Sapphire Nights (Crystal Magic Book 1)(37)
“Even the Kennedys didn’t cooperate?” she asked in surprise.
Recalling his research on his father’s disappearance eased the tightness in his pants. “Eighteen years ago, Kurt and Monty were kids. Carmel had just lost her husband to a sudden illness. She was trying to cope with his estate and the business and claimed to know nothing about the guests. They verified my father had checked in. His car wasn’t there. They found it in San Francisco a week later.”
“You think the skeleton belongs to your father,” she said in horror.
“Almost certain. Just waiting on the tests.” He could feel her stare nailing him, but he kept his eyes on the road.
“Was Val there then? Did she wail his fate?”
He was relieved she skipped over the sympathies and platitudes. He could handle no-nonsense, practical questions, even if they were about insane subjects. “As far as I’m aware, she didn’t show up in Hillvale until about five years ago. We’re still trying to find out who lived in Hillvale back then—Juan did, he’s lived here all his life, but he swore he knew nothing.”
“And now he’s dead. That’s suspicious,” she said, as if thinking to herself. “All I know is that Mariah, Tullah, Amber, and Dinah weren’t there then, but the Kennedys, including Carmel’s brother, were. I haven’t got further than that. The older people keep to themselves and don’t talk to me much. Cass really is your ticket, isn’t she?” She slumped lower in the seat as they drove into town.
“Yeah. I’ve got the cops and my firm working on her, but she’s disappeared into thin air. We don’t even know how she gets off the mountain.” He pulled into a run-down shopping center. “Clinic is here. They’re expecting you, but I’ll go in and show them my badge so they don’t ask for details. Then while they’re drawing blood, I’ll run over to the taco shop and pick up food.” He nodded at the restaurant.
“You’re not hauling me to the hospital?” she asked warily.
“Not as long as you remain sane.” He got out before he weakened beneath the light of those gorgeous eyes.
While he was here, he’d make a few phone calls. By now, his firm ought to have a good list of the town occupants at the last census before his father’s death.
Pulling her denim jacket on over the bandage taped to her arm, Sam left the clinic to find Walker waiting for her with a heavenly-smelling white bag. He handed her a big cup of sweet horchata.
“I think you’re supposed to eat sugar after you’ve given blood.” He was already tearing into a giant burrito while leaning against his cruiser.
He’d was wearing his mirrored sunglasses, concealing his expression, she noted grumpily.
“I have no idea about sugar, but the horchata is good.” She drank deeply, then dug into the bag, producing a deliciously greasy pork burrito. “I don’t know what I’m accustomed to eating, but I recognize good Mexican. And I know when someone is concealing his thoughts. The Chinese inscrutability thing doesn’t work so well when you have your father’s eyes, right?”
He bent a scowl on her. “Is that something you remember?”
“Heck if I know.” She leaned against the car next to him. The closeness seemed odd but also. . . right, even if she ought to be mad at him. They’d both gone a little insane back at the lodge. There was something about that lodge. . . that unleashed her inner demons, apparently. “In that photo, Jade’s eyes appeared flat-lidded to me. She just used fake lashes and eye make-up for definition.”
He snorted, took off his shades, and tucked them in the V of his shirt. “So did my mother. She still did inscrutable well, when she wanted. Other times, she’d take my head off with her sharp tongue, so inscrutable doesn’t go far.”
She laughed, relaxing enough to enjoy her lunch. She was still tense about Cass and his earlier fury, but they’d both been shaken. Maybe they could work past it.
In between bites, he caught her up on what lay ahead. “I’ll take you over to have your fingerprints run through the database when we’re done here. Once I prove your ID, I’ll give you the data you need to file for a new license and birth certificate. The office has sent an address-forward request to your last known address. It might be good to see if you’ve established a mail drop.”
They were practically rubbing elbows. After this morning’s encounter, she was hyper-aware of his proximity. But she had no clue how to act on tingles of awareness, especially when dealing with an older man with way too much authority. “I’m guessing I need a non-public computer to file for the birth certificate,” she said dubiously.
It would be good to intellectually know that she was Samantha Moon, but in truth, she simply didn’t feel like anybody. Although if she resembled Cass—there had to be a connection.
“Finish up the burrito, and we’ll see if we can expedite the fingerprints. Once you’re free to use the data, you can use my laptop. I don’t generally carry it with me since I have the official one. I have an apartment here in Baskerville, we can pick it up later.”
“I looked up Utah drivers’ license replacement. I can’t do it from here,” she said glumly. “And without a Utah license, I can’t get a California one without an address and taking the driver’s test again. Officialdom is complicated.”