his worth? Ten percent? One percent?”
“I don’t know. If I were guessing, I’d say ten percent is closest. But we never talked money.”
“So this hurt, but didn’t ruin him?” Cam followed what Rob was getting at.
“I doubt it.”
“Okay. I think what we want to figure out is who this really devastated. We’re looking for somebody he pretty much wiped out,” Cam said.
“Let’s hope the police are that logical. The record isn’t in their favor, though,” Rob said.
“That’s why you’re on this,” Cam said to Rob, then turned to Annie. “Would Elle think this was devastating?”
Annie raised her eyebrows. “So you think she might have done both crimes?”
“Worth going back to my place to listen after this pitcher. Rob can stop and buy the stuff to make these at home.”
“Why do I have to stop at the store?” Rob asked.
“We’ll wait here for takeout, but will need something to drink when we get home.” Cam gave Rob a pleading look, hoping he’d read that she wanted to give Annie a chance to grieve or vent with just her best friend.
Rob shrugged and agreed, though he stayed seated for a few more questions.
“What about Mr. Patrick?” he asked.
“I think he’s better off than Annie’s dad. I mean, he lost more, but I still think this is only a small amount to him.”
“Worth a trip to see your buddy Evangeline?”
“Yeah—she’ll be at the Patrick Henry tomorrow, so I don’t need to make a special trip.”
“What does she
do
there?” Rob asked.
“For your information, a lot. She’s smart. But largely, she focuses on their nonprofit stuff. The Patricks like to give back.”
Rob looked skeptical, and Cam thought Annie would have, too, except she was engaged in a text conversation with Jake.
“Phooey! I couldn’t think of a reason to make him wait. So he’s meeting us at your place, too.”
“And no listening to illicit bugs when the cop is around?” Rob said.
Annie touched the tip of his nose with her index finger, which caused Rob to shake his head.
“So after we eat, you distract him, and Rob and I will listen,” Cam said.
Annie wasn’t paying attention, though. She had pushed a few buttons on her phone, so Cam and Rob waited to see what it was about as Annie put the telephone to her ear.
“Elle? This is Annie,” she said into the phone. “I just wondered . . . they haven’t called for a ransom or anything, have they?”
Cam could hear a screechy sound in the background, but not words.
“Will you please tell me if they do?”
She hung up.
“Sorry about that,” Rob said.
Cam kicked him under the table. She had hoped not to get into the forty-eight hours thing with Annie, but Annie seemed to know instinctively.
“I just had to check. If it’s not ransom, it’s . . . bad, right?”
Cam reached over and took Annie’s hand. “If they called, they might have told Elle not to tell anyone.” She didn’t want to agree with Annie, but disagreeing too strongly required lying, and she and Annie didn’t do that.
• • •
• • •
J ake beat Cam and Annie to their place. He was waiting in Annie’s apartment, as that was the one he had the key to, but he heard them trampling in and came down to join them.
“So what have you been up to?” he asked.
“I had a crazy day. Go ahead. Ask me about any Roanoke politician. I can tell you,” Cam said.
“Not murder investigating?” he said cautiously.
Cam shook her head. “Boring old damage control. Holden Hobbes helped me prep for a press interview.”
“Really? That might be useful,” he said.
Cam was surprised at the response. She and Jake mostly liked each other, but when these investigations came into play, they didn’t always see eye to eye. Jake preferred that Cam stay out of it, and it just wasn’t in her to do it that way when people she knew were involved. She was glad that wasn’t the case at the moment.
“So quiz me!” Cam said as she pulled plates out of the
“I don’t know. If I were guessing, I’d say ten percent is closest. But we never talked money.”
“So this hurt, but didn’t ruin him?” Cam followed what Rob was getting at.
“I doubt it.”
“Okay. I think what we want to figure out is who this really devastated. We’re looking for somebody he pretty much wiped out,” Cam said.
“Let’s hope the police are that logical. The record isn’t in their favor, though,” Rob said.
“That’s why you’re on this,” Cam said to Rob, then turned to Annie. “Would Elle think this was devastating?”
Annie raised her eyebrows. “So you think she might have done both crimes?”
“Worth going back to my place to listen after this pitcher. Rob can stop and buy the stuff to make these at home.”
“Why do I have to stop at the store?” Rob asked.
“We’ll wait here for takeout, but will need something to drink when we get home.” Cam gave Rob a pleading look, hoping he’d read that she wanted to give Annie a chance to grieve or vent with just her best friend.
Rob shrugged and agreed, though he stayed seated for a few more questions.
“What about Mr. Patrick?” he asked.
“I think he’s better off than Annie’s dad. I mean, he lost more, but I still think this is only a small amount to him.”
“Worth a trip to see your buddy Evangeline?”
“Yeah—she’ll be at the Patrick Henry tomorrow, so I don’t need to make a special trip.”
“What does she
do
there?” Rob asked.
“For your information, a lot. She’s smart. But largely, she focuses on their nonprofit stuff. The Patricks like to give back.”
Rob looked skeptical, and Cam thought Annie would have, too, except she was engaged in a text conversation with Jake.
“Phooey! I couldn’t think of a reason to make him wait. So he’s meeting us at your place, too.”
“And no listening to illicit bugs when the cop is around?” Rob said.
Annie touched the tip of his nose with her index finger, which caused Rob to shake his head.
“So after we eat, you distract him, and Rob and I will listen,” Cam said.
Annie wasn’t paying attention, though. She had pushed a few buttons on her phone, so Cam and Rob waited to see what it was about as Annie put the telephone to her ear.
“Elle? This is Annie,” she said into the phone. “I just wondered . . . they haven’t called for a ransom or anything, have they?”
Cam could hear a screechy sound in the background, but not words.
“Will you please tell me if they do?”
She hung up.
“Sorry about that,” Rob said.
Cam kicked him under the table. She had hoped not to get into the forty-eight hours thing with Annie, but Annie seemed to know instinctively.
“I just had to check. If it’s not ransom, it’s . . . bad, right?”
Cam reached over and took Annie’s hand. “If they called, they might have told Elle not to tell anyone.” She didn’t want to agree with Annie, but disagreeing too strongly required lying, and she and Annie didn’t do that.
• • •
• • •
J ake beat Cam and Annie to their place. He was waiting in Annie’s apartment, as that was the one he had the key to, but he heard them trampling in and came down to join them.
“So what have you been up to?” he asked.
“I had a crazy day. Go ahead. Ask me about any Roanoke politician. I can tell you,” Cam said.
“Not murder investigating?” he said cautiously.
Cam shook her head. “Boring old damage control. Holden Hobbes helped me prep for a press interview.”
“Really? That might be useful,” he said.
Cam was surprised at the response. She and Jake mostly liked each other, but when these investigations came into play, they didn’t always see eye to eye. Jake preferred that Cam stay out of it, and it just wasn’t in her to do it that way when people she knew were involved. She was glad that wasn’t the case at the moment.
“So quiz me!” Cam said as she pulled plates out of the
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