Page 37 of True Valor
The Dinner Bell Café was bustling, eventhough it wasn’t yet the dinner hour.Evident from the way the lonewaitress rushed around, a half hour wasn’t enough time to actuallyeat, so they settled for pie and coffee.Well, Nic had pie andcoffee, Julie had tea.
“I can’t believe you can eat after...”
The withering look Nic shot her made her stopmidsentence.Did he think she was a complete idiot?It wasn’t likeshe’d blurt out the happenings of the past two hours.“I’m notstupid,” she hissed.
Nic shook his head.“I know.I’m sorry.”Hereached across the table and took her hand.“Are you okay?”hemouthed the words.
Julie blew out her breath and nodded.“Justnot hungry for pie a-la-mode.”
Nic smiled and pulled his hand away as thewaitress delivered steaming cherry pie with a generous scoop ofvanilla ice cream on top.“I don’t understand that,” he toldJulie.
“What?”
“That there’s ever a time that a personwouldn’twant pie a-la-mode.Wanna bite?”Nic speared a bitof pie, scooping ice cream onto the fork as well.He held it out toher, the look in his eyes suddenly becoming sultry.
It wasn’t about pie at that moment.It wasabout adrenaline and life and sex and…
She leaned forward and slowly took the foodfrom the fork, their eyes locked.Nic laughed.
“See?”
Julie just laughed in reply.She glanced ather watch.Fifteen more minutes.Finally she whispered, “Are wegoing to discuss our plans?”She was careful how she asked.
Nic smiled again, differently, probably justfor show.“Not here, we aren’t.”
Cruz answered on the first ring.His voicewas tight.Unusual for him.That made Nic uneasy.
“How bad?”
“I don’t know,” Cruz answered.“Just notquite right, I guess.Your Doug Davis did grow up in Susanville,did go to school with Julie.His most recent employment is as adeputy on the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department.”
Nic’s gut twisted.“Oh, that can’t begood.”
“Odd, too, because the guy had a juvie recordas long as my arm.He’s been with the department for a year and ahalf.Before that, he lived in Southern Florida, spendingtruckloads of money.Like I said, it just doesn’t sound right.”
As Cruz rattled off Davis’ address, Nic wroteit on a napkin.“Anything else?”
“Not yet.I’ll keep digging.Hey, D, do youwant me to come out there?”
Nic laughed.“No, buddy.At least, not yet.But thanks.”
“Okay.Call me if you need me, man.”
“I will.”
“Watch your back,esé.”
Nic hung up the phone, looked up the addressof the Plumas County Sheriff’s Department and steered Julie to thecar.
It was another thirty minutes to Quincy, thecounty seat of Plumas County.Nic hoped it would work to theiradvantage that they weren’t in Lassen County, where Doug was adeputy.As they drove, Nic filled in Julie on what Cruz had toldhim.
“So did you hear Doug say he didn’t kill myfolks?”
“Yeah, I did.There’s no telling if he waslying.”
“I’d like to think he was lying.”
“Why?”
