“Really? Well, that’s not usually the response I get,” he said, with a smile.
“What kind of response do you normally get?” she asked hesitantly.
“Shock, disbelief, laughter, any of the above.”
“Well, that’s not my response at all,” she said. “I absolutely believe you. Just something about you makes it believable. So what were you doing up on the hill that night?”
“Reconnaissance,” he said. “We were trying to triangulate a phone call that we knew was coming from two towns over. And that hill gave us the best reception.”
She just studied him, but her jaw was closed.
He saw that she was weighing his words. She was an interesting enigma. Not like anybody he was accustomed to.
She nodded. “Interesting.”
“Do you know anything about that condo group up around the corner here?”
“The one that Joe is looking after at night?”
He nodded.
“Only that it’s had troubles off and on. Like they were building it, then they weren’t, then they were again. Apparently now it’s almost done,” she said. “Why?”
“Joe said a bunch of funny stuff has been happening up there, and he doesn’t feel terribly secure about it. I tried to get him to quit today, but he is thinking about his grandson.”
She frowned at him. “How did you find out about Joe?”
“The butcher, then I went over and talked to Joe myself.”
She slowly put down her coffee cup and the treat and said, “Seriously?”
“Why not?” he said. “I’m allowed to be human too.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said. “It’s just that you’re getting a lot of information on locals.”
“I also like people,” he said gently. “Again I’m no threat to you.”
“So who are you a threat to?”
“The man who tried to kill several of my friends and potentially may have succeeded in killing one of them,” he said. “He’s still missing after his plane was blown up over the ocean.”
“Ouch,” she said. “It’s not a very nice world at times.”
“No, it’s not,” he said, “but it’s the world around you. It’s just that most people have the good fortune to be oblivious to it.”
“But not you.”
“No,” he said, “not me. Most of my life it’s been a case of never me.”
“Would you have liked a different line of work?”
He thought about that for a moment and said, “There are still assholes all around the world,” he said. “I wouldn’t particularly want to be responsible for capturing them,” he said, “but neither do I want to leave anybody on their own against them.” Just then his phone rang. With an eyebrow up, he pulled out his phone, looking at the screen. “Now isn’t that interesting?”
“What?”
“It’s Joe,” he said. He held up one finger and answered. “Hello, Joe. What’s up?”
“Well,” he said, “I thought about what you were saying, and I can’t afford to quit,” he said hesitantly.
“I got that. And?”
“The thing is, I think that somebody has been hanging outside my house for the last few hours.”
“Really? You think it’s connected to your work?”
“They are hidden in the trees,” he said, “so, if it’s not connected to my work, I don’t know what the hell it’s connected to. I can’t say I’ve lived a blameless life, but I sure haven’t done anything to deserve this.”
“Good enough,” he said. “Give me your address, and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“No, I’m not sure you need to do that,” he protested.
“Joe, there is a reason you called me,” he said. “Just let me do what I need to do.”
“If you’re sure,” Joe said doubtfully.
“I’m sure,” he said.
Just then, Sammy reached a hand across, grabbed his wrist. “I know where Joe lives,” she said, “I’ll show you the way.”
He looked at her and frowned, but her gaze was indomitable. “Okay, Joe. Sammy is here with me. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He heard the relief in the man’s voice, as he said, “Okay, I’ll expect you then.”
Just as Joe started to hang up, Eton said, “Joe?”
Joe answered, “Yes?”
“Stay away from the windows,” and then he hung up. He looked at her and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on this being a date-slash-meeting, complete with field trip.”
“Joe is a good guy,” she said. “I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
He nodded and said, “Let’s go.” He tossed back the last of his coffee, stood, and motioned at hers. “Are you bringing that?”
She popped the last bite in her mouth and washed it down with her coffee. “Come on,” she said. “Joe is only a few minutes away. I’ll take you there.”
“Why don’t you just tell me how to get there?” he said. “I don’t want to put you in any danger.”
“No,” she said, “that won’t happen. I don’t want you to scare Joe, and he is clearly already terrified, or he wouldn’t have called you. So we’ll go together.”
He glared at her.
But she stood toe-to-toe with him and glared back. “Look. I’m not a wuss,” she said, “and these are my friends and family you’re talking about here. We are all family in this village. So, if some assholes are involved in murdering people, I want to make sure that you take them out of here, but we need to protect everybody here in the meantime.”
“I get that,” he said.
But she reached up, placed a finger against his lips. “Apparently you don’t because you’re still talking.”
He threw up his hands. “You’ll have to follow my orders.”
“Right,” she said sarcastically. “I’m not sure I’ve ever done that in my life.”
As they walked toward his car, he said, “Are you always this difficult?”
“Absolutely,” she said, laughing. “This is nothing.”
He just shook his head.
“Bet you didn’t know what you were getting into,” she said, still laughing.
“Apparently, but it’s all good,” he said, with a smile.
She looked at his car and asked, “By the way, why are you in a different vehicle?”
“Do you want the very believable story I can tell you, or would you prefer the truth?”
“Always the truth,” she said.
“Because the other one might have been seen by the wrong person.”
She stopped, stared at him, then opened her mouth and closed it again. “Okay, I asked for the truth,” she said, “so I guess I deserve that for an answer.”
“And that’s the truth,” he said, with a smile.
Chapter 7
Heading to the passenger side of Eton’s car, Sammy wondered at his answer. The thing was, if he spoke the truth, then it was a reasonable answer. A part of her hoped he was joshing with her, but, from the set look on his face, she doubted it. She quickly gave him directions to where Joe lived.