Jason Deas - Cameron Caldwell 01 - Private Eye (7 page)

“Let me guess. This is the fake location of a still?”

“You are one smart cookie. We were setting up a still earlier when Billy and some of his henchmen came uncomfortably close on four-wheelers this morning. They’re somehow on to us. We just need to buy a little time by sending them on a wild goose chase. Will you do it?” Claude gave him his best grin, once again with his teeth filled with mayonnaise.

“On one condition.”

Claude nodded.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

Daphne walked to the front of the restaurant again. “All finished for the day.”

“Can I use your office to make a phone call?” Cam asked. “I don’t want the possibility of Billy hearing any background noise.” Daphne nodded and Cam headed toward her office.

Inside it, Cam spotted a copy machine. He lifted the cover, set the map on the glass, and closed it. He pushed the green button on top and the machine flashed and hummed and spit out a copy. Cam folded it and stuck it in his pocket as Billy’s phone rang.

“Who gave you this number?”

“You did. It’s Cameron Caldwell.”

“Of course.”

“I have something I think you need to see immediately.”

“What is it?”

“I was having lunch at Daphne’s diner today and Claude was there. He dropped something out of his pocket and I picked it up without anybody seeing me. It’s a map.”

“I’m on my way. Are you at your office?”

“Yep.”

Cam exited the office and found Daphne and Claude laughing at the front of the restaurant.

“How much longer are you going to be here?” he asked Daphne.

“I’ll wait until your meeting is over and give you a ride home.”

“Thanks.”

“Thank you,” Claude said, as Cam left.

Billy Prescott arrived fifteen minutes later decked out in camouflage. He had exchanged the Stetson for a camo ball cap. He had a compass and a knife on his belt.

“You look different.”

“Been working all day. More money than you ever seen in your life is at stake here, boy.”

“Nice knife. I’m a collector, can I see it?”

“No. I don’t have time for that. Time is money. Let me see what you got.”

“Do you have time for a drink?”

“Maybe a quick one.”

Cam walked behind the bar and grabbed the same bottle of scotch they had enjoyed earlier. He filled two glasses with ice and poured. Cam set the drink in front of Billy.

“Have you been hunting today?”

“Sort of,” he said as he took a pull on the drink. “Been out on the four-wheelers all day looking for a still. I had a contact a few towns away let me know earlier in the day that someone matching Hank’s description had bought a truckload of corn. That only means one thing. They’re about to make a new batch.”

Cam set the map Claude had given him on the bar in front of Billy. He only had to eye it for a second before his eyes lit up.

“That son of a bitch. This is on my land! Those sneaky bastards. No wonder I haven’t been able to find their still, I’ve been looking on their land. They’re dirtier than I thought.”

“Let me ask you a question,” Cam inquired as Billy looked up from the map. “Don’t you already have enough money without this new land deal? From what I hear, you’re one of the richest men in town.”

“Not one of the richest,
the
richest. Let me tell you something that normal people don’t understand.”

Cam observed that Billy didn’t even register he was talking down to him.

“Money isn’t everything.” He took a drink and shook his empty glass at Cam who promptly refilled it.

“The power that comes with money is better than the best sex you’ve ever had in your life, boy.”

There it was again, the second time he’d been called boy. Cam bit his lip and pressed his arm to his side so he wouldn’t reach across the bar and slap the arrogant ass off his stool.

“I own this town and I won’t be told that I can’t build anything by some two-bit hillbilly bootleggers. When I build my ski slope, people will come here from all over the southeast to dump money into my town.”

“And what if it doesn’t work out the way you plan?”

“Shoot,” Billy said, tilting his drink back and slamming it hard against the bar top. He got up without thanking Cam for the information and walked toward the door. “They get in my way again and I’ll kill those two,” he said, leaving without a goodbye.

Chapter Ten

“I think you guys are in real danger,” Cam told Daphne. “He seemed really pissed. He said something about killing you and Claude.”

“He probably says that every day.”

“Why don’t you guys call it quits after this batch of shine? This just seems like it’s getting too risky. I wouldn’t mess with him.”

“He’s all talk.”

“No, he’s not,” Cam said, grabbing her hand. “You think he killed your father. You may be right. He killed Chief Lee.”

“He what?” Daphne stopped and dropped the stack of menus in her hand.

“He killed Chief Lee. I saw it in his eyes this morning.”

“What about my daddy?”

“I can’t see two things. I’m sorry. If a person has done a bunch of horrible things I can only see the last one.”

“Will you keep trying to find out?”

“Of course I will, but if he killed Chief Lee and he killed your father, what makes you think he won’t take you and Claude out as well?”

“That would be too many murders. He would be caught.”

“He doesn’t see it that way. He thinks he’s above the law. He even told me he
owns
this town.”

“I’ll talk to Claude. We do have more money than we could ever spend. If nothing else, maybe we could sell out to Hank.”

“Please talk to him, tonight.”

“I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.” Daphne picked the menus up off the floor. “You ready to go home?” Cam nodded. “Do we need to stop by the liquor store?”

“Nope.”

Daphne drove into Cam’s driveway.

“Do you even have a car?” she asked, as the engine idled.

“Of course I do.”

“Do you ever use it?”

“Rarely. I don’t drink and drive.”

Daphne smiled.

“Do you want to come inside to see what your brother did?”

Daphne shut the engine off. “Sure.”

Cam opened the door and let her enter first. She looked around and nodded her head. “It’s very Claude. Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Cam set a bag down on the counter and pulled out the bottle of Jimmy Buffett tequila. “Can I offer you a drink?”

“I don’t do tequila.”

“It’s not tequila. It’s your product.”

“Oh. No. Do you have any beer?”

Cam walked to the fridge and looked inside. He wasn’t sure if he had consumed all the beer or not. “You’re in luck. I have about eleven beers.”

Daphne laughed. “I’ll start with one. I’d drink shine with you, but I have to be at the diner at five a.m.”

“How do you drink this stuff?”

“Straight. On ice. There are a bunch of ways. I suggest on ice.”

Cam handed her a beer and walked back into the kitchen. He opened the freezer door and grabbed a few ice cubes and plopped them in a glass. He opened the bottle and sniffed. Pouring the clear liquid over the ice, he then recapped the bottle. Daphne was sitting on the couch. He took a seat next to her. She watched him carefully.

“What?”

“Take a sip. Tell me what you think.”

Cam took a tiny sip. He waited and took a big one. “Whoa! That’s smooth but it feels like there’s a freight train running down my throat toward my stomach.”

“There is,” Daphne said, laughing. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She set them on the table next to the couch. “My glasses hurt my eyes by the end of the day.” She looked at Cam.

He was about to take another drink when he paused. “You look different without your glasses.”

“How so?”

Cam stumbled on his words. “I … I don’t know. Just different.” He looked back to his glass and took another sip.

“You’ve never told me anything about your personal life,” Daphne set her beer down.

“Not much to tell. I was almost married once. Almost.”

“She cheated on you?”

“Yeah. And I saw it in her eyes.” Cam finished his first drink and got up to make a second.

“If you’ve never had that before you might want to wait a minute to see how it affects you.”

Cam lifted his head in acknowledgement but continued on with his task.

“Make me one.”

“What happened to five a.m.?”

“I can take just one. I might have to crash here on the couch, but one won’t kill me.”

Cam got out another glass and ice cubes to match. As he poured their drinks he took another look at Daphne and swore she was getting more beautiful by the second.
Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.

They sat down with their drinks.

“What about you? Ever been married or in a serious relationship?”

“Married, no. Serious relationship, yes.”

“And? What happened?”

“It just didn’t work out. He moved and wanted me to go with him. I chose to stay.”

Cam saw the sadness in her eyes. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” A wave flew through his body of the likes he had never felt before. It felt good and mysterious. Warm and friendly. He reached out and grabbed the side of Daphne’s face and pulled her to him. As his lips found hers, his left hand grabbed at her hips and pulled her closer. A moment later she was on top of him as Cam’s hands ran up inside her shirt. Her body ground against his. A second wave hit Cam and he popped up, tossing her to the other side of the couch.

“What the fuck is happening? Oh my God, this feels so good and horrible all at the same time. Daphne?”

“I’m right here,” she said, grabbing his hand.

“I want to take a bath.”

“OK.”

“Will you bring me another drink?”

“Are you sure you need one?”

“If you don’t get it for me, I’ll get it myself.”

“Run the water. I’ll get it.”

Daphne heard the water run as she poured Cam a new drink. She wondered what she would think and feel when she would bring him his drink and see him lying naked in the tub. She slowly opened the bathroom door and found him submerged, fully clothed, in the bath. She handed him his drink and went to make one more for herself.
Tomorrow, we’re closed.

She sat on the toilet seat with her new drink and watched Cam in the tub. He had removed his shirt. She squeezed some water out of it and put it in the sink. He splashed water on his face and told her how good it felt. He even asked her if it felt good. “Does my face feel good?”

“You said it did.”

“Oh yeah. It does.” Cam studied his hands. He looked at Daphne. “Do you want to see my room?”

“I do.”

Cam left his clothes in the tub and walked to his bedroom with Daphne in tow. Once in his room, he wrapped his arms around her and didn’t let go until both of them were fully satisfied and spent.

Chapter Eleven

Claude walked into Cam’s room to find Cam and Daphne in a tangled mess of sheets. They were both dead to the world.

“Excuse me,” Claude tried softly.

“Hello!” he said a little louder.

“
Wake up!
” he finally yelled when neither of them had moved.

They both sat up groggily. Neither of them had any idea where they were. They looked across the bed at each other and down to the bed. Memories started flooding in and they both looked back to Claude.

“Billy is dead, and I need a sandwich.”

“I’m sorry, we’re closed,” Daphne said, getting out of bed, looking for her clothes.

“Billy Prescott is dead?” Cam pulled the covers up around himself.

“You can say that again.”

“My head hurts too bad to say anything twice.”

“Billy Prescott is dead. Or he’s missing a hand and can’t seem to find his way to the hospital. Chief Gomez found his hand on the main drag on her way into work this morning. Had his stupid softball World Series ring on his finger. Do you remember when he set up that dumbass tournament?” Claude turned his attention to Daphne who was almost dressed.

Cam snapped his fingers to get his attention. “So what you’re saying is that they found Billy’s hand, but can’t find Billy? And the rest of him hasn’t made its way to a hospital, so he must be dead?”

“Bang,” Claude pointed his index finger at him. “How do you like your eggs?”

“Over easy.”

“I only do scrambled,” Claude said, walking out of the room.

Daphne spun as she searched for her shirt. She looked on her knees. She looked all around the floor. When she neared Cam’s side of the bed he reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her onto the bed with him. She lay on top of him with her head looking up to him.

“This wasn’t a one time thing,” Cam said, looking into her eyes.

“It was for me.”

“What?”

“I haven’t told you everything about my past relationship and I’m not ready right now for more trouble.”

Cam nodded his head. “OK. Can we talk more about it later?”

“Sure.”

“I’m trouble, huh?” Cam asked. Daphne just raised her eyebrows.

“Let’s go see what happened last night,” Cam said, tossing Daphne her shirt, which had been under the covers.

Over breakfast, Cam asked, “So how’d you hear about it?”

“Well, I went to Daphne’s for breakfast as usual and there was a crowd gathered at the door. I told them you were sick and I put a sign on the door saying so.”

“Thanks,” Daphne said.

“You’ve never been late before or even closed to my recollection, so I figured you wouldn’t make it today. Little did I know I’d find you here. I checked your house first. But, I’m so happy for you two,” he said with a big smile.

“It’s not like that,” Cam said buttering a piece of toast. “Your sister thinks I’m trouble.”

“You are,” Claude agreed.

“He has issues,” Daphne said, giving Cam a wink.

“He’s got a whole subscription,” Claude agreed.

“The drinking, the feelings he has for Blanca …”

“Wait a minute,” Cam protested.

“I thought you said we were going to talk about this later?”