Page 42 of Daddy's Protection
“Yes,” Jack said.
That wasn’t technically true. They weren’t licensed, Isaiah mused silently. But they were in the private sector now and they were investigating something. Besides, it was easier than explaining what the Daddy Guard was.
“But she’s not hurt?”
Isaiah shook his head. “She’s just fine.”
“Okay. Good.” She settled back in the chair a bit.
“What do you do here?” Isaiah asked after looking around.
Maybe some chit-chat would deescalate the fear and tension Camille seemed to be feeling.
The smile tugging at her lips told him the tactic was working.
“I own a makeup company,” she said proudly.
“That’s pretty cool. You mentioned a new product.”
Her eyes lit up even more. “A whole new lipstick line. We have some pretty heavy hitters endorsing it. I’m not trying to brag, but you might have seen some billboards around town.”
Isaiah thought back and indeed remembered seeing one around Auntie Athena’s down in West Hollywood. “Lune de Camille. That’s you.”
“Yes!” she said proudly. “Aww. That makes me happy that you’ve noticed.”
Isaiah wondered why Cami didn’t work for her aunt’s big company. It wasn’t any of his business. But one would think there would be something she could do for the corporation.
Perhaps Cami wanted to follow her heart and focus on her art. He made a note to ask her about it later.
“You must be very proud of what you’ve built,” Isaiah said. He inched closer toward the edge of the sofa. “Cami gave us your name because we are looking for people who might provide us more backstory. She told us she inherited the house from her grandmother.”
“That’s right,” Camille said. “My attorneys set it all up for Mom and Cami.”
Isaiah nodded. “She told us she owns it, but beyond that, she doesn’t really know anything about the place’s history. Or about her grandmother’s personal life. We’re working from a theory that the person—or people—behind this might not be targetingCami, per se. But maybe this is some sort of grudge that predates her owning the home.”
Camille seemed to be considering it. After a full minute passed, she shook her head. “No. My mom wouldn’t hurt a fly. She had no enemies.”
Isaiah sat back. “What about Cami’s parents?”
Camille was even quicker to shake her head now. “My sister was a saint. So was Cami’s dad. Unfortunately, they both passed several years ago.”
Isaiah already knew the story, as Cami had told him that morning when he’d sat down to take some notes before starting the day’s investigation. But he listened as Camille explained anyway.
“Melanie died two years ago. Cancer.” She shook her head. “Then poor Steve went only six months later. Car accident.” She looked rather uncomfortable, shifting in her chair and tugging on her pants. “He started drinking a little more after Melanie’s death and… I’m not sure… but I assume that led to the crash.”
Isaiah nodded. His heart broke for his Little girl.
“Poor Cami was in her early twenties and already lost both parents. That’s why mom left her that house.”
Isaiah wanted to tread cautiously with his next question. It was a delicate dance, but he didn’t want to make Camille think she was a suspect.
Nothing shut an interview down faster than that.
“She mentioned no one contested the will,” he stated casually.
“Oh, yeah. Me and my brother love that kid so much. We were happy to see her get the house.”
Cami had mentioned an uncle, but stated he lived in New York.
