with the mansitting beside you?”she asked, pointing to Ethan.
The crowd erupted in murmurs and squealsuntil the moderator broke in.“Quiet, please, so our guest cananswer.”
Wes looked at Ethan, but Ethan shrugged andwaved at him to go.“I may or may not be working with anotherauthor on a new series.Like I’ve said before, you’ll have tofollow my social media accounts for official announcements to findout.But I can tell you that I have no current plans to work withEthan Blackwell.Though that’s not a bad idea.Ethan, what do yousay?”Wes smiled and looked over at Ethan as the crowd clappedenthusiastically.
The moderator signaled to the panel thatthey were done, and the host concluded the event.After the crowdstrickled out of the room and the mics were removed, Wes walked overto Ethan.
“Ethan, I loved your talk.I learned a lot.Would you have time for a quick drink?”he asked.
“Sounds great.How about Angler’s Cove?It’sa short walk from here,” Ethan replied.
They left the conference venue and walkeddown to the waterfront, Ethan sharing his knowledge about SanFrancisco and his favorite places to eat and drink.They finallyentered the nautical-themed bar and settled into a booth near thefront of the room with a view of the water, Wes with his vodka onice and Ethan with rye and ginger.
“So, how do you like San Francisco so far?”Ethan asked.
“I’ve been here before, but it gets betterevery time.The food, the art, the energy.It’s a great city.Ijust wish I had more time to actually explore and see the sightswhen I travel.”He paused.“But to be honest, my favorite city inthe US is New York.”
“And why’s that?”Ethan asked, signaling thewaiter for another round.
Because Ryker’s there,was Wes’sfirst thought, but he pushed that sentimental notion aside.“Thepeople, the attitude, the grit.It’s messy, beautiful,heartbreaking, and exhilarating all at once,” Wes said.
“Sounds more like a relationship than acity,” Ethan observed, cocking his head.
Wes ignored the comment and pivoted theconversation.“Tell me more about this exciting FBI life ofyours.”
“It wasn’t all that.I mean, it wasinteresting for sure.I met good people and worked complex cases.It was fulfilling for a while, but then it ended up taking a hugetoll on me personally.Like I said today, working long, erratichours and dealing with shocking crime scenes takes its toll.I hadissues sleeping, concentrating, and I was never home.Eventually,my wife divorced me, and I had to start over again.”
“And now that you’re a full-time author,things are balanced?”Wes asked.
Ethan nodded and smiled, his dark brown eyeswarm.“Exactly.I have time to have a life, travel, volunteer,date.Although dating in this city is fucking murder.Sorry, man,that’s a bad pun.”Ethan took a long sip of his drink.“Dating ispainful.There are a lot of predatory people out there.So manywomen are only interested in my celebrity status.I’ve just aboutgiven up on a romantic relationship.”He sighed.
“I know what you mean about that.It’s noteasy.I prefer to keep things casual.I don’t do relationships,”Wes said.Ryker’s face popped up in his mind, and he inwardlycringed at his comment.“But that’s me.I’m sure there’s awonderful woman out there for you, just waiting.”He clinkedEthan’s glass with his own.
“Don’t give up on love either.There may bea man out there who changes your life for the better.Casual datingis okay, but to me, not nearly as satisfying as having a truepartner.There’s something to be said about having someone to comehome to, to share life’s ups and downs with, to champion eachother.Someone to talk to when you wake up in the middle of thenight.”
The middle of the night.That mention onlyreminded Wes of Ryker and his nightmares.He wished he’d been thereto comfort him when he woke, to hold him and assure him everythingwould be okay.What would that be like?To be the one Ryker woke upnext to every day?Oddly enough, Wes could picture it clearly eventhough a small part of him was still a little bit freaked out.Itwas crazy how much depth of feeling he had for this man he’d onlyknown for such a short time.
“You look deep in thought.Did I hit anerve?If so, I apologize.I tend to run my mouth aboutthings.”
“No, it’s fine.I’m just taking ineverything you said.You may be right.Thank you,” Wes said as hetook another sip of his drink.
“So, what’s the real scoop?”Ethan asked.“Are you working with another author on a new series?Don’t worry,my lips are zipped.”
