Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (18 page)

“422 Saw Mill Road.”

“Who was the victim?”

“Lee Wells.”

“Did you know him?”

“We went to high school together.”

“You got along?”

There was a pause. “We had a fight once.”

“A physical fight?”

“Yes.”

“What about?”

“A girl.”

“How bad was the fight?”

“Not too bad. I had a few scrapes. He had a bloody nose.”

“Were the police called?”

“No. It was nothing like that.”

“What happened afterward?”

“We never really spoke after that. The fight was the only problem we ever had.”

Camden tapped the pad with his pen. “Who was your attorney?”

“Bob Rice.”

It was time for the dirty details. “Tell me exactly what you were doing the night Wells was killed.”

“I was at home, alone. I had a roommate, but he was traveling.”

“You told me you’d had a girlfriend. Where was she that night? And what’s her name?”

“Her name’s Andrea Graham. She was working late. I didn’t get to see her at all that night.”

Camden scribbled more notes. “I’m going to make a trip out to Allentown. I’ll be in touch with you once I’m there.”

There was silence on the other end of the line before Brian whispered, “Thank you.”

Camden hung up and went back into the kitchen. Autumn looked up from her studying.

“I’m going to need to go to Allentown on Monday for a day or two. Would you mind coming with me? We should be back before your next class. It’s next Friday, right?”

He breathed a sigh of relief when she nodded and agreed to go with him. He wasn’t about to take any chances with her safety. While it was unlikely that Cobb would find her here, anything was possible.

“Brian must have been happy to hear from you.”

“He seemed to be.” Camden looked down at the papers she’d spread out. “How’s it going with your homework?”

“Fine.”

“Need any help?”

“I’m okay.”

He smiled. “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

Camden spent the rest of the morning online. Court transcripts needed to be ordered in person, which he’d do on Monday once he arrived in Allentown. Wanting to learn what he could in the meantime, he punched keywords from the case into Google instead. There were a number of articles that came up about the trial, so he sat back to read them.

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Late Monday morning, Camden set Autumn’s luggage onto her hotel room bed. “I have a couple of places I need to visit, but when I get back we can go out to dinner. At least the room has a desk, so you’ll have a place to study while I’m gone.”

He’d reached the door connecting their adjoining rooms when Autumn called out, “Camden?”

“Yes?”

She gave him a smile. “Good luck with everything.”

Camden entered his adjoining room, thinking of the drive they’d just had. Mostly they’d talked about the mundane—everything from food to traffic, but the conversation had flowed freely. And Autumn’s intelligence showed in everything she said.

Over the weekend, as he’d pulled together what information he could get about Brian’s case from the Internet and discussed it with her, she was so quick to pull things together in her head and ask the right questions, it had amazed him.

He was already looking forward to dinner with her as he set his bag down. Autumn had never been to Allentown, and from what she’d said, she’d never been to a nice restaurant either. Being able to expose her to some of the nicer things in life she’d missed out on excited him, but for now, he had to focus on helping Brian.

His first stop was the office of Bob Rice, Brian’s defense attorney. The reception area of Rice’s office held a leather sofa and matching club chairs, but there was no one seated at the reception desk when he walked inside.

A white-haired man stepped out from a back office. “Help you?”

“Are you Mr. Rice?”

“Yes.” When Camden introduced himself, Rice walked over. “What can I help you with, Mr. Taylor?”

“I was on assignment at Edgewater Prison a couple months back and got to know Brian Bailey. I’m going to be looking into his case, so I wanted to see what you thought.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Did you believe in Brian’s innocence?”

Rice sighed. “Innocence or guilt wasn’t something I really focused on. My job was to give Brian the best defense I could, so that’s what I did. I have to say, though, it wasn’t easy, given all the evidence.”

“Did it ever seem like that evidence was too convenient?”

“What are you getting at?” Rice asked with a frown.

“Brian told me he was framed.”

Rice nodded. “That’s what he told me too. But in my line of work, I hear that a lot.”

“I plan to review the transcripts, but I wanted to ask whether anything stood out to you. Whether anything seemed strange.”

“And if I said no, what then?”

“Then I’d understand.” Camden shifted on his feet. “Either way, though, I’ll be looking into things.”

The lawyer sighed. “Sorry. I don’t mean to sound flippant. It’s just that the evidence against Brian was so strong. And nothing seemed out of place to me.”

“Did you employ an investigator?”

“No, but I really did do all that I could.”

Studying the man, Camden guessed the way he probably felt. Overworked and underappreciated. But Brian’s case had clearly stuck with him.

“Just for the record, Brian had no complaints about legal counsel.”

The man sighed. “I’ll get you copies of everything. Save you a trip to the courthouse, at least.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

• • •

Late that afternoon, Camden returned to his hotel room armed with the transcripts Rice had given him. He set them down on the desk in his room before knocking on Autumn’s door.

As she opened the door, he gestured to the papers strewn across her bed. “Getting a lot done?”

She nodded before giving him a rueful smile. “I was about to give up for the day, though. I think my eyes are going to cross if I try to read any more.”

“Perfect time for a dinner break then.”

She nodded. “Is it okay if I get changed first?”

“Sure. Knock on my door whenever you’re ready.”

He’d been reading the transcript for fifteen minutes when Autumn knocked. As he opened the door, his heart stuttered. She was wearing the dress they’d bought in town, and it fit her shapely body to a tee. She looked stunning.

“Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

Camden shook himself back to reality. “You didn’t.”

As they left the room, he tried hard to get his mind off of the attraction he felt for Autumn. The better he got to know her, the more difficult it became. He put a hand on the small of her back as they headed for the elevator. He couldn’t remember ever having a dinner companion who was so stunning.

He cleared his throat as they pulled out of the hotel parking lot. “The restaurant we’re going to, Brian used to manage it.”

“Really? That should be interesting. Maybe someone there will know something that will help you.” When he just nodded, she asked, “Where did you go today?”

It was surprising how much her interest pleased him. “To see Brian’s attorney. He didn’t notice anything that he considered suspicious. I also drove to Philadelphia, trying to locate Brian’s ex-girlfriend.”

“Any luck there?”

“Not yet.” Glancing at her, he said, “You’re working really hard.”

She shrugged. “I just hope I can pick things up quickly.”

“I have no doubt you will.”

Ten minutes later, they entered a dimly lit restaurant.

“We’d like a table,” Camden said to the hostess. “But I also need to speak with the owner. Is he in tonight?”

“What do you need to speak with him about?”

“I’m a friend of Brian Bailey’s.”

Surprise crossed the hostess’s face. She led Camden and Autumn to a red leather booth and handed them each a menu. “I’ll go see if Mr. Delacruz is available.”

A minute passed before a busboy came by with glasses of water and some bread. The hostess returned soon after, just as Camden had finished going over the menu with Autumn. He was surprised to learn how much of the menu she actually picked up on her own.

“Mr. Delacruz can see you now, sir. If you’ll just follow me.”

Camden excused himself from Autumn. “If the server comes by, I’ll have a steak. Medium rare.”

She nodded, then turned her attention back to the menu, her lips moving slightly as she sounded out words to herself.

Camden followed the hostess to the back of the restaurant. “Did you ever work with Brian?”

“Yes.” The hostess spoke over her shoulder as she answered. “I was here then too.”

“Were you friendly with him?”

“He was a nice guy and a good manager,” she said with a nod. “Treated all of us well.” She stopped at a glass-paneled door and gestured for him to enter. “Mr. Delacruz’s office.”

Camden was introduced to a bearded man with black hair before the hostess excused herself.

Delacruz gestured to a chair in front of his desk. “I understand you’re in law enforcement, Mr. Taylor?”

“Yes.” Camden pulled out his badge and displayed it before taking his seat.

“And you’re looking into Brian’s case?”

“Unofficially, but yes.”

“What can I help you with?”

“I’m interested in your impression of Brian. What you thought of him.”

“My impression was that he was a hardworking young man.”

“Was he honest?”

“Yes.”

“A good manager?”

“A great one. The best I’ve had, in fact. I was blown away when I heard what happened. Just blown away.” Delacruz let out a long sigh. “In a way, I still can’t believe it, but evidence is evidence, I guess.” He leaned back in his chair, his gaze on Camden thoughtful. “You’re looking into things because you believe him about being framed?”

“I do.”

Delacruz stroked his beard. “Well, I’m glad he’s got someone in his corner.”

“I understand Brian’s ex-girlfriend, Andrea, used to work here.”

The man nodded. “It’s how she and Brian met.”

“Do you know where she’s working now?”

“City of Philadelphia, last I heard.”

“That’s where Brian told me to try. I visited their human resources department today, but she’s no longer employed there.”

“I’d suggest getting in touch with her father then. Michael Graham.”

“He’s local?”

“He is. Comes in here quite a bit, as a matter of fact. He owns a pharmaceutical company in Philadelphia called Encompass, but he lives closer to Allentown.”

“Thank you. I’ll check in with him.” Camden input the name into his phone before asking, “Did Brian ever have a problem with any of the employees?”

“Never. Like I said, he was great—with employees and customers alike.”

“Were there problems with vendors?”

“None that I know of. And I do most of our buying myself. Always have.”

Camden stood. “I really appreciate your time, Mr. Delacruz.”

The men shook hands. “If I can do anything to help Brian, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

Camden returned to the booth and took his seat.

“I ordered you a rib eye and a beer.” Autumn took a sip of iced tea. “Did everything go okay with the manager?”

“It did. I’m going to visit the father of Brian’s ex-girlfriend tomorrow.” He studied her as they waited for their food. “Tell me more about what you’re working on.”

Autumn shook her head. “It’s the work of a five-year-old, really. Learning to write my letters, mainly, and recognizing common words on sight. But I got to do it outside at least. The hotel’s pool is really beautiful.”

Camden smiled. “The one thing we didn’t get for you is a bathing suit.”

Autumn shrugged. “It’s still April, too cold to swim yet anyway.”

Leaning forward, Camden grasped her hand. “If you could do anything, what would it be?”

She looked surprised by the question. “That’s not something I’ve ever thought about before.”

“Well, you should. It’s within your reach now. You can get a high school equivalency certificate and then start at a community college.”

“Thanks to you.”

“No, Autumn,” Camden said gently. “Not because of me.”

She studied him. “You shouldn’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Downplay what you’ve done. You should just take the credit. You deserve it.”

Camden hid his smile behind a sip of beer. “I could say the same for you, you know.”

• • •

About an hour after they returned from dinner, Camden set down the transcript and glanced at the clock. He moved to the door separating him from Autumn and knocked.

When she answered wearing only a towel, his breath came to a halt.

“Sorry, I was in the shower.”

Camden couldn’t help his gaze as it made its way down her body. She was a vision of soft curves and creamy skin.

He cleared his throat. “Sorry for disturbing you.”

“You didn’t.” She was looking up at him, clearly waiting for him to explain what he was doing there when he’d already said good night.

And what was he doing? Heat radiated inside him as his gaze involuntarily dipped down again. He didn’t appreciate the inappropriate thoughts going on in his head one bit. Droplets of water were visible on her chest, and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and brush them away.

He shook away the thought. “Do you have everything you need?”

She nodded, ignoring that the question was a lame one. “I do. Thank you.”

In his defense, that towel had more than taken him by surprise. He was going to need a shower too. But his would be ice cold.

It was a good thing he’d had his own bathroom these past weeks. Bumping into Autumn in the hallway when she looked like this would have been sheer torture. Much like it was right now.

“I’m going to get a soda,” he finally said. “Want one?”

“Okay.”

“Diet Coke, right?”

She nodded.

Down the hall, he bought two sodas from the machine before filling a bucket with ice. Autumn had put on a nightgown by the time he returned to the room, a white cotton number that flowed around her petite form. Was it the same demure piece they’d picked up at the department store? She’d be able to wear a sack and still make it look sexy. Those legs . . .