Grandma pointed at her throat.When she spoke, Jill could barely hear it, barely make out the one word she managed to croak out.“Can’t.”
Just like had happened after Benjamin Bennet’s trial, when Grandma had managed to speak in front of all those people for the first time, then struggled to come up with words to explain after, Jill really did believe this was acan’t, not awon’t.
“You just need to relax,” Jill said in a soothing voice, wrapping her arm fully around Grandma’s shoulders and leading her toward the cabin.“We just need to deal with whatever this is.Let the truth… do its job.Secrets are hurting you, Grandma.They’re stealing your voice.Please.Please.Let mehelp.”
Grandma stopped allowing Jill to lead her forward, stopping stubbornly, but she clutched Jill’s arm.
“Boston,” Grandma rasped.
“What?You want to go to Boston?”
“Not me.Go back to Boston, Jill.Now.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Honor’s Edge Investigations Office
“Kalispell.”
Sam bit her lip to keep from interrupting the conversation currently happening between Cal and Nate.She kept her head down, focusing on the work she was doing on her laptop while Cal and Nate squared off in front of her.
Nate didn’t approve of Cal’s plan, and Sam… well, she understood Cal’s point of view better than Nate’s.But she wasn’t going toverballytake Cal’s side.At least not in front of Cal.
She didn’t quite understand how Jake Hayes had become a part of this, but she figured that was the nature of the small-town beast.Sam was kind of glad Cal was involving law enforcement.
She knew Nate didnotagree on that score either—especially when it involved this particular law enforcement agent.
“We’re just going to drive up, talk to the guy, drive back in the morning.No big deal,” Cal said, bag on his shoulder, ready to head out the door.
Except Nate was blocking it.“No big deal?You think he’s the guy drawing yourdeaththreats, and you should just confront the guy?And it’sno big deal.”
“I’m not handling it alone.I’m bringing a cop.”
Sam snuck a glance up to see Nate’s frown turn into a full-on sneer.No doubt at the mention of Jake.“Maybe the Kalispell police should handle it.We’ll give them a call and—”
“No.I need to do this.”
“WithHayes?”Disgust dripped from Nate’s tone.
The kind Sam didn’t think was totally founded, but she wasnotwading into this.
If she had to bite her own damn tongue off.
Cal lifted a negligible shoulder—whether he did it without thinking or purposefully to piss his brother off, he succeeded on the latter.“Terrible news, Nate.”He reached out, squeezed Nate’s shoulder.“I am a grown man, and you have no say in what I do.”
He flashed a grin—first at Nate, then at Sam.“See you guys around.”Then he headed for the door.
Sam opened her mouth to stop him, but Nate beat her to it.
“Cal.At least… keep us up to date,” he said, a little exasperated.A little desperate.
Cal paused, hesitated, then gave a little salute.“Aye, aye, captain.”It was an obnoxious response, but it wasn’t ano.
“I should go with,” Nate muttered, his gaze following Cal as he moved down the sidewalk in front of the big storefront window and then disappeared.
Sam absolutely didnotthink he should go with—not with Jake involved, but arguing with him wasn’t going to get that through his head.“I can take Hyatt for you if that’s what you think is best,” Sam offered innocently from her seat behind her desk.
Nate turned and studied her with a scowl.“Don’t reverse-psychology me.”
