Ever since my father died I’d relied on Cam for guidance. For a sometimes necessary stern lecture on some topic that plagued my mind. For the pot roast dinners on Sundays. He’d been my father’s best friend and a driving force in my life from the time I was in college.
I actually settled in Sleepy Hollow because he lived here. The original plan was to get a teaching job in Connecticut. I picked this road instead and dealt with the fallout from that mistake every single day since.
“You were the one who investigated the disappearances at the beginning, or did until the FBI stepped in.” I regretted wading into this topic as soon as I said the words.
His mouth formed a thin line. “I’m aware of what my role was.”
A touchy subject but I didn’t have time to tiptoe through his feelings. “My point is that we—all of us involved even tangentially with the Tanner family—will come under scrutiny.”
The press attention and public outcry back then had been brutal. After three months on the case without a single lead, Cam’s boss called for assistance. Cam got edged out right after, leaving what was once a stellar career in shambles. He took early retirement and spent the next few years running security for a beer distributor, then he left that job, too. Now, he sat and drank and offered advice, wanted or not.
He eyed me for a few minutes of silence. “Do you know where Aubrey has been?”
What the hell?“Of course not.”
“Victoria was your best friend. Maybe you felt obligated to protect her daughter. Get her out of town. Away from the questions and the ramifications of her actions.” He stopped talking for a few seconds. “What would you have done to clean up your mess?”
Cam had entered detective mode, shooting questions and comments without giving me a chance to respond. I tried anyway. “How can you ask that? You know how I was... after.”
The staring continued. The only sound in the room came from the light squeak as he rocked the recliner back and forth. “People assumed you knew more than you admitted. All those doubts will come up again.”
As if I didn’t know that. Why did he think I rushed over here? “It’s looking more and more like Aubrey killed her family, so at least I won’t be the only one in the spotlight this time.”
“Not necessarily.”
I’d stomped on, shredded, and buried the blurry pieces and faint memories of that day. Or I tried to. I wanted to believe I’d turned a corner. Became a different person. But stray thoughts would hit me—images I couldn’t shake—and I’d spiral. I was forty-six and sick of withdrawing from life. Eking out an emotional existence while stuck stagnating in survival mode.
“This is a mess.” I balanced my head against the couch cushions behind me. “The whole situation. That night, what I saw and how we handled it, could be a problem for both of us.”
“Both?” He delivered the question in a deadly flat tone.
My head shot up again. I could see the last bits of affection drain from his expression. He’d shifted from tolerating my worries to preparing to fight over them.
Normally, I’d retreat. Regroup and punch down on my feelings. None of that would work this time. Not with Aubrey roaming around town, waiting to unleash whatever hell she’d been planning. “You were at the Tanner house that day.”
“Because I was the detective assigned to the case.”
“We both know you were at that house long before you got the official call about the blood on the floor.”
Cam shifted in his chair. Not a big move. A subtle repositioning that put his face squarely in front of mine. “Are you threatening me?”
“Never.” The blood drained from my head. I could feel it drip and pool. A hit of dizziness came next. I grabbed the nearest pillow and wrapped my arms around it for support. “I’m not doing that. I’m simply asking for help.”
I needed him. I loved him. Sometimes with a mix of fear, other times with a whiff of regret, but always with a twisted father-daughter solidarity.
He sighed. “You need to talk to Stella and Hanna.”
Absolutely not. I dreaded being in their presence again. Seeing the looks on their faces. The blame. “That could backfire.”
“So could ignoring them. You need to control the story.” He leaned forward. Some of the tension eased from his shoulders. “I know this is scary, but those two ladies must be worried. Worry leads to mistakes. You all need to rein in the panic and get control. Read over the timeline of events and what you said back then. Be consistent. Do not change any part of your stories.”
Thinking about expending all that emotional energy wiped me out.
He continued. “Get all of the pieces in line before Aubrey Tanner opens her mouth.”
This was the Cam I knew. Tough but fair. Always wanting the best for me, even if it meant putting his reputation on the line. And that’s exactly what he’d done with the Tanner family disappearance.
Cam had been one of Xavier Tanner’s closest friends and drinking buddies until the night he lost his family and Cam sided with me. A risky, mostly selfless choice based on my clawing desperation in that moment and a promise he’d made to my dad decades before about watching over me.
