Just another look between father and son. Definitely tension going on.
Kane laughed. “My father refuses to learn how things are done now.”
“I know how they are done,” Daniel said, laughing, more of a forced sound. “I also know that you don’t rush things either. My son forgets I built this company he’ll take over someday.”
“That’s right,” Kane said. “I appreciate it daily. Something to pass onto my kids.”
Time to band together and bond. He’d keep the vomit from his mouth. “I’ve learned patience more than I care to. If you don’t mind, can you give me some background on how you ended up in Lake George and what you’ve done for the community? Then we can move on to the effect Rene’s unsolved murder has had. It’d be nice to hear life just moved on in different directions.”
He had to practice saying that in the mirror a few times without a sneer.
Daniel ate it right up and bragged about himself for forty minutes while he took notes. He barely got other questions in there, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t care about their history; it was more about watching their reactions to how they saw the events of that time.
When he left an hour later, his skin itched as vile thoughts rushed over his body more times than he could count.
Through it all, he kept his smile in place and calm in order.
“How did it go?” Gale asked him that night on the phone. He wanted her to come over, but she was home working and couldn’t give him the time he always wanted.
“They seemed to fall for it. Thanks for the idea. I wish I had come up with it myself.”
Her soft laugh on the other end of the line had his blood pumping at an accelerated rate. “I know them better than you. Their egos are bigger than the Adirondacks. The thought they could be in a book or on TV would turn their attention. Do you think they bought it you’re just doing that and not searching for the killer?”
“I don’t want to sound cocky, but by the time I left, Daniel sure the hell did. Kane, he’s a tough read, but there is a lot of tension there.”
“I think there always has been. They are two of a kind. Kane has had to prove himself more than he’d want to, and Daniel is reluctant to let go even though he’s getting older.”
“He’s only mid-sixties,” he said. “Lots of people are still working then.”
“I know. But Kane wants it all.”
“I saw that. They didn’t give me much more than I could have read of their history online.”
“You didn’t want that. You wanted to get in their faces.”
“I did. They know I’ve talked to several and plan on more. I’ll be setting that up this week too because I’m positive they are watching even more now.”
“They’ve been watching all along.”
“I know, but it will increase. I want that. Maybe they will get sloppy and make a mistake.”
“One can only hope. What’s your next move?”
“Talking to Detective Miller. If he’ll return my call. I’ve got his address and might just pay him a surprise visit. But I’ll call again tomorrow. If my guess is right, now that Daniel and Kane talked to me, Miller might too.”
“I want to be pissed about that, but something tells me it will happen. And it will let Ford know there could have been moles in his department.”
“He could have more. Maybe this is a good way to flush it out. As much as I want to say one of them is guilty, there is still part of me that thinks it’s more about expanding their business and what bad press could do. At least that is how I read what they’d said today.”
It’d only pissed him off more when they boasted how they overcame his sister’s murder to turn the community around. As if they should get some award for it.
“I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight. You sound like you could use a hug.”
“I could,” he admitted. “Maybe Friday night again. Or this weekend?”
“I can do that,” she said.
“Would it confuse you if I said I missed you?”
