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“Now what?” she muttered, juggling the phone and swiping the screen at the same time as Cameron got up to refill their coffee. She read the brief text and then sent back a reply.
Are you kidding me? Lord. Let me know what the autopsy determines. Do I need to go hunting?
Howard sent back a reply.
Not yet. Wait. We think we located Lindy Sheets living in Ontario as Melinda Lehigh. We don’t want to spook her.
Rusty sent back an OK emoji and then shoved the phone across the table so Cameron could read the message, and the shock was real.
“Whoa! Biggers was found dead in his cell? Looks like loose ends are getting tied in a very ugly manner. What if we never figure out who the boss is?”
“Well, that’s not going to happen. They’re going to pick up Lindy Sheets and scare the crap out of her. Once she knows she’s the only one still on the loose who can identify the boss—assuming she knows who he is—she’ll talk to stay alive. And Biggers being found dead may be what scares Dewey Zane into talking, too.”
Cameron sighed. “You’re right. This was just a kick in the teeth I didn’t see coming.”
She could see the wheels turning. “In my business, you have to be patient. In your world, death was swift and ugly. And on another note, the ham sandwiches are good.”
He blinked. “Uh… If that was your attempt to distract me, it’s not going to work.”
“Sorry. So what would distract you?”
“You could dance naked hanging onto the bedpost of my bed or…ride with me down to Rachel’s house to deliver some wood.”
Rusty laughed. “Oh my God. It’s not the weather for stripping naked. I choose Rachel.”
“Good answer. I’d just as soon not leave you on your own,” he said.
“Do we have cookies?” Rusty asked. “I understand that’s required to set foot in their house.”
“Yes, we do. And remind me to take dog treats, too, or Lili will try to feed Ghost cookies. She likes to share.”
Rusty shivered from the excitement, but there was also just the teeniest bit of worry. She’d never had a meeting-the-family moment before. “Do I look okay? Should I put on some makeup or…”
“Well, I still like you butt-naked best, but you’re beautiful with clothes on, too. And don’t worry about makeup. Rachel won’t be wearing any, but Lili might. Only she’s never going to get past admiring your hair. You’re fine.”
Rusty grinned. “You are good for my soul.”
Cameron waggled his eyebrows. “I’m still working on being good for your beautiful body. You go do what you want to yourself. I’m going to put the dishes in the sink and load up a rick of wood. I’ll come get you when we’re ready to go.”
Rusty bounced up from the chair and went down the hall to change her shirt. She’d dripped a little mayo on her sweatshirt and didn’t want to go visiting wearing her lunch, like she used to do after her breakfast when she was little and going to school with jelly on her sleeve.
A half hour later, Cameron had the wood loaded onto a flatbed trailer and the trailer hooked up to his Jeep. Rusty went bouncing out of the back door, bundled up against the cold as Cameron was still going through the house, locking up and getting cookies and dog treats, with Ghost dancing along beside him. The dog knew they were going for a ride, and he knew there were treats involved.
Rusty opened the back door of the Jeep, and Ghost leaped inside and assumed the position. His butt was in the seat, his front legs extended all the way down to the floorboard, and if he ducked enough, his head fit just right between the seats so he could rest his chin on Cameron’s shoulder.
It made Rusty laugh.
“Ghost is an open book, isn’t he? There’s nothing sly about him. He’s all run and gun, or passed out in front of the fire.”
Cameron grinned. “Nailed it,” he said. “Let’s go do this.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m not gonna lie. I’m nervous.”
He frowned. “About what?”
“Meeting your family,” she said.
“Honey, they’ve been trying to settle me down for years. They’re going to be so happy to know someone finally figured out the code that broke me that they won’t know what to do with themselves.”
