The drive back to Grave Gulch from Kendall was bleak and overcast. A bank of dark clouds hung low in the sky, and rain fell. The wipers moved back and forth. Grace stared at the trail on the windshield. The continual swish, swish, swish lulled her into a trance.
She kept asking herself a single question. What was she supposed to do about Camden Kingsley?
What would Melissa do?
Well, that question was easy to answer. Melissa would never allow herself to get into a such a mess.
Grace had to put Camden out of her mind, her life and her heart. It’s just that sometimes doing the right thing was so damned hard.
“I have to say,” Madison said, glancing at Grace, “you look miserable.”
“Then, I look better than I feel.” Grace gave a feeble laugh.
“You want to start your playlist?”
She looked out the side window. The dark and dreary weather matched her mood perfectly. “Not really.”
“What’s going on? Are you worried about the Internal Affairs investigation?”
“Among other things?”
“What other things?”
Grace silently cursed. She hadn’t meant to drag Madison into what had happened with Camden last night. If she didn’t want to talk to her cousin, she never should’ve given such an evasive answer. “I screwed up.”
“What happened?”
“You know the IA investigator? Camden?”
“The sexy guy you brought to Palmer’s party last night?”
“He’s the one,” she confirmed.
“And?”
“And last night we kissed.” There, she’d said it. In truth, it had been so much more than just a kiss.
“Really?” Madison gaped at Grace.
“Hey, eyes back on the road,” Grace said, using her best cop voice.
“Yes, Officer Colton. But what happened? I mean, aside from you kissing that dreamy guy.” Madison took the exit that led to downtown Grave Gulch. Pulling up to a stoplight, she turned. “You have to tell me. What happened?”
“Well,” Grace began, “we went out to the patio and... I don’t know. His lips were on mine. Mine were on his. Hands were touching lots of interesting places.” There was no way that she was going to admit to having had sex with Camden. Okay, she’d thought about sharing with Madison a little bit earlier, but there was no way she was going to drag her cousin into her mess. “But that’s not the point of the story.”
“It seems like a pretty solid story to me. Do you like him?”
“What’s there to not like?” Her insides felt as if they’d been filled with mud. It was disappointment. “He’s handsome.”
“I noticed,” said Madison, with a smile. “Trust me.”
“He’s smart. He’s dedicated. Honest. He has integrity. My middle fills with butterflies every time he’s around. And if he smiles?” She shook her head. “Forget about it. I can’t even.” Grace sighed and leaned her head on the window. They were in Grace’s neighborhood. Soon, she’d be home. Then, she’d hide in her apartment, shutting away her worries along with the rest of the world. “Basically, he’s perfect.”
“Okay, so why are you miserable?”
“He’s with IA.” She paused before adding the most damning part of all. “And he’s investigating me.”
“Oh,” Madison slumped in her seat, a birthday balloon losing air. “I didn’t think about it that way. I can see how the kissing and the touching could be a problem, then.”
“Beyond being unprofessional, what if he thinks that I’m trying to influence the investigation? What if he thinks that I let this happen to distract him? What if he thinks Robert Grimaldi didn’t have a gun and my whole story is BS?” Once she started to worry, it was impossible to turn it off. “What if he hates me?”
“I might not be the best person to give you advice on your love life. Still, I don’t blame you for being upset. There could definitely be consequences.”
It was a nice way of saying that if the situation ever became public, the GGPD would have to fire Grace—and Camden would lose his job, too. “I know.”
“But you like him?” Madison asked, her voice soothing.
“I do like him a lot.”
“That’s a problem, then.” Madison exhaled, as the car stopped once again at a traffic signal. “What are you going to do?”
“There’s only one way out of this mess. I can’t see Camden anymore.” Grace shook her head.
“That’s probably wise,” said Madison. She turned onto Grace’s street.
“What do I say to him?”
“I’m not sure what you should say.” Madison pulled into a parking place in front of Grace’s building. “Whatever it is, you have to figure it out now.”
Before she got the chance to ask what Madison meant, Grace’s eyes were drawn to the steps leading to her building. Leaning on the rail, there stood Camden Kingsley.
Camden watched as a car pulled up next to the curb. It was Grace. If someone had asked him how he knew, he wasn’t sure that he could put it into words. It was just something he sensed—not with his mind but his heart and his soul.
The passenger door opened, and she stepped from the car. His pulse raced.
“Hey. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” he began. Camden felt a pull—like iron to a magnet—drawing him to her. “I think we should talk.”
“About the case?”
“About us,” he said.
“First, I need to say goodbye.” She glanced over her shoulder. With a wave, the woman behind the wheel drove off. “That was my cousin,” Grace added. “I guess she had to go.”
“I guess so.” Was it his imagination or was Grace distant?
He asked, “Is there someplace we can talk?”
“What about here?”
No. It wasn’t his imagination. There was something different about Grace. Well, he didn’t need to waste time skirting the facts. “I quit my job.”
“Your job? You quit?” she echoed. Grace would never give up being a police officer for anything—even an affair. “How can you walk away from your job? I thought you were devoted to your career.”
“I am.”
“Then, why?”
“You.”
“Me?” She held up her palms. He’d quit? That was something Grace would never do. “You have to think this through.”
“I have,” he began.
“I know what happened last night was completely unprofessional. It was a mistake. If we just avoid each other, then nobody has to quit anything.”
Camden’s cheeks stung, as if he’d been slapped. To be honest, he didn’t know what kind of reaction he had expected. Still, this wasn’t it. A mistake? He was a mistake?
Or maybe mistake was the perfect word. He’d been mistaken about Grace and their connection. True, he didn’t get serious about most of the women he dated. But he’d always been a good judge of character. How had he been so wrong this time?
Then the idea hit him, and he went cold. “Was last night an act? Was everything between us a ruse?”
“No, Camden. That’s not it.”
She reached for him. Her fingertips brushed the back of his hand. He shook off the touch.
“What is it, then?” he asked, filled with fury.
“I wish the circumstances were different. I wish I could be with you—that we could be together. I can’t. We can’t. It’d ruin both of our careers.”
“Correction. It’ll only ruin your job.” Even he heard the venom in his tone. He didn’t care. “I already quit.”
“I didn’t ask you to leave the DA’s office. If you’d come to me first, maybe we could’ve figured this out.”
Then he knew why it hurt so bad. Camden was willing to sacrifice everything for Grace. And she wasn’t able to do the same for him. His anger vanished, leaving the landscape of his soul as nothing but a charred wasteland. He swallowed. What else was there to say?
His phone began to trill. The ringing was loud on the quiet street. Camden checked the caller ID. Bryce Colton. What’d Bryce have to say? Had Baldwin Bowe called back? If he wasn’t working with the DA, then Randall Bowe wasn’t his concern anymore, either.
“Go ahead,” said Grace with a flick of her wrist. “I can tell that you want to answer it.”
He swiped the call open. “What d’you have for me, man?”
“I was able to run Robert Grimaldi’s name through the firearm registry for several states. Not all of them have a database, but he didn’t turn up in the ones that do.”
“So, he’s never registered a gun?” Camden asked, his heart slammed into his chest. Was this another dead end to his attempts to prove that Grace’s story was true?
“Like I said, several states don’t monitor gun ownership. He could’ve crossed into Pennsylvania and bought a gun. It’d be a legal purchase, and he’d never show up because they don’t keep records.” Bryce paused. “Or the gun might be stolen. Bought illegally. There’s lots of other ways that Grimaldi might’ve gotten his hands on a firearm. But if you’re hoping to pressure him because he made a false statement to you, owning a gun won’t work.”
“Thanks for checking. I owe you a favor.”
“I’ll call it in someday. Gotta go.”
The call ended. The line was dead. Still, Camden held the phone to his ear. The echo of his pulse resonated in the base of his skull. Only a moment ago, he’d been wounded. What else was he supposed to call it? He wanted Grace, but she clearly didn’t want him in return.
Now, though, Camden had a different set of questions. Had he been duped? Was everything he’d been told—or heard from the police—meant to protect Grace Colton?
He placed his phone in his pocket.
“I’ll ask you this for the last time.” He drew in a deep breath and looked at Grace. “Are you positive that Robert Grimaldi had a gun?”
“Positive.”
“Is there any way, at all, that you might’ve been mistaken?”
“None.”
“Are you sure?”
Instead of answering the question, she turned to him. “Who was on the phone?”
Had Camden been a fool from the beginning? Certainly, he’d been a fool last night when he’d had sex with her on the patio. Finally, he saw how recklessly he’d acted. But had he been so enamored with Grace that he never thought the unthinkable? Could she have shot an unarmed civilian? “Why won’t you answer the question?”
“Why won’t you tell me who was on the phone? The call obviously changed your mood.”
Fair enough. He shrugged. “It was your cousin, Bryce. He ran Robert Grimaldi’s name through every firearm registry in the country.”
“And?”
“And Grimaldi’s name didn’t come up.”
“Oh.”
Oh? Was that all she had to say? “You don’t seem surprised.”
“There are lots of states without databases. You said so yourself.”
So he had. Still, Camden wasn’t in the mood to be patronized. As if quitting his job over Grace Colton wasn’t bad enough, Camden had compromised his character for nothing. Hell, he’d thrown away his dad’s legacy. The fact that he’d been blind left him ill and filled with self-loathing. “Is there any way you could be mistaken about what you saw?”
Grace lifted her chin. “I know that Grimaldi had a gun. What’s more, I don’t think I like what you’re implying.”
“And what’s that?”
She drew in a deep breath. “I’ve been lying to you all along.”
Implying, hell. Camden was starting to think that might be the truth. He said nothing.
“In fact,” she continued, “why don’t you just go?”
Had Grace just told to Camden to leave? She had. Well, he didn’t need to be told twice.
Stewing in the juices of his own anger, he’d gone directly from Grace’s apartment to the DA’s office. Having found some empty boxes in recycling, he stood in his office. One box was only halfway filled—yet it contained all of his personal belongings. There were two commendations. A picture of Camden with his state-police-academy class at graduation. A photograph of his father in uniform. He had a picture with his mom—also from the day he graduated from the state-police academy. A couple of coffee cups. A house plant, which needed water.
In a second box, he had all of the equipment belonging to the IA. His ID. His gun. His laptop. All the gear used for surveillance: a camera, a microphone, a wireless transmitter and receiver.
How many hours had he spent in this very room? Yet it took him only minutes to clear away any evidence that he’d ever been here at all. Wasn’t that how he lived, too?
Never making connections.
Never having relationships.
Never really caring about anyone—and only searching for the truth.
That was, until he met Grace.
Regret sat heavy on his shoulders. Maybe it was better to be alone. He’d forgotten how much caring about another person could hurt.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Arielle stood at his door.
“I figured I’d take some time to get packed up. Save myself from coming in on Monday morning.”
Arielle leaned on the doorjamb. “We have to talk, but I definitely don’t want you to quit.”
“I thought that you swore to get me fired.”
She sighed. “I take that back.”
Camden’s pencil holder was an old tea tin that his grandmother had given him when he was in high school. Dumping the pens and pencils into a desk drawer, he placed the tin in the box. “I was wrong about everything with Grace Colton.”
“Are you saying that Grimaldi didn’t have a gun?”
“Not exactly.”
“Are you saying that Grace lied to you? Or that she gave a false statement?”
“I’m not saying that, either.”
“What are you saying, then?”
Now, that was a good question. “There’s no way to prove Grace’s version of events. Furthermore, I’ve been focused on proving that she was innocent, not on finding the facts.”
“I won’t argue with you there.”
“I’ve lost your confidence. I should go.”
“Obviously I can’t force you to stay with Internal Affairs. Just know that everyone screws up,” she said, “especially where the heart is concerned.”
“Not me,” said Camden. He picked up the box of his belongings.
“Why, because you don’t have a heart? I know you’re with Internal Affairs, but I always thought the heartless thing was a joke.”
“I have a heart,” said Camden, ignoring the fact that Arielle’s joke was a little funny. In fact, he knew that he had a heart, because right now his was breaking.
“I understand that love and attraction and passion make us all do crazy things.”
“You do?”
“You don’t have to sound surprised. I might be fifty-two years old, but I’m not dead. Besides, I have kids. You know where they come from.”
Camden held the box in one hand and lifted the other palm in surrender. “I don’t need the biology lesson, but thanks. I do have to ask, what’re you getting at?”
“You tried to tell me about Grace from the beginning. I respect that, and I’m sorry that I didn’t listen. Stay or go—the choice is yours.”
Grace stayed on the sidewalk long after Camden had driven away. Her low back was tight from time in shoes that were much more cute than comfortable. Pulling her phone from her bag, she placed a call.
Madison answered. “How’d it go?”
“Horrible,” she said, her throat raw. Since she’d joined the force, being a good police officer had been her only priority. Even after having sex with Camden, she’d never intended for her focus to change.
Maybe that had been her first mistake.
“How are you?” Madison asked.
“Horrible,” Grace said again. “Overwhelmed.”
“Are you still at home?”
Technically, she was standing in front of her building. “I am.”
“Hold on one second. I’ll be right over.”
Grace’s legs felt like they’d been dipped in concrete. Slowly, she walked up the short flight of steps to the front door. Just as she slid the key into the lock, Madison parked at the curb.
“That was fast,” said Grace, as her cousin stepped from her car.
“I didn’t go far.”
“I’m glad.” She opened the door.
“Let’s get to your apartment, and you can tell me everything.”
Within minutes, they were sitting on Grace’s sofa. Madison made both of them cups of tea. Grace held the steaming mug in her hands.
Tucking her feet beneath her, Madison asked, “What went so horribly?”
“He quit his job for me.”
“He what?” Madison asked, her jaw slack.
“Yeah, he wanted to help me prove my innocence, and he quit.”
“I can see why you’d be horrified. A great guy wants to make sure that you’re treated fairly.” She shivered with the willies. “Awful stuff.”
“Can you be serious? Please?”
“I’m sorry for teasing, but I don’t understand why you’re upset. You met a lovely guy. He cares about you. You care about him. On top of it all, he’s willing to sacrifice everything for you.”
Grace wasn’t sure that she understood, either. It was sort of like all the advice and warnings she’d been given after the shooting. True, her family meant well, but did they really think she couldn’t make the right choices? “Maybe I don’t want to be taken care of. I might be the Colton baby, but I’m not actually a child.”
“In a perfect world, what would you have wanted from Camden?”
It was a good question and one which Grace didn’t have a ready answer for. She sipped her tea. “I wish he had talked to me first. Told me what he planned to do.”
“Then what would you have done?”
“I don’t know. I mean, we only met a few days ago. It seems a little hasty to change our lives for one another.” She knew what her cousin was trying to do: make Grace see that her situation wasn’t as awful as she originally thought. She wasn’t ready to calm down or to forgive Camden, though. “He accused me of lying about the gun. He asked me if I was mistaken.”
“Are you? Lying or mistaken?”
“Of course not.”
“But you’re offended that he asked?”
“Damn straight.”
“Can I tell you what I see?” Madison stretched out her final word, and Grace knew she wouldn’t like the picture her cousin wanted to present. “You’re in a tough situation. But it’s not impossible. If you care for Camden, you might have to make some sacrifices, but you two can be together. Look at Troy and Evangeline. But they talked to each other and worked it out.” Madison’s words hung in the air. “If you want to be with Camden, you can. If you don’t, you never have to see him again. The choice is up to you, Grace. The question is, what do you want?”
Camden stood in his office. On the desk sat the two boxes. He needed to take one with him. But which should he choose?
True, he’d overreacted to Grace’s rejection.
He could’ve handled the whole situation a little bit—okay, make that a whole lot—better.
Even without the romance in question, he still had a choice to make.
If he’d been wrong about Grace, then his personal and professional judgment was fried. There was no need for him to stay at Internal Affairs. Camden would never again trust himself.
It was just that he was so damn sure that Grimaldi had a gun—forget that there wasn’t a single fact to prove that theory.
Was it him? Was he wrong?
No gun had been found at the scene.
Nobody had called the police with the witnesses’ identities.
In fact, nobody had seen them at all since the night of the shooting.
Correction: Camden had seen the female witness. He was certain that she’d run from him.
It brought up an interesting question. How had she known he was working with the cops? He wasn’t exactly in the public eye.
Then again...
He took his phone from his pocket and opened the app for the TV station out of Kendall.
A story about the press conference at GGPD appeared first. It was accompanied by dozens of comments and a video. He pressed the play arrow. The camera focused on Melissa as the briefing began. Then with Melissa’s voice still in the background, the aspect moved and panned the crowd.
“Well, I have a second announcement to make. I can see that the citizens of Grave Gulch have lost confidence in the GGPD and in our ability to keep peace in the city. But it’s my responsibility to maintain a trust between the town and the police department. I haven’t. Therefore, I’ll be stepping down as chief of police.”
Behind the podium, a group of police officers were gathered inside. Most of the people were little more than shadowy figures, yet a single face was recognizable.
It was Camden’s.
Picking up a box from his desk, he walked out the door.