Page 40 of Midnight Secrets

Lifting a hand, he ran it through his hair, further mussing the strands. I stuffed my hands into my robe pockets, so I wasn’t tempted to fix it.

“You can call me whatever you want. Piper will probably be pleased her nickname has spread beyond our friend group back home.”

“Who is this Piper? Your girlfriend?” I was fishing, and he probably knew it, but I didn’t care. Curiosity got the best of me.

“No. She’s just a friend. It’s a long story, but we met a little over a year ago on a case. I was assigned to her protection detail.”

My eyes rounded. “Protection detail?”

“Yeah. She was a witness to some drug theft that involved a Colombian cartel. It was a whole”—he circled a hand in the air—“thing.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Anyway, I’m not here to talk about my past life. Are you still willing to go with me to the Hammonds’ cabin? I’ll keep you at a safe distance. I just need you to get me close, and to be another set of eyes and ears. I spoke to the Hoonah police chief today.It’s only him and one other officer, so he can’t spare anyone. My fellow staties will take a week or more to get someone here. I thought about hiring a guide, but I wasn’t given the budget for that. The chief here gave me permission to use their equipment, though. ATVs, camping gear, that sort of thing. I know it’s a lot to ask, but?—”

I waved a hand, cutting him off. “It’s fine. I volunteered.”

“Are you sure? What about your meeting?”

“I had it earlier, and everything is squared away.”

“That was quick.”

I lifted a shoulder. “There wasn’t much to it. Just a normal closing.” Well, sort of. I didn’t normally fly to Hoonah for closings. A lot of times, my clients flew to Juneau to the bigger banks, and we signed papers there. But for Mrs. Avondale, I would always make an exception. She’d been a family friend since before I could walk, and traveling was hard on her now that she was in her eighties. I didn’t mind coming to her to close on the hunting land she transferred to her grandson.

“So, do you have everything ready so we can leave first thing?” I asked.

“I think so. Chief Bartles helped me gather everything. I’m not clueless when it comes to hiking and camping, so it was just a matter of making sure we have the right cold-weather gear.”

“Okay. Sounds good.” We might be into the first week of March now, but the nights could be brutal yet, and the weather still liked to shift on a dime. “Are you staying here?” I pointed a finger to the floor, indicating the hotel. “Or is the chief putting you up?”

“I’m staying here. He and his family fed me dinner. They offered me a room, but I’d already booked one here.” His mouth twisted and a lopsided smile formed. “I’ll know not to do that in the future. His wife berated me and told me not to be so dense the next time.”

I laughed. “That sounds like Christina.”

“You know her?”

“She’s the friend I told you about from whom I could borrow clothing.” I would give her a call this evening to make the request. We could pick it up before we set out, then.

He huffed an unsurprised laugh. “Of course it is. Is there anyone you don’t know?”

I shrugged. “Probably, but not many.” It was true. I’d grown up in this area of the state. It was vast, but it still had a small-town feel. And I was a real estate agent. I spent a lot of time in the local communities.

Smiling, he glanced away, and his gaze lit on the TV. “You likeI Love Lucytoo?”

I turned to look at the television. “Of course. TV Land and I have a great relationship. Especially when I travel.”

“Same. It seems like every other channel is some strange fishing show or cartoons. Or the Lifetime movies.” He sent a horrified look my way. “Please tell me you’re not one of those people who lives and breathes them.”

A soft chuckle escaped. “No. I’ll admit, I’ve watched a few, but it’s not the first thing I look for. You think they’re terrible?”

“Just too much drama for me. They’re all doom and gloom. Where’s the fun in that?”

“In the mystery.”

“I get enough of that at work.”

“True,” I acknowledged with a quick tip of my head. “Would you like to stay and watchI Love Lucy?” The words were out before I even realized my brain wanted to make the request.

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