Page 144 of It Runs in the Family

“I never said you were lyin’,” I said defensively as I sat on the edge of the bed.

“You didn’t have to.” He turned in his chair to face me. “I don’t blame you for doubting me, but I promise I’ll tell you if I learn something.”

I squinted at him. “But why would you tell me? Isn’t that against some kind of rule?”

He hesitated. “We’re working together on this, and you’ve been invaluable today. If I learn something on here, you might be able to help me figure it out.” He gestured to the screen. “In fact, why don’t you look at it and see if you can make heads or tails of it.”

“Are you serious?” I asked in disbelief.

“Totally.” He got up and pulled out the chair, then moved to the side.

I sat in his chair, then scooted closer to the table. I scanned the sheet, but Boone was right. It had to be in some kind of code. There weren’t any words, just numbers and letters. The only thing that looked even remotely familiar were the coordinates with dots that I’d thought could be latitude and longitude lines, but now I wasn’t so sure. The numbers were too far-ranging.

I shook my head. “This makes no sense.”

He was sitting on the bed, leaning over and resting his forearms on his legs. “That’s my thought too. But if I don’t figure it out within the next few hours, I’m gonna have to hand it over to my DEA source.”

“Why do you have to turn it over in a few hours and not now?”

“Because I worked out a deal with my friend.”

“Why not just hand it over?” I asked. “Why keep it?” Deep in my gut, I knew, but I wanted to hear him say it.

Pain washed over his face. “Cody.”

I nodded.

“If he gets sent to prison, it will kill my mother.”

“You’re hoping to keep him out of trouble?”

“That was my original plan, but I think we’re past that.” He covered his face with his hand. “I don’t know how to protect him other than to try to figure out where he is before the DEA finds his group. But if I don’t, prison is better than dead.”

He had a point.

I got up and sat down next to him. “I’ll help you however I can, Boone. Just like you’re helping me find Selena. Wasn’t that our original deal? To help each other find them?”

He didn’t respond.

“My cousin Rita called right before I came in. She heard about the murder and asked me if it was Selena.”

He dropped his hand and stared at me. “Why would she think you’d know?”

“For one, to gossip. But she’s also worried about her sister. She wanted my assurance Selena’s okay. I suggested she call Garrett and ask him.”

“He’s not gonna tell her the girl’s name,” Boone said. “He’s too straight and narrow.”

“He won’t give her Rebecca’s name, but he can tell her it wasn’t Selena.”

He paused. “I’m sure it was hard not telling her the victim wasn’t her sister.”

I made a face. “Actually, it was easier than I’d expected.” And I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Now seemed like a good time to force a vision. I decided I’d ask when Boone would see Cody again. It wouldn’t show me the date or time, but I was hoping I’d see their reunion, and hopefully the vision would help me figure out what else had taken place.

But just as I put my hand on his arm, his phone rang, startling me. I jumped back, partially from guilt. I’d been about to force a vision without permission again. Sure, I could make all kinds of excuses justifying it, but justification was a slippery slope. Especially since I cared about Boone.

He slid out his phone and answered with, “Hello.” He was silent for several seconds then his eyes widened slightly. “No kidding.”