Page 32 of Keep

CHAPTER EIGHT

Dalton

She was still upset. That bothered me more than anything else. More than Hale’s criminal past or the menacing visit from John Jones.

Last night on the ride home after dinner Cami asked me if anything strange had happened at work the day before. I didn’t have to be a genius to figure out what happened. Curtis must have told Cassie about walking into my office as I muscled that sleazy Jones character out and Cassie had obviously shared the story with her twin sister. I understood. Curtis was no fool. He came from a dangerous background and could recognize a problem when he saw it.

Cami was quiet this morning as she picked at her breakfast muffin. I set a few slices of newly fried bacon on the table as a truce gesture and she managed a slight smile.

“Is Izzy still supposed to get out of the hospital today?” I asked as I sat down across from my wife.

She chewed a crisp bacon slice. “Hopefully. I’ll call my mom later to confirm.”

“I can have some flowers sent to welcome her home.”

“That would be nice. Get her daisies.”

“Camille?”

She looked up, her green eyes troubled. “Why didn’t you tell me, Dalton? Why did I have to hear from Curtis and Cassie that some goon showed up at your office and started handing out threats?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Didn’t want to worry me?” she mocked as she pushed her chair back in a huff. “I’m your wife, goddammit. If you’re worried, I’m worried. We’re a team.” She reached over and tapped the wedding band on my left hand. “That’s what this means.”

“I know.” I picked up her hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry.”

Cami softened and moved to sit in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her, enjoying the feel of her body.

“I put in a call to Andy yesterday,” I said.

“Your detective friend?”

“Yeah. He took down the information and said he’d see what he could dig up. Since there were no explicit threats and the guy almost certainly didn’t give me his real name it might be hard to pin him down. Andy said the whole thing sounded like a fishing expedition, some low rent con who probably knew Hale a little and is looking to cash in somehow.”

She snuggled against me. “He might be right. Organized crime bosses probably don’t pop up at baseball fields and speak in riddles.”

I held her for a long moment as the clock ticked away the seconds and then Cami squirmed and raised her head, staring out the window.

“The quail family is back,” she said.

“I’m glad to see the coyotes haven’t gotten them.”

She swallowed. “Dalton, there’s still a distinct possibility Hale was tangled up in something horrible.”

I’d been trying really hard not to think about that. It was hard enough to mourn my brother without facing such possibilities.

“We don’t know anything yet,” I said.

Cami sighed. “Anita approached me yesterday. She came across some new leads on that story about sex trafficking in the valley. It’s bad stuff, Dalton. Drugs, underage girls, forced prostitution. She’s found more than one connection to Hale.”

“Wouldn’t the cops know more about that than a reporter?”

“Maybe not. Or maybe they do and they were building a case. I don’t know. I have limited information because it’s not my story.”

I brushed my hand across her cheek. “It’s not just a story, Cami. It’s my brother.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them they were bright with tears. “Maybe it’s not true. You probably knew Hale better than anybody. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem and this certainly doesn’t seem possible, does it?”

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