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“We got some medicine for your wrists, but wait until after you eat to use it. It stinks,” Cameron said.
Tate grinned. “Thanks for the heads up.”
Wade and Cameron suddenly stopped, looked at the couple and then at each other. Their eyebrows went up, but it was Wade who spoke.
“You two are sitting together. Nola said something positive, and Tate smiled. What the hell’s going on?”
Nola looked to Tate to explain.
“Sit,” Tate said, and then lowered his voice. “It was Nola’s idea. After the news broke about a witness, with us hovering around her…well, you know where I guessed that would lead. She suggested we let people assume we were renewing our relationship to explain that away.”
Cameron eyed her closely. “That’s actually a good idea, especially since the identity of the witness who wasn’t a witness has pretty much been revealed.”
Nola’s smile disappeared as she cast a nervous glance in Tate’s direction, but he shrugged.
“It was only a matter of time. However, this is the best we can do, and the less said the better.”
“Am I in a lot of danger?” Nola asked.
“Maybe. Hang with us,” Tate said, going through the burgers until he found the one with mayo and no onions. “Here, this one is yours.”
She took the burger and unwrapped it. “Is there any—”
Tate handed her a packet of salt.
Wade grinned. “Well, isn’t this something? Just like an old married couple. Knows what she likes to eat and knows she’s gonna ask for salt before the words come out of her mouth. What do you think, Cameron?”
Cameron pointed at the sack. “I think you need to hand me my burger. It’s the one with double cheese and ketchup. And don’t forget fries. I ordered fries.”
“I ordered fries for everyone,” Wade muttered.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you won’t eat them all, anyway,” Tate said.
When the three partners laughed, Nola laughed along with them, even though she didn’t really feel like it. She’d told Tate she would follow his lead, and if this was it, she was game. She took a bite of her burger and dipped a French fry in the ketchup Tate squirted on the paper. She’d never thought about what she might want her last meal to be, and she sincerely hoped this wouldn’t be it.
* * *
Cameron Winger was kicked back on his cot with his laptop open, but he was watching the Red Cross crew back in the kitchen while the facial recognition program continued to run.
There were a half-dozen or so people back in the kitchen area, talking and playing cards as they waited for the last delivery truck to show up so they could unload it and go home.
Judd Allen was shuffling the deck, while Bill Carter and Laura appeared to be arguing, something about dealing from the bottom of the deck. Two men Cameron knew only as Brad and John were watching a small television set up in the corner of the room, waiting for their new cards to be dealt. Leon Mooney was sitting by himself eating a bag of chips and drinking a Coke, while a woman named Patty was refilling everyone’s coffee cups.
Cameron had one eye on his computer screen and the other on Nola, who was at the far end of the gym talking to friends. Tate was at their field office, which they’d set up in the police station, finishing up some reports, and Wade was somewhere outside.
All of a sudden the program signaled a match, and Cameron jumped. It was Judd Allen’s face, but the name under the photo was Grady Bell. Tate had been right. Bell had done time, and there were two outstanding arrest warrants on him, one for armed robbery, the other for assault, both from the state of Washington. He frowned. The man only matched a couple of markers on the profile of their killer, and Cameron couldn’t see anything in his rap sheet that would lead anyone to think he would start committing random murders. He was, however, a wanted man. Cameron closed the laptop, and then got up and walked to a more secure place to call Tate, who answered on the first ring.
“Hello.”
“It’s me,” Cameron said. “We got a hit on Judd Allen, just like you thought, only his name is Grady Bell. He has two outstanding arrest warrants from Washington State, one robbery, one assault, but I don’t think he’s our killer. You need to let the chief know. Maybe they can get him out of here without alerting anyone to what’s going on. I’d hate to do anything to scare these people. They’ve been through enough.”
“I knew he was jumpy about something,” Tate said. “I’ll tell Beaudry. Is Nola okay?”
“Yes. She’s at the far end of the gym visiting with some friends.”
“Okay. I’m just about done here. I’ll be back before long.”
“See you soon,” Cameron said, and hung up.
