Page 23 of The Fragile Truth
Banks looked at Effie. “As you pointed out, we don’t know how long it will take for the authorities to catch Lina … or if they ever will. You should continue your work as planned. The police will have to work around your schedule.” He looked at Ian, daring him to disagree.
Ian was no dummy. He knew when to put up a fuss and when to remain quiet and feign agreement. While it wasn’t practical to have one of his deputies follow Effie Romeo around like a lap dog, the idea was to buy some time until he could figure out the best way to handle the situation. The good news was that Effie had given him a few extra days. Ian had until Wednesday to come up with a plan. In the meantime, Ian could only hope that Effie was right in her assertion that her brother could keep her safe while he was on the island.
“We’ll still need you to provide a list of bodyguards,” Talon added, looking at Casey, who nodded. He turned his attention to Ian. “Also, we’ll need to reconvene on Wednesday afternoon to hear your plan of action. What time works for you?”
Ian did a mental calculation. “How about three p.m.?”
“Works for me,” Talon answered. “We can meet in my office.”
“Wait a minute,” Banks interjected, “is it really necessary to employ private bodyguards if the sheriff is putting men on the task?”
“Absolutely,” Talon fired back. “I’m not leaving anything to chance.” His eyes held Effie’s. “I want to make sure you’re doubly protected.”
In any other situation, the look of horror on Effie’s face would’ve been humorous as she touched Talon’s arm. “I can’t have gobs of people following me around 24/7. That would suffocate me.”
“I’m sure we can work out a system,” Ian piped in.
“We’re assuming that Lina will go after Effie,” Josette interjected, “but what if we’re wrong.” She looked at Talon, a sliver of concern trickling into her hoarse voice. “What if she goes after you.”
Ian was surprised. The old bird did have a trace of compassion, after all, in her hollow, brittle bones. At least for her grandson.
“I’ll be fine,” Talon assured Josette.
“Maybe you need bodyguards too,” Effie said.
Talon’s eyes rounded to saucers. “I’ll be fine,” he repeated, an edge creeping into his voice.
“See? The prospect of people hovering over you is stifling.” Effie hugged her arms in what looked like an attempt to ward off a shiver. “I don’t know how my brother, Cash, does it. No wonder he hired Ramsey. At least he has his brother to look after him.”
Ian’s phone buzzed. He’d forgotten to put it on silent. “Excuse me,” he said as he pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. It was a text from his mom, asking him if he was coming to church today and bringing his new girlfriend.
Good grief! His own mother was now jumping on the bandwagon about his new girlfriend. The crazy thing is that Ian had actually considered taking Sadie to church with him today, especially after the lecture from his uncle. But then Ian learned that Sadie was working the breakfast and lunch shifts. After she got off work, Ian planned to go to Sadie’s house and help her hang a few pictures. Maybe they’d order pizza and watch a movie. Spending time with Sadie was a bright spot for Ian.
Josette cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt your little texting session, Sheriff. But some of us are still in a meeting here.” She pinned Ian with incriminating eyes.
Heat crawled up Ian’s neck. He prided himself on having the patience of Job when it came to dealing with old, cranky women. He’d dealt with a lot of them during his tenure as sheriff. However, Josette Chasing had a mean streak. The woman was stomping on his last nerve.
“Is there something you’d like to share with the group?” Josette persisted.
“Nope,” Ian replied lightly. “Nothing that I’m at liberty to share.” He adopted his superiority tone. The one he used when he wished to quell any further questions.
“It’s probably from that new waitress at The Sea Salt Grill that you’ve been chasing.” Josette lifted her chin, pride streaking over her lined face. “I may be old, but I still have a pulse on what’s going on.”
Madeline sighed in exasperation. “Josette, must you be so confrontational all the time? The sheriff is trying to help us. It wasn’t his fault that Lina escaped. Didn’t you hear the man earlier? She was being held by the police force in Wilmington, not anyone from the sheriff’s department.”
Thank you, Ian’s mind shouted. He threw Madeline an appreciative glance. She acknowledged it with a slight nod.
Fury flashed over Josette’s features when she saw the exchange. She pointed a gnarly finger at Ian. “Young man, I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you. The day you set your sights on slandering my grandson was the day you made an enemy out of me.” She cut her eyes across the table at her daughter-in-law. “Madeline may be able to turn the other cheek, but I certainly won’t.”
Talon let out a long, beleaguered sigh. “Gran, I appreciate your loyalty, but Ian has apologized for his mistake. We need to let bygones be bygones.”
Josette grunted as she tugged at her blouse. The acrimony firing in her eyes let Ian know that the woman didn’t have any intention of forgiving and forgetting.
Banks’s expression never changed. Obviously, he was used to his mother’s tirades. He peered around, meeting eyes with all those in the room. “Is there anything else that we need to discuss? Very well,” he said briskly when everyone remained silent. He locked gazes with Ian. “If anything should come up … if you get any information …”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Ian inserted as he scooted his chair back and stood, relieved that the meeting was over.
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