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“Like you. Indomitable,” he said.
Her eyes suddenly welled. “Cameron…”
“Don’t cry. You’ll wash all the salt off the popcorn,” he said, then leaned over and kissed her. “Umm, salty,” he whispered.
Ghost barked.
“I think he just asked for another bite,” Cameron said.
Rusty picked out three kernels and gave them to him one at a time.
“Enough, Ghost. Lie down,” Cameron said.
The dog flopped down on the floor at the foot of the bed and closed his eyes.
“Now…where were we?” Cameron asked.
“At the best part. The waterfall. That’s where Hawkeye says to Cora Munro, ‘Stay alive! Whatever you do, stay alive! I will find you!’ And then he and Chingachgook and Uncas leap into the water.”
Cameron couldn’t take his eyes off her face. The passion and animation were palpable. She was amazing and a mystery, and he loved her to the depths of his soul.
“Why is it the best part?” he asked.
She shrugged. “It’s so romantic, and yet so horribly frightening, both for the ones who are leaving, as well as the ones left behind to be captured. The faith she had in him to find her makes me cry. She is a strong woman who knows her heart.”
She leaned her head against Cameron’s shoulder and handed him the bowl of popcorn.
“You don’t want any more?”
“I don’t want to eat now. I’m getting ready to cry.”
“Oh my God,” he said softly, and put his arm around her and pulled her close.
They watched the rest of the movie in silence, and when it was over she sighed, satisfied with the emotional journey she’d been on.
“I have to take Ghost out. Want something to drink, honey?”
“Yes, but I’ll come with you,” Rusty said. “I need to fill you in on stuff.”
“You’ll need shoes and a coat. It’s really cold out. It’ll probably snow again before morning.”
She scrambled to get dressed properly, then followed them out to the back porch. The area was lit by a security light, but Cameron had been right. It was cold. He pulled her into the shelter of his arms as they watched Ghost make the rounds.
“Howard sent a text. They have Lindy Sheets in custody. She probably won’t be back in the States until sometime tomorrow. Dewey Zane isn’t talking. And they’re still waiting for the autopsy on Danny Biggers.”
“Anything new on Jack Barton?” Cameron asked.
“No. I can’t find anything. They haven’t uncovered anything, and I went through the list you brought home. There’s nothing on any of the employees to indicate they might be connected to Barton, and nothing suspicious about any of the officers on the force,” Rusty said.
“We still have Lindy Sheets,” Cameron said.
“Right. We still have her.”
“You know… This whole gang has been about people representing themselves as something they’re not. Vanzant wasn’t really a student doing research. Emily Payne was masquerading as someone else. Lindy Sheets pretending to befriend girls who were alone. What if that cop who pulled Payne and Vanzant over wasn’t really a cop? Emily said she didn’t remember anything about the cop car. What if it wasn’t a cop car and only had the lights and siren? What if he’s just part of the gang…masquerading as a cop just to pull women over?”
Rusty stilled, and then turned in his arms and looked at him.
“Oh my God! Yes! And the reason Emily Payne didn’t go missing like all the others was because Vanzant was in the car. And the fake cop didn’t see him until after the stop had been made. Her begging for mercy gave him the idea that she could be coerced. So he called his boss for orders, and this is what happened? Having one single woman go missing is one thing. But having a couple go missing could double public interest and a police presence!”
