Stranger in Town - By Cheryl Bradshaw Page 0,50
said.
“Thailand.” The way he said it sounded like he didn’t believe it himself.
“Is that a question?” I said.
The kid shrugged.
“I don’t follow.”
“The way you said Thailand just now sounded like you didn’t really know where he was; either that or you’re lying.”
“Why would I lie?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “You tell me.”
He didn’t respond. Cade smiled, indicating his approval of my interrogation techniques.
“Why’s your uncle in Thailand?” I said.
“I dunno.”
“When will he be back?”
“I dunno.”
“How long has he been there?” I said.
“I dunno.”
“What do you know?” I said.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know anything.”
“You’re breathing pretty heavy for someone who doesn’t know anything,” I said. “Would you like a glass of water?”
He shook his head.
“I need to go bring the horses in. Can I go now?”
Cade and I both nodded.
After Henry went outside, Cade said, “Well, what do you think?”
CHAPTER 33
“He’s lying,” I said.
“You got that impression too—what was your first clue?”
“The heavy breathing every time I asked him a question. You?”
“His eyes.”
“Shifty,” I said.
“Exactly. The question is, what are we going to do about it?”
“I want to show you something,” I said.
We walked upstairs and I pointed to the photograph hanging in the middle of the photo-collage on the wall. It was the one of the family standing in front of a house in the middle of a forest of trees. “Do you know where this is?”
Cade rubbed his chin and looked it over. “Kinda looks like Alpine. Why are you so interested?”
“I don’t know. Something about this picture shouts ‘private retreat.’ It’s worth looking into. Is it far?”
“Fifty miles or so. But it’s too dark to go tonight.”
“That’s fine,” I said, taking the picture off the wall. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Cade picked me up the following morning at daylight.
“They want me to report in,” he said, “and brief the FBI on what I know about the case.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I’d be in after lunch.”
“How did that go over?”
He shrugged.
“I didn’t stick around to find out,” he said. “I called a real estate agent as well to see what I could find out about the Kents owning another place.”
“And?”
“He hasn’t got back to me yet, and I don’t want to wait.”
The next several minutes were spent in silence. I stared at the picture of the house amongst the trees hoping I’d be able to spot it when we reached our destination. Cade tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of what I assumed was a twangy country concert taking place inside of his head.
“Do you know why I came back here?” he said.
“To help your dad with the case, right?”
“Well, yes. But, there’s another reason.”
I didn’t want to say it before he did, just in case I was wrong.
“My dad’s sick,” he said.
He glanced over at me, studying my face for a reaction, which I wish he hadn’t done. I’d never been good at hiding anything—especially on my face.
“You know,” he said, “don’t you?”
I nodded. “Did your dad tell you?”
“My mom did,” he said. “I think my dad’s been tryin’ to tell me, but he hasn’t been able to. My mom thought I needed to know just in case somethin’ happens before it’s supposed to.”
“Are you going to talk to your dad about it—tell him you know?”
Cade shook his head.
“I figure my dad will say somethin’ in his own time. There’s no reason it has to be right now. Not with everything else that’s goin’ on.”
“How’s your mother doing?”
“Better now that I’m here,” he said. “She’s a tough woman, but my dad means everything to her. I’m not sure how strong she’ll be once he’s gone.”
“What about your daughter—does she know?”
“Not much. She can tell he’s sick. She’s asked me about it a couple times, but we’ve never really had a discussion. Guess I need to talk to her about it.”
“I wish there was something that could be done for him.”
“Yeah,” Cade said, glancing out the window. “Me too.”
“Are you glad you moved back? I mean—do you like it here?”
He extended one of his hands and said, “What’s not to like? The air is clean, people are simple and uncomplicated. I’ve been to big cities. They’re all crowded. Too many people. Too much traffic. Out here things feel like they move at a slower pace. I have time to enjoy life.”
I laughed.
“You’re so passionate; you’ve almost convinced me to move here.”
“What about you? Do you like Park City?” he said.
“I do, but I wasn’t raised there. I grew up in a