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Cameron fed Ghost, then began bringing firewood in for the night, but he couldn’t settle so he heated up a can of soup, made himself a sandwich, and was eating in the kitchen with Ghost lying on the floor nearby.
After spending the day with Rusty, he felt the silence more than he’d ever felt it before. He’d been alone for a long time, but never lonely. Until now.
When his phone suddenly rang, he was grateful for the interruption.
“Hello.”
“Pope, this is Special Agent Howard. I just had a conversation with Agent Caldwell. You two have had quite a day.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good catch on alerting us to the Vanzant murder.”
“I was just following up on Rusty’s orders, sir, but someone got to him first,” Cameron said.
Howard was startled by Pope’s reference to their agent. He called her Rusty, instead of Boss, or Agent Caldwell. “So you’re getting along with Caldwell?”
Now Cameron was silent a moment. “Uh…yes. Didn’t she tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Howard asked.
“It turns out our first face-to-face here was a shock for the both of us. We knew each other from before. Briefly, but memorable, if you get my drift. We lost touch over five years ago. And then she drives up into my front yard. I guess your file alerted her to who I was ahead of time, but I knew nothing until she arrived. We’re both fine with this. It is not interfering in any way with the investigation. In fact, it’s added a level of trust between us that would have taken months of working together to acquire.”
Howard chuckled. “I’ll be damned. She’s said nothing.”
“On the job she’s all business and doesn’t miss a thing,” Cameron said.
“I don’t question her judgment. She’s earned her stripes,” Howard added. “And this brings me to her concerns. She blew her own cover and knows it could be a problem. She is adamant about getting out of the hotel so as not to put her family or hotel guests in danger, and I concur, but she needs to stay in the area to continue working the case. Do you have any suggestions?”
“With me,” Cameron said. “My home is two miles up the mountain and outside of Jubilee.”
“You know if someone wants her gone, they won’t be worried about collateral damage,” Howard said.
“If I had my way, she’d never leave,” Cameron said. “I can keep her safe and still help her in any way she needs.”
“Well. This isn’t what I expected when I called, but it’s fine with me, if Agent Caldwell agrees.”
Cameron smiled to himself. “Trust me. She’ll agree.”
“Then I’ll let her know. Will you be okay if she shows up tonight? I think leaving the hotel after dark will be better than making a production out of it in broad daylight,” Howard asked.
“Absolutely. Do you want me to pick her up?” Cameron asked.
“She has a rental. She may want to keep it,” Howard said.
“We’re partners in this, sir. What we do, we’ll do together.”
“Then you name a time and I’ll make sure she’s in the lobby,” Howard said.
“She’ll want to tell her family she’s leaving and have dinner with them and then she’ll have to pack. Just tell her to be in the breezeway of the hotel at 10:00 p.m. I’ll do the rest.”
“Yes, that makes sense,” Howard said. “And thank you for picking up the slack here.”
“Yes, sir,” Cameron said.
The call ended. Cameron looked at Ghost and grinned.
“We’re getting company, buddy, which means best behavior from both of us, understand?”
