My back stiffened. “That’s twice now I’ve asked for James’s location, and both times you changed the subject. Where is he, Carter?”
He took a beat. “He told me not to tell you.”
“Why?”
“Probably not why you think.”
“What do you think I’m thinking?”
“That he doesn’t trust you.”
Funny, that hadn’t even occurred to me. “I know he trusts me, so why doesn’t he want me to come find him?”
“I’m not sure if you noticed, Harper, but Skeeter’s my boss. If he doesn’t want to tell me things, I’m sure as hell not gonna push it.”
“But you know where he is?”
“I do.” He hesitated, before adding, “I’m guessing he doesn’t want you involved in getting the information.”
I let that sink in, not sure how to feel about it. Did he think I’d stop him? Would I? But the more likely answer was he didn’t want me to get my hands dirty. He was protecting me. I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or annoyed.
But no matter the reason, I knew Carter wouldn’t tell me, so arguing would be a waste of time.
“I think the hotel is safe for now,” I said. “It’s probably too soon for Knox to realize we’ve attacked his operation. I’ll head back and wait there.”
“I think you should go somewhere else until Skeeter’s done. Maybe head east or north this time and wait for word from him.”
“No,” I said forcefully. “I’m going back to Little Rock, but if I get close to the hotel and think something’s up, I’ll leave and let you know.”
“Are you going to let him know your plan?”
“Yeah, and I’ll give him some highlights about what I learned from Emily.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “Hey, how are you doing with all this?”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” I said with a humorless laugh. “A lot has happened in the last three weeks.”
“True. I’m talking about this mess with Knox, bein’ on the run. What your dealin’ with in Little Rock.”
I considered his question. “Honestly, better than I expected.”
“You sure?” he prodded.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”
“Okay.”
I started to hang up, then blurted out, “Hey, Carter. Do you have any information on Nixon?”
“You’re not thinkin’ about going after him by yourself, are you?”
“No. I don’t have a death wish. I just want to compare it to the description Emily gave me.”
“I don’t have anything on him,” he said. “But I’ll see what I can find.”
“Thanks.”
I hung up, trying to decide what to do next. I knew I should probably go back to the hotel, but I was still wired from the last few hours, and I didn’t feel like hiding in a fancy hotel room while James was working the case. Even if I didn’t let myself dwell on how he was working it.
