Chapter Twenty-Five
Honor’s Edge Investigations Office
“Kalispell.”
Sam bit her lip to keep from interrupting the conversation currently happening between Cal and Nate. She kept her head down, focusing on the work she was doing on her laptop while Cal and Nate squared off in front of her.
Nate didn’t approve of Cal’s plan, and Sam … well, she understood Cal’s point of view better than Nate’s. But she wasn’t going to verbally take Cal’s side. At least not in front of Cal.
She didn’t quite understand how Jake Hayes had become a part of this, but she figured that was the nature of the small-town beast. Sam was kind of glad Cal was involving law enforcement.
She knew Nate did not agree on that score either—especially when it involved this particular law enforcement agent.
“We’re just going to drive up, talk to the guy, drive back in the morning. No big deal,” Cal said, bag on his shoulder, ready to head out the door.
Except Nate was blocking it. “No big deal? You think he’s the guy drawing your death threats, and you should just confront the guy? And it’s no big deal.”
“I’m not handling it alone. I’m bringing a cop.”
Sam snuck a glance up to see Nate’s frown turn into a full-on sneer. No doubt at the mention of Jake. “Maybe the Kalispell police should handle it. We’ll give them a call and—”
“No. I need to do this.”
“With Hayes?” Disgust dripped from Nate’s tone.
The kind Sam didn’t think was totally founded, but she was not wading into this.
If she had to bite her own damn tongue off.
Cal lifted a negligible shoulder—whether he did it without thinking or purposefully to piss his brother off, he succeeded on the latter. “Terrible news, Nate.” He reached out, squeezed Nate’s shoulder. “I am a grown man, and you have no say in what I do.”
He flashed a grin—first at Nate, then at Sam. “See you guys around.” Then he headed for the door.
Sam opened her mouth to stop him, but Nate beat her to it.
“Cal. At least … keep us up to date,” he said, a little exasperated. A little desperate.
Cal paused, hesitated, then gave a little salute. “Aye, aye, captain.” It was an obnoxious response, but it wasn’t a no.
“I should go with,” Nate muttered, his gaze following Cal as he moved down the sidewalk in front of the big storefront window and then disappeared.
Sam absolutely did not think he should go with—not with Jake involved, but arguing with him wasn’t going to get that through his head. “I can take Hyatt for you if that’s what you think is best,” Sam offered innocently from her seat behind her desk.
Nate turned and studied her with a scowl. “Don’t reverse-psychology me.”
She got out of her chair and moved to stand in front of him. “How could I possibly be doing that?” she said, putting her hands on his shoulders and going for a sweet smile he wouldn’t believe even if she meant it.
He grunted irritably. “Any word from Jill?”
Sam shook her head. “I even texted Aly to see if she’d heard anything, but it’s been radio silence ever since they told her.”
He reached out, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Come with me this afternoon then. If you’re pausing that case, it shouldn’t put you behind. A little partner stakeout.”
She leaned into him, wishing she could. Wishing something could be easy and fun. “Pretty sure that turns into a distraction not a stakeout.”
“A terrible shame,” Nate replied with fake gravity that might have made her laugh in any other situation.
But Sam shook her head. “I know I said I thought it was best to leave it, but I’ve got the name of the medical examiner. I’m going to see if I can track down the police officer who should have taken the report through her. There should be a report. It’s weird that there’s not.”
It shouldn’t matter. She’d told Aly and Cal it didn’t matter, but here she was… “Maybe I should let it go, take that pause, but…”
“But it’s not in your nature,” he finished for her.
No, not in her nature and … “I keep thinking about Glenda saying some secrets are sacred. Maybe that’s all this is. Her protecting her son from a truth that would hurt more. But why would it hurt more? He died either way. He’s gone either way. It makes me think there’s more to it.”
Nate’s arm came around her easily. “Well, to use you as an example, your mother didn’t choose to die, Sam.
She couldn’t help it. There was no choice.
I know depression and mental illness don’t discriminate, and maybe it isn’t really a choice.
But to those left behind? They always have to wonder.
What they might have changed or solved, if they’d only known or seen or been there. ”
She didn’t know if he was comparing his mother’s murder to Gerald’s suicide or if he was thinking of someone he’d lost to suicide, maybe from his homeless teen days or military days.
She supposed it didn’t matter which. He was right.
There was always something … more difficult when you wondered if you could have done something differently.
Or if not more difficult, necessarily, a different kind of weight.
“I guess you’re not wrong,” she murmured, then shook off the weird feeling and weird mood because none of this was about her or him. “I’ve got to run. I don’t know how long this will take, but I probably won’t be back before you leave to watch Hyatt.”
He dropped a kiss to her temple. “Okay. I’m just following him back to his place after work. Long as he goes there and stays, I should be home soon enough.”
“Text me updates. And don’t let Mrs. Hyatt crawl in your backseat and have her wicked way with you.”
He groaned. “God, I can’t wait for this shitshow to be over.”
“Which one?” Sam muttered on her way out, because it felt like a few of them at the moment.