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“Because I’m asking you. You’re his friend.”
“What does it matter why he came back?”
“Right now everything matters.”
Kelly sat up straighter and stared out the window. “Shane never talked about the war with me. I only found out from other guys he served with. There were a couple that visited him here. We all went out, had some drinks, ate a bunch of red meat, and watched some football. Guy stuff, you know.”
“And what did they say?” asked Jamison.
“That Shane was really brave. That he was a good leader. That he cared about his guys more than he cared about himself. He was a Ranger, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” said Jamison.
“Yeah. He was a sergeant when he came out. He could have stayed in and worked his way up higher, I guess. But he didn’t.”
“Maybe he wanted to see someone here,” said Decker suggestively.
Kelly continued to look out the window. “If you’re thinking of Caroline, I won’t disagree with you.”
“But it seems unrequited,” said Jamison.
“Even though their dads are both rich, they’re from two different worlds. Shane is a ‘beer and shoot a deer’ kind of guy. Caroline could be plopped in the middle of Paris and do just fine.” He paused and rubbed at his cheek. “The truth is she left us both in the dust a long time ago.”
“But that doesn’t mean a guy has to give up trying,” said Decker.
“No, it doesn’t,” said Kelly slowly. “But as the years go by, it is an effort with diminishing returns.”
Decker wondered if Kelly was just talking about Shane or himself.
* * *
“Okay, that does not look good. It’s like Hal Parker’s place all over again.”
Jamison said this as they pulled into the front of Dawson’s house. The door was standing wide open.
They hustled up to the porch.
Kelly peered inside the doorway and called out, “Hugh? Everything okay?”
There was no answer.
Kelly said, “At this time of the night all the hired help has long since gone home.”
He pulled his gun and rushed inside. They drew their weapons and followed him in.
“Hugh!” cried out Kelly. “Hugh, you here? Everything okay? Answer me!”
They moved slowly down the hallway, taking time to clear each room before they passed by it.
They heard nothing and saw no one.
They finally reached the door to Dawson’s office. It wasn’t open, but Kelly tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. He tapped on the door. “Hugh, it’s Joe Kelly.”
There was no answer.
He turned the knob and slowly pushed open the door.
They all looked into the room, their gazes moving from one section to the next until they stopped at the desk.
