Chapter Fifteen #2
“Here we are.” He slowed as the GPS announced their destination.
Tall pine trees wrapped around the backyard of a small house intentionally made to be forgettable.
Nothing about it was interesting nor ignored.
The landscaping was generic, the grass trimmed.
The drapes hung closed, and the porch light was likely on a timer.
The house would have the lore of suburban gossip.
Maybe neighbors recalled an older couple had once lived there.
Perhaps the house had been stuck between two parties litigating an unending divorce.
No one in the neighborhood would be able to remember names or faces, and more importantly, no one would ask questions because the HOA bills were paid on time and the grass never grew too long.
Camden’s black SUV with government plates would likely raise an eyebrow or two if anyone was home to notice. But it was the middle of the workday on a tiny cul-de-sac. Whoever saw his government plates would forget by the end of the day. He parked in the driveway next to Beth’s Lexus.
“Is Beth nice?” Amelia asked.
He considered. She presented herself as nice, but Amelia might not know what he meant. Camden decided to answer with a warning. “She’s a spook. Trained to manipulate people. So take anything she says and you feel with a grain of salt.”
“Do you trust her?”
He scoffed. “Absolutely fuckin’ not.”
Amelia laughed at his honesty. “All right, then. Good to know. Let’s meet Beth the Spook.”
From the moment he told Amelia about the meeting with Beth, she’d perked up.
Amelia had walked faster, talked faster.
Her cheeks had more color, and her voice had a hopeful edge that made him nervous.
She wouldn’t get from Beth what she imagined she might.
The urge to repeat his warning hung on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped short.
Amelia would be able to see through Beth’s song and dance.
They approached the front door. He didn’t bother to knock and walked inside. “We’re here.”
The house was furnished as generically as the exterior had been maintained. Looks were deceiving though, and he bet bells and whistles were staged throughout the space to ensure its occupants’ safety. Beth walked from the living room.
Camden lifted his chin to say hello.
As though her last text message hadn’t said to screw off, Beth smiled like a queen welcoming them into her castle and strode with her hand outstretched. “Amelia.” She was warm and personable and scarily likeable. “It’s really great to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Amelia replied, though she didn’t match Beth’s level of bullshitting bluster.
“Would you like coffee?” Beth guided them toward the kitchen.
“I brought pastries from one of my favorite little places. The almond croissants are my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with the coffee cake muffins.
” She gestured to a platter awaiting their arrival.
“They’re made with oranges and are pretty much an excuse to eat cupcakes for breakfast.”
Amelia hovered by the counter and barely glanced at the spread on the table. “We just ate.”
Beth shrugged happily, playing the part of the happy homemaker putting on a domestic show. “More for me.”
Camden eyed Beth and Amelia. He compared the two women.
He shouldn’t have, but his brain categorized them before he could focus.
They were both type-A and driven, successful in their arenas, and they were memorably, distinctively attractive, but that was where the similarities ended.
If anything, they were opposites. Beth wore fancy high heels and clothes that cost a small fortune.
Amelia wore simple flats and jeans that Camden couldn’t steal his eyes from.
Beth’s hair seemed to laugh in the face of the recent rain and humidity.
Amelia had tied her smooth, dark hair into a low bun at the nape of her neck.
“You worked with Hailey and Jonathan?” Amelia asked, not wasting a moment of time.
Beth angled her head. Her eyes cut to him and back to Amelia when he didn’t meet her inquisitive gaze. “We traveled the same circles, but no. Our assignments didn’t intersect.”
“Do you consider yourself friends?”
“Sure. I did. They were great people.”
Camden noted how Amelia spoke in the present tense and Beth in the past. That made sense, but the distinction made him uneasy.
Mistrust darkened Amelia’s eyes. “I thought I’d met most of their friends. My sister and I are really close.”
A model of patience, Beth nodded with a perfectly crafted empathetic smile. “My job is very different from theirs.”
“How so?”
“I socialize. I flirt. I meet people and establish myself as someone who knows a thing or two about art and history.”
“That’s how you know Hailey and Jonathan?”
Beth nodded. “They taught me a great deal and have saved my ass when I was in way over my head.” For the first time, her expression didn’t look expertly crafted for maximum manipulation. “I’m really sorry for your loss.”
Amelia stepped back and bumped against the counter. He wondered how many times she’d heard that phrase and how many times her mind had kept her from screaming that Hailey was only missing and not dead.
“You okay?” Camden asked under his breath.
She nodded, not keeping her voice as low as his. “I haven’t been sleeping much lately.”
Sympathy registered on Beth’s face. That was the second time he believed her expressions since they arrived. “I have problems sleeping too,” Beth admitted. “Nightmares.”
Amelia’s cheeks paled unevenly. He could see her pulse dance in her neck and didn’t know if sadness or fury was to blame.
She turned toward him. “Could we talk?” With a nod toward Beth, she added, “Privately.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. Maybe taking Amelia there wasn’t his best idea. “Yeah, sure.”
“I can step out if you like.” Beth pushed her perfectly coiffed hair behind her ear and smiled reassuringly. “Or, if there’s anything I can do—”
“There’s not.” Amelia backed from the kitchen and beckoned him toward the front door.
Beth remained unfazed, keeping pace with Amelia’s retreat. “I’ll step into the living room and let you two have the kitchen.”
“I’d rather go for a walk.”
“It’s freezing outside.” The corners of Beth’s eyes tightened. “And I think it’s supposed to pour again soon.”
He glanced out the living room window and noted the much darker skies. Beth wasn’t wrong.
“I’m not going to melt.” Amelia’s eyes bore into Camden. “Will you?”
He laughed. “Nope.”
Beth moved ahead of them and opened a closet door in the foyer. “I’m sure we have an umbrella around here somewhere.”
“Stop. I don’t want anything from you.”
That wasn’t entirely true. If Camden hadn’t known better, that edge of paranoia in Amelia’s words would have caught him off guard, but she was well within her rights to not trust Beth.
“Don’t worry about an umbrella. We’ll be fine.” He took a backward step and bypassed Beth as she had the audacity to look offended. “Let’s roll.”
Beth laid her hands on her hips. “That’s ridiculous.”
Amelia made him proud by suppressing what had to be a monumental eye roll, though as she passed, she tacked on, “You’d be shocked to hear all of the ridiculousness I’ve put up with lately.”
Camden had a good idea how done Amelia was with Beth and the CIA.
That didn’t bode well for her hopes of working together to find Hailey.
They walked out the front door as the first fat raindrops fell again.
He was exhausted by the weather and wished for Abu Dhabi’s warmth.
Camden eyed Amelia’s shirt and shoes. Neither would do well in the rain.
“I’ll grab your coat.” He headed toward the SUV.
“I don’t want it.” She trudged over the lawn. “I just want to clear my mind.”
“Guess the wind and rain will do that.” He jogged to catch up. His arm itched to wrap around her, as though protecting her from raindrops would make everything better. “What’s the matter?”
Amelia didn’t seem to notice the rain.
“Are you concerned she was wearing a wire? That the house is bugged?”
She stopped abruptly. “No. That never occurred to me. Why would she—” Amelia shook her head. “God, why am I dealing with this insanity?”
The rain rolled over them. “But you won’t stay inside or take Beth’s umbrella?”
“I just wanted to leave. I didn’t want to touch anything from her or the CIA.
It couldn’t be any clearer that she thinks Hailey is dead, and it felt stupid to ask about helping find her.
I mean, Jonathan is dead, and I can’t process that yet.
” She balled her hand into a fist and looked like she might scream or cry—either one would work for the situation.
“I miss them both so much. All while Beth is buying the perfect pastry, talking about how great they are. I wanted to strangle the smile off her face.”
“Beth isn’t the enemy.” Though he agreed she could have taken her picture-perfect persona down several notches. The CIA’s involvement wasn’t making Amelia’s grief any easier. “She’s a tool in your arsenal. You can use her to get what you need.”
Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have been giving Amelia hope. Camden ran a hand into his wet hair as rain soaked his shoulders and his clothes clung to his back.
“I need to keep walking.”
He nodded and kept by her side. The rain poured over them. They reached the top of the cul-de-sac.
Her head dipped back, and she stared at the clouds. “Cam, when will this get easier?”
He’d never lost a loved one. He’d never had to deal with the unknown. “I’m not sure, sweetheart.” Not having the answers made him feel helpless. The only thing he could do was help her regain her composure and get her out of the rain. Little droplets ran down her cheeks and caught on her eyelashes.
“Do you want to keep walking or head back?”
Amelia wiped rain from her face and headed down the cul-de-sac toward the main road. “I want to find my sister.”