Don't Back Down, page 14
“Just a hunting trip on the mountain,” Cameron said, and then paused. “Forgive me for interrupting your meal. I have a to-go order to pick up and my dog is waiting for me in the Jeep.” He handed Rusty a card. “Call me. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Rusty slipped it in her pocket. “I used to pray you would make it home, and now I see my prayers were answered. I’ll definitely call you later today, if that’s okay?”
Cameron laughed, and the sound carried across the room, turning heads again.
“Okay? Lady, if you didn’t, I’d come looking for you to find out why.”
Then he kissed her full on the lips again, nodded at Michael and her family, then went up front to pick up his to-go order and walked out.
Rusty sat back down in her chair with a plop. Her cheeks were pink. Her eyes were full of tears, and her voice was shaking. “Oh, Aunt Pat. Do you believe in love at first sight?”
Patricia smiled. “I’ve heard it’s possible.”
Michael put his hand on Liz’s shoulder. “Liz, I miss you. May I call you tonight?”
Liz sighed. Considering she’d just witnessed the death of her last fantasy, it was probably a good idea to pick up where they’d left off.
“I suppose,” she said, and picked up her menu, leaving Michael to walk away on his own. She gave Rusty a long look and then grinned. “Well, Cuz. You’re something of a dark horse, aren’t you?”
Rusty shrugged. “Not really. He’s the only man I ever wanted, and when he disappeared from my life, all I knew was I didn’t want a second best.”
Liz looked back at the menu. “What are you having…besides a hard-on for Cameron Pope?”
Patricia glared. She hated it when her daughter got bawdy.
Rusty heard jealousy in the tone and ignored her.
Their waitress’s appearance ended the foolishness. They gave her their orders, then as soon as she was gone, Liz and Patricia started grilling Rusty again. Finally, she gave in.
“Look, you two. It wasn’t a secret. It was a one-night stand that changed my life. I knew he was going back to war, and he knew nothing about me. We made a pact. No promises. No regrets, and no names. He called me Angel. I called him Soldier Boy. When I woke up the next morning, he was gone, and I felt like he’d taken a piece of me with him. In a way, I’ve been at war with myself ever since. Finding him here after all this time feels like such a gift, and to know he feels the same way is a miracle. I’m not going to dissect anything about it.”
Patricia reached across the table and patted Rusty’s hand. “Understood, and just so you know, I’m happy that you’re happy.”
“Thank you,” Rusty said.
Liz glanced up. “Finally, here comes our food. After all this drama, I could eat a horse.”
***
Cameron left with a sandwich in a bag and new orders to follow. Not all of their dramatic embrace had been sweet whispers. After what he’d told her last night about the photos on Kevin Vanzant’s laptop, Rusty was sending him on his first mission—to pay a visit to Kevin Vanzant.
He sat in the parking lot long enough to eat the sandwich he’d ordered, sharing some of it with Ghost, then tossed the trash in a garbage can and headed out of town.
He was on his way to the campground when he began hearing sirens behind him. He glanced up, saw two police cars coming up fast and pulled over. They flew past him with lights flashing and sirens screaming.
Frowning, he pulled back onto the highway. A few moments later he glanced up in the rearview mirror again and saw three more police cars behind him, running hot. As he pulled over again to let them pass, he realized these were from the county sheriff’s office. Now the hair was standing up on the back of his neck. Something bad was going down and he was right behind them.
When they took the turn into Barton’s campground, he did the same, and was immediately flagged down by one of the local police. Before Cameron could get out, the policeman was knocking on the window.
Cameron rolled it down. “Hey, Charlie, what’s going on?”
“They found a dead body at one of the campsites.”
Cameron frowned. “What happened? Some kind of accident?”
“Yeah. The dude got in front of someone else’s bullet, but I didn’t tell you that.”
“Has he been identified?” Cameron asked.
Charlie shrugged. “Some guy doing research for a college degree. Been here all summer and now this. But I didn’t tell you that, either. Understand?”
“His name wouldn’t be Kevin Vanzant, would it?” Cameron asked.
“I didn’t verify that, did I?” Charlie said. “This place is off-limits for now. Sorry.”
“No problem,” Cameron said. “I’ll come back another time,” he added, then backed up and headed back to town.
He knew Rusty would still be at the restaurant with her family, but this was her investigation and he had to let her know. He pulled over on the shoulder of the highway long enough to send her a text.
Cops all over campground. Dead body found. Word is that it’s Vanzant. He was shot. Local police and county on scene. Awaiting orders.
***
The Caldwell girls were debating about ordering dessert when Rusty’s phone began to vibrate in her purse.
“Sorry,” she said. “I know I’m on leave, but my job overrules ignoring calls.” She was still smiling as she pulled out her phone and read the text. Shock rolled through her as the smile froze on her face. “I have to take this. Excuse me a sec,” she said, and headed outside with the phone in her hand.
The moment she was out of earshot, she called Jay Howard.
“Hello. Special Agent Howard speaking.”
“This is Rusty. We’re getting word that Kevin Vanzant’s body was found at his campsite a short while ago. He was shot. Cameron Pope said local and county police are both on the scene, which bothers me. If they start arguing jurisdiction, we may lose an evidence trail. What are your orders?”
“Shit,” Howard muttered. “What do you suppose prompted this?”
“We know nothing beyond what I told you earlier about the photos on the laptop.”
“This changes everything,” Howard said. “I can’t get there in time to stop the dispersal of evidence, so you are officially no longer undercover. Go in and claim the crime scene as part of an ongoing federal investigation. I’ll get the team down there as soon as possible. Don’t let them remove anything, and keep me updated.”
“Yes, sir,” Rusty said, then called Cameron. As soon as he answered, she started talking.
“Where are you right now?” she asked.
“On my way back into town.”
“Come get me. Undercover is over. I’ve got to get to the scene ASAP.”
“On the way,” Cameron said.
Rusty hurried back inside and slid back into her seat and leaned forward, speaking softly.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have a lot of time to explain. I’m in Jubilee as part of an ongoing investigation that just blew up in our faces. I’ve got to leave for a while. I’ll tell you more later, but right now I’ve got to get to a crime scene before crucial evidence disappears.”
Patricia gasped. “In Jubilee?”
Liz grabbed Rusty by the wrist. “Will you be in danger?”
“It’s part of the job,” Rusty said as she pulled out a handful of twenties and left them on the table. “That’s enough for the lunch and tip. I have to go. Both of you go home. For now, don’t talk about this to anyone but Uncle Ray.”
Then she grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair, slung her purse over her shoulder and bolted.
Patricia’s face had lost all its color and her voice was shaking. “She’s still limping,” she mumbled.
Liz was still reeling from Rusty and Cameron’s reunion, and now this. She didn’t know how to feel. “I called her a dark horse. I had no freaking idea how close to the truth I was,” she said.
***
Rusty was standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant parking lot when Cameron drove up. He had already moved Ghost and his blanket to the back seat, so when he saw her at the curb, he braked in a skid.
She jumped in, slamming the door. She was buckling up as he sped away.
“Sorry this is blowing up so fast,” she said. “Are you still going to be okay with this?”
“Absolutely,” Cameron said.
Rusty nodded, then turned around in the seat to look at Ghost.
“Hey, buddy. Sorry I took your seat,” she said, and held out her hand.
Ghost licked her fingers.
“You’re already forgiven,” Cameron said. “They have a police presence keeping people off the property. You’re going to have to elbow your way in.”
“Been there, done that, got the scars to prove it,” she said.
“Whatever you want done on scene, Ghost and I are at your disposal.”
“Special Agent Howard is sending in our crime scene team. All we have to do is secure the site and wait for them to arrive.”
Cameron nodded.
Once they were out of town, Cameron floored it and had her at Barton’s Cabins within minutes. Charlie was still outside the office when he saw Cameron driving in again and waved him down.
“Come on, Cameron. You can’t go—”
Rusty leaned across the console, flashing her badge and ID. “Special Agent Caldwell. FBI. Pope is with me. How do we get to the crime scene?”
Charlie’s eyes widened as he looked from Cameron to the woman and back again. “Uh, follow the road all the way past the tiny cabins. The campsites are beyond that. The crime scene is at the end of the road.”
Cameron sped off, leaving a rooster tail of dust behind.
They found the site easily enough. It was crawling with cops and police cars.
Rusty’s eyes narrowed angrily. “Talk about stomping all over the crime scene.” She got out with her badge in hand, yelling as she went. “Who’s in charge?”
Cameron snapped a leash on Ghost’s collar and took off running to catch up.
Sheriff Woodley and Police Chief Warren were in a head-to-head argument about jurisdiction when Rusty walked up and shoved her badge in their faces.
“Special Agent Caldwell. Gentlemen, this is my crime scene.”
“The hell it is!” Woodley shouted. “It’s outside of Jubilee, which makes it my crime scene.”
“But it is not outside the city limits,” Warren said.
Rusty never bothered to raise her voice. “I don’t care where the man died. The point is he’s part of an ongoing federal investigation into human trafficking, and I am part of that investigation team. This body and whatever evidence you people haven’t already contaminated is ours.”
Woodley eyed Cameron angrily. He was already pissed at the whole Pope family for calling in civilians to search for the kidnapped child, then Pope had turned up and found the bad guy and the kid, making his office look bad. Now here he was again, on official police business, and they were questioning his jurisdiction.
“What’s Pope doing here?” Woodley growled.
“He’s under orders to assist me,” Rusty said.
“Whose orders?” Woodley asked.
“Technically, from the President of the United States. Now, sir. If you please.”
She stepped aside, waiting for them to leave.
Woodley was pissed, but he didn’t have recourse. “We’re out of here!” he shouted, waving his men to their cars, and they left the area.
Sonny Warren hadn’t said a word since her arrival, but he knew enough not to argue with a fed, and he trusted Cameron. “Ma’am. If there’s anything my office can do to aid you during this investigation, all you have to do is ask.”
“Who found the body?” Rusty asked.
Sonny pulled out his notebook. “A man named Rob Daley. He was walking his dog. Said the dog hit on the odor and headed straight for the trailer. He saw the blood on the steps, knocked on the door, and when he got no answer, peeked in and saw the body. He did not go inside. He called the police. He and his wife are renting Cabin 8. They’re staying through tomorrow. He’s coming in this afternoon to make a statement. I’ll be happy to send you a copy.”
“Yes, please,” Rusty said, and handed him her card for contact info. “Has anybody moved the body or been inside the trailer?”
“None of my men were inside, and the body has not been moved by any of us, but there’s blood on the steps and it appears to me someone dragged him into the trailer, so the killer may have pulled him further inside to close the door. Jack Barton said he was a college student and had been doing research out here, but he didn’t know what kind of research.”
Rusty frowned. “How did County know about the body, if Daley called the local police?” she asked.
Sonny shrugged. “I wonder that myself and will be having a discussion with dispatch. My dispatcher is related to the dispatcher at County.”
“Are all of you related to each other?”
“Somewhat,” Sonny said. “You’ll have to talk to Cameron about that. If you need anything else, Cameron knows the number.” Then Warren and his men left the premises.
Rusty watched them leave and then shoved her hands through her hair, wishing she had something to pull it back out of her way.
“Okay, I need to take a look at the scene. If you don’t want to—”
“I’ve seen dead bodies before,” Cameron said. “At least this time it won’t be a friend.”
They walked to the front of the trailer. The door was hanging open. Ghost paused at the entrance and looked up at Cameron and whined.
Cameron sighed. “He knows the smell of death. He thinks we’re going in to look for IEDs.”
Startled, Rusty glanced up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think what this would resurrect for either of you.”
Cameron laid the back of his hand against her cheek. “We’re good, ma’am. Should the need for flight occur, just consider us your wings.”
“Thank you for the backup,” she said, then noticed something up in a tree just outside the tent. “Is that a trail cam?”
Cameron turned to look. “Yes, it is. Could we possibly get this lucky?”
“There may be more. We’ll have to let the crime scene team know. Just give me a minute,” she said, and aimed her flashlight inside.
It didn’t appear as if anything had been tossed, but it was hard to tell from out here. Vanzant’s car was still here, so it didn’t appear theft was the issue. She aimed her flashlight on the body. From where she was standing, it looked like a clean shot to the chest. She swept the light around the interior and saw a set of keys on the table, presumably his car keys, and a wallet lying beside them.
“What’s your gut telling you?” Cameron asked.
“It wasn’t a robbery. They left his car. His wallet and car keys are in plain sight on the table. What I don’t see is a laptop or a cell phone.”
Cameron’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Maybe someone is tying up loose ends?”
Rusty turned. “Are you talking about the photos?”
Cameron nodded. “Leslie saw the photos, but got away. If Vanzant’s error was about to reveal him as part of the gang, then the quickest way to make it all go away is to retrieve his laptop and phone and kill him, leaving nothing for anyone to trace.”
“Well, I know something about Vanzant’s story that isn’t true. He isn’t researching anything for college because he’s not enrolled in one. Anywhere. He has a rap sheet for B&E and boosting cars, and he did not graduate from high school. But we can hope something pops after the crime scene techs get here. There could be evidence in his car the killer knew nothing about.”
She moved away from the trailer and went back to where Cameron was standing.
Without thinking, he put his arms around her. “We’re going to have a long wait. Let’s get you off that sore knee. You pick. The bench at the picnic table, or sit in the Jeep?”
“The bench for now. You do what you need to for Ghost. If you want to walk him or whatever. I’m fine.”
“Rusty, darlin’, you’re sitting in the middle of a murder scene with no weapon and a killer on the loose. Ghost and I aren’t going anywhere.”
When he sat down beside her, Ghost plopped down on Cameron’s boot and laid his head on Rusty’s foot.
“I have never had backup like this before,” she said.
Cameron looked at her then. At the wind teasing the curls in her hair. At eyes bluer than the sky. At a mouth waiting to be kissed. “This day is chilly, but clear and peaceful. Here I am sitting with a beautiful woman, and there’s a dead man in the trailer behind us. What’s wrong with this picture?”
“I should have taken up floral design?”
Cameron slid his hand over hers. “And the world would have been far less safe. I think you’re doing what you’re good at, which is what matters.”
Rusty curled her fingers around his hand and stared off into the woods.
Cameron knew she was bothered about having to reveal her identity in such a dramatic fashion, but nobody could have expected something like this to happen. Finally, she started talking.
“Something about this doesn’t add up. If Vanzant was working for the traffickers, then why kill him? What could have triggered such a drastic decision? Just because Leslie Morgan saw the photos and told her parents, who revealed it to you, doesn’t mean Vanzant would tell his boss. In fact, it would be the opposite. He would have to know a mistake like that would get him killed.”
“Unless he let something slip,” Cameron said. “There’s something else about this situation that we don’t know. Remember Leslie said Jack Barton arrived in the middle of their argument, so maybe you need to talk to him. He could know something and not even be aware that it mattered.”
“I want to talk to him. Can you get a number to the office and ask him to come down here?” Rusty asked.
