Once we were in the kitchen, he poured me a glass of some unsweetened lemongrass-infused citrus iced tea that was pretty good, and told me to take a seat on one of the barstools at the counter. He then proceeded to ask me to tell him all about myself.
I gave him the facts, that I worked two jobs, one at a youth center, the other as an in-house counselor for programmers who I was trying to help not burn out.
“Most of them just need someone to listen.”
He nodded sagely.
“I’m also working on finishing my master’s degree in social work at Cal State Sacramento.”
“That’s very impressive.”
I chuckled, and it surprised him, if the look on his face was any indication. “I’m never gonna be a money guy, sir. I’m the guy who’ll be working to make sure no kid gets missed or falls through the cracks. That’s my deal.”
“And why is that?”
I knew what he was getting at. “Because I know what it’s like to have no one give a damn, so I can relate, and I want to try and change it.”
“Wouldn’t change come from higher up? If you want to change it, why not go into politics? That’s where you make an impact.”
“But that doesn’t do anything for the individual kids, sir. Why can’t I do both?”
“Yes. Agreed.”
He got a beer for Cameron, an IPA he liked, poured it in a glass, and I carried it back out with me, the two of us returning to the backyard in time to see Cameron sitting alone on a bench while everyone else was talking.
“What’re you doing?” I’d never seen anyone look so alone in a crowd of people.
He took the glass from me as I sat beside him, my hand on his thigh. “I was just telling everyone how, with a little detective work, I was sure there were deductions in all their taxes that could help lower their payments, and what a few of the more obvious ones are.”
He was trying to help by offering his expertise, and no one was listening. And no, it was neither the time nor the place, but they didn’t need to shit on his excitement.
“Well, I know you’re a great detective, and the Sacramento Police Department can vouch for you as well, after you found that evidence for Detective Aguilar.”
Instant silence.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Courtney asked.
Cameron glanced at me, and I gave him a nod. Detective Aguilar had told us we were good to talk about it now that everyone had been arrested and charges were pending. And it was fast, yes, but that was what happened when you had the smoking gun of evidence. It had been headline-making news, with people in both the DEA and FBI coming under investigation, as well as several different police departments across California.
“You had something to do with that case?” Ray questioned his son, sounding excited. Cameron had told me he was quite the true-crime buff.
That fast, Cameron had everyone’s rapt attention as he explained first about Shawn Pelham, and then Daniel Nieman, and finally Cristobal Tremaine. It sounded pretty good when he told it, especially the part about how the stolen drive had ended up solving the murder of a family. When he was done, he leaned against me as more questions were fired at him. It was hard to read his mother’s expression as she looked at me, but I guessed she wasn’t having good thoughts. She probably assumed I’d put Cameron in danger, which, technically, I had. But as it turned out, I was never even on the radar of Tremaine’s men. They had no idea who I even was.
Once everyone was inside, Seth introduced me to his parents and his sister, and Makayla introduced me to her aunt—the rest of her family was in Santa Monica—and when she asked me where my family was, I told her there was no one.
“You’re all alone?” She was stunned.
“I know. Weird, right? You don’t meet many without anyone in real life.”
She looked horrified. “Oh no, I didn’t mean––”
“Don’t worry about it,” I soothed her, taking her hand. She clutched back like she was drowning. “I know normal getting-to-know-each-other questions can be tricky.”
“It’s very Dickensian,” Cameron chimed in as he came up beside me. “Come on, let’s eat.”
The meal was catered, as I’d been told to expect, but there was no waitstaff this year. His parents had opted, instead, for a casual Italian buffet, which was set out on the dining room table,