Damn. Two strong leads pointing in two different directions. “We’re on our way to an address where Jessie might be.”
“Yeah, I get it. Your sister comes first. But what if she isn’t there, and Adam knows where she is, but he checks out of the hospital before anyone can interrogate him? Put Tina on.”
“I’m right here,” said Tina. “What’s up?”
“Benny Clyde was found dead today. It looks suspicious.”
Tina exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Jack. Shit just got even more serious. “Any more details?”
“Not that I can share. We got booted out of the investigation before it even started.”
“By who?”
“Folks with federal badges, that’s about all I know. But Luke doesn’t want me to go anywhere right now. Can you get to that hospital where Adam was taken? It’s not about me and my hurt feelings anymore. What if he’s connected to Benny’s death?”
“What makes you think he might be?”
“I saw them exchange a few words on the dock once. It didn’t look casual, but Adam brushed it off when I asked what they’d talked about. I can’t believe Benny’s gone. He was a hell-raiser, but he was ours, you know?”
They heard the sound of a soft sob.
“I’m sorry, Marigold. Listen, what do you know about Benny having a house in Harbortown?”
“Harbortown? No way. The Clydes hate Harbortown. They always crash at the Motel Six after a night out drinking.”
“Any chance that could have changed?”
“Well sure, I’m not their babysitter. I can ask Sandy, but she might slam the door in my face this time. She’s sick of me by now.”
“It’s okay, you have enough to juggle. Listen, I’ll see what I can do about Adam. I’ll be in touch.” She jabbed the “end call” button and swung the car in a wide curve so they were now going the other direction.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Jack demanded.
“I saw an Avis back that way. You can take this car, I’ll rent another one.”
“You think we should split up? Seriously?”
She shot him a level look from behind the wheel. “Can you think of a better plan? If Seth Baker is connected to murder, I want to be on his ass. And I know you don’t want to wait any longer to see if Jessie’s in Harbortown.”
But…but…a million objections ran through his head. He wasn’t a police officer. What if Jessie was being held by people with guns? He had no idea what he was going to encounter. What if he made things worse?
“Hey.” She put a hand on his knee. “Just don’t do anything reckless. Scope it out. Let me know what you see and we’ll go from there. If there’s any need for backup, I’ll call it in for you. You’ve got this.”
She sounded a whole lot more confident than he felt. “Do I, though? I’m just an actor.”
“That is completely untrue.” She pulled into the lot of the Avis rental agency and jerked the car to a stop. “You are a smart, intuitive, empathic, creative man and you’re quick on your feet. Maybe too quick sometimes, so that’s my one warning. Don’t be reckless.”
She opened the door and hopped out.
He felt a sense of panic at the thought of parting ways—not because of what he would encounter, but because he liked being by her side so much. He didn’t want that to change. Being with her was…everything. “Wait a second.”
He slid out of the car and came around to the driver’s side. He cupped one hand around the back of her head. Even though she was substantially shorter than him, it always felt as if they stood eye to eye. “All those compliments, but I notice you left out handsome, charming and sexy.”
She flashed him a grin. “I guess some things go without saying.”
“Maybe. But maybe some things need saying. You be careful, promise? I don’t want…well, it turns out that you’ve become pretty important to me. I’m starting to feel like we’ve stumbled into something big.”
“Exactly.” Her eyes gleamed, and he detected not an ounce of fear in those beautiful black depths. She was in her element, a detective on the hunt, all her bloodhound instincts fully in charge. “I agree, there’s something huge going on here.”
