Page 42 of Keep

CHAPTER TEN

Dalton

Curtis didn’t ask me a lot of questions and I was grateful because I didn’t have a lot of answers just yet. It was enough that he would come running at a moment’s notice just because I asked him to. I knew that kind of loyalty didn’t come around every day.

Andy hailed us from a booth in the corner as soon as we stepped into the diner.

Curtis stopped. “Wait, that’s him?”

“That’s him.”

He chuckled. “I saw that guy at the funeral. He seemed to be watching everyone so I assumed he was up to no good.”

“He gets kind of intense and yeah, he is in the habit of watching everyone. He’s a detective on the Phoenix force. Andy’s an old friend though. He was out of town and couldn’t make it to the wedding but you’re right, he was at the funeral.” I nudged Curtis toward the booth. “Let’s have a seat.”

Andy stood and shook my hand before appraising Curtis. “You brought your lawyer, Dalton?”

Curtis raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like a lawyer?”

Andy grinned. “No.”

“Andy,” I said. “This is Curtis Mulligan. He’s family.”

Andy shook Curtis’s hand and got down to business after calling the waitress over for some more coffee cups. He was full of news and while he couldn’t tell us everything he wanted to reassure me that the situation was under control.

I wasn’t so sure. “What about the package I told you about? It seems pretty clear he’s threatening Cami over this alleged debt from Hale.”

Andy nodded. “I understand your concern. But no amount of cash is going to do Bruno and his buddies any good at this point.”

“I don’t believe it’s all about cash,” I said, thinking of the man who’d barged into my office. “I think he was angry at Hale. Implied that Hale had double crossed him somehow.”

Andy nodded. “Again, I realize why you’re worried. But I promise we plan to keep them under tight surveillance in case they make bail, which is not expected to be awarded given the nature of their alleged crimes.”

“And what is the nature of their alleged crimes?” Curtis asked and I was glad he did even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

Andy, however, became a little wary. I wasn’t too familiar with police procedure but I doubted he was supposed to be sitting here discussing a sensitive case. He shifted his eyes back and forth to check out the scattered handful of patrons and lowered his voice to nearly a whisper.

“According to the charges, the parties in question were using legitimate tanning salons as a front for illegal drugs and human trafficking.”

Cami’s reporter friend had been correct. That wasn’t a huge surprise. But there was still another question to ask even though I hated doing it.

“What was Hale’s role in all of this?”

Andy started to speak but then something caught his eye over my shoulder and he waved. I turned to see who he was waving at and saw a petite, attractive Hispanic woman who looked to be in her mid thirties.

She acknowledge Andy’s wave and made her way over to us.

“Dalton,” said Andy, “I’d like you to meet Maria Velasquez.”

Andy shifted over in the booth so Maria could sit down. While I certainly didn’t begrudge any friend of Andy’s a place to sit, I was anxious over the interruption. Now that I’d asked the question about Hale I couldn’t think straight until it was answered.

Maria gave me a warm smile. “Hello Dalton.”

“Hello,” I said, beginning to wonder if Maria was Andy’s girlfriend. He’d been married and divorced twice already.

Then Maria said something completely unexpected. “Hale told me a lot about you.”

I looked at her more carefully. She met my eye and seemed on the level. “You knew my brother?”

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