Page 69 of I’ll Be Watching You

“Yesterday. We shared a pint here, he went up to his camp, I stayed. Now go.”

“Thanks,” Nate said. He stood, reached into his backpack and pulled out a water bottle and an energy bar. “For after your nap,” he said and put them on a large rock. “If you want a room, let me know.” He slid his business card under the water bottle.

We walked away.

“He’s not going to take you up on it,” I said.

“Probably not,” Nate said, not looking at me, his shades concealing his eyes.

“It’s fucked,” I said.

“Yep,” Nate said.

We headed back toward Forty-Third. I looked at my phone. Luisa wanted to talk, said she had an idea to get info out of the VA and needed my help. I pocketed the phone.

“What?” Nate asked.

“Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. You have that thinking look on your face.”

“We should wait for Novak. He’ll come back.”

“Yeah, he will, but we don’t know when. I’ll wait—you have other people to find.”

“It could take all day.”

“Do you think that Jim Novak has information that’s going to help your dad?”

I hesitated, then nodded.

“Then I’m staying. Give me that information about the place in Cave Creek you mentioned.”

“How are you going to get him there?”

“I’m keeping your Jeep.”

“You are?”

“Yep. You can Uber back.”

“You’re annoying,” I said.

“Well, I figure getting Novak to get into a stranger’s little Kia is going to be a lot more difficult that telling him I’ll take him someplace.”

“You think he’ll go with you?”

“Yep.”

“Cocky.”

“If he doesn’t, I’ll stay until he gives me the information you need. It’s important, Margo, and truly, I’m going to have more success with Jim than you.”

He was right, though I didn’t like to hear it.

Nate was a complex guy.

I pulled out my keys, took off the key to the Jeep, and tossed it to him. He caught it one-handed.