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A feather.
No ring. A feather.
Dad must have taken the ring and put it somewhere safer. That’s the explanation. It has to be.
My phone buzzes, and I pull it out of my pocket.
It’s a junk text. I delete it quickly, but then another notification catches my eyes.
Voicemail.
I’m not sure how I didn’t notice this before. Then I recall the phone call I got last evening from a number I didn’t recognize. I get calls from numbers I don’t recognize all the time. They’re usually telemarketers who don’t leave voicemails, so I never bothered to look until now.
I play the voicemail.
“Hello, Mr. Steel. My name is Janine Murray. I’m a nurse who worked on your father’s case. I really need to talk to you. Please call me as soon as you can. Any time of the day or night is fine.”
It’s getting late, but if this concerns Dad, I need to know. I return the call quickly.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is Donny Steel. You left me a message about my father.”
“Yes.” She clears her throat. “Mr. Steel, I got your number from your father’s chart. I hope you don’t mind me calling you.”
“Not at all. What’s the problem? Is there something new on my father’s case?”
“Yes and no. I mean, your father is fine, obviously. I hope he’s doing well at home.”
Relief courses through me, though my heart is still pounding. “He is. Thank you for asking. But I get the feeling that’s not why you called.”
“No, it’s not.”
Nothing then.
Until I say, “What is it then, Ms. Murray?”
“I…I need to tell you something. And…I have to ask for your protection.”
“Why would you need my protection?”
“Because I did something, Mr. Steel. I did something that I’m not proud of. I was coerced. No, that’s the wrong word. I was forced.”
“What in the hell are you talking about?”
“I need to see you in person,” she says.
“All right.” I’m supposed to go back to the property with Brock and Dale tomorrow, but meeting a nurse to talk about my father sounds infinitely more pleasurable than pulling down a roof and possibly finding decaying bodies.
“Where are you?” I ask. “Grand Junction?”
“Yes. I’m off tomorrow. Will that work?”
“I suppose so. May I bring my fiancée? Or my brother and cousin?”
“I don’t know…”
“We’re a very close family, Ms. Murray, and I have a feeling I’ll need some moral support.”
