Page 138 of Long Gone

I called Carter Hale.

“I still haven’t found anything about a Pinky in Lone County. And Brett Colter’s record is clean as a whistle.”

“The latter’s not surprising,” I said. “He’s a prominent businessman. He’s probably found ways to avoid arrest or people were too scared to report him.” I paused, then added, “Probably a lot like J.R. Simmons.”

He hesitated before saying, “Aww. That’s a name from the past.”

“Don’t play stupid. I know Malcolm’s interested in this case because of Simmons’s involvement. He claims he wants to bring down the person who took his place here in Lone County.”

“That part’s true.”

“Which part’s not?” I demanded.

“All of that is true,” he amended.

“Carter… What aren’t you telling me?”

“Skeeter has a very personal interest in this case.”

“Because of his vendetta against J.R. Simmons.”

“Yes, but there’s more to it than that.”

“And…”

“It’s not my place to tell you, but be careful. I think you’ve gotten caught in something bigger than you realize.” He paused. “I’m worried that you might become collateral damage.”

“Malcolm’s using me?”

“Not like that,” he hedged. “But I think you could be on the other side’s radar and…”

“Become collateral damage,” I finished.

“Just stick with Skeeter. He genuinely cares about your safety, otherwise he wouldn’t have taken you to Delaney.”

“He only did that to save his own hide.” I’d be a fool to think he actually cared about me, but then again, he’d covered me with a blanket and made sure no one disturbed my rest. He’d made sure I got medical care. I could try to reason those things away, but the plain truth was that those were the actions of someone who cared.

I was starting to second guess this decision to see Detective Jones on my own, but it was too late to turn back and get Malcolm now.

“Where do I fall on your loyalty scale, Carter?” I asked.

“Weeellll,” he said, drawing out the word. “You know Skeeter’s my boss, so his instructions supersede all others. But…” He paused. “I like you, Harper, and investigating these cases with you has ignited a spark in him I haven’t seen in a long time. So, the answer to your question is I’m loyal to you and I’m loyal to him. But I think the real question you’re asking is you want to know if you can trust me to keep your secrets and protect you, and the answer is yes to both.”

“But you won’t protect me from Malcolm.”

“He won’t hurt you, not how you think. Once he takes someone under his protection, he’ll move heaven and earth to protect them.”

“Who’s to say he’s taken me under his wing?”

“Trust me, Harper. He has.”

This conversation was confusing, but I didn’t have time to work through what he was telling me. So I got to the real reason for my call.

“I’m about to meet Detective Jones at Main Street Diner, but the whole thing feels fishy. Like it might be a setup.”

“So don’t go.”

“I have to go. I need to find out what he’s up to, but I left Malcolm back at the tavern and didn’t tell him I was leaving.” I ran a hand over my head, pulling on my stitches. I stifled a gasp, then said, “It was stupid. I was worried he’d refuse to let me take the meeting.”

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