Page 19 of Never Fall Again
Landry laughed so hard she had to set her cup down. Cal’s cup joined hers. Once she had herself under control, she pointed to the firepit. “Do you always sit out here with no fire? Or was it too wet for one?”
Mo, pinky back to normal, took a drink.
Cal picked up his cup. “We weren’t sure if the smoke would bother Eliza.”
Oh.
Tears pricked the backs of Landry’s eyes, and she took another drink to give herself a few moments. “That was...you didn’t have to...thank you.”
A spot inside her heart burned. It was the same sensation as when she ran freezing fingers under hot water. For a moment, there was a bite of pain, followed by searing relief when true warmth chased away the chill. Or, in her case, when it eradicated the frostbite left from people who never cared.
“I don’t believe the smoke would be a problem. She’s been around the firepits at The Haven plenty of times. Bonfires and things like that aren’t an issue. A short exposure isn’t going to mess her up the way sleeping in a smoky room would. If you want to build a fire, she’ll be fine. We won’t be here much longer anyway.”
“There’s no rush.” Cal had said that before.
“Why not? What do you know?”
“Nothing much. Talked to Gray this morning. He said the site’s a soggy mess. He wants everyone to gather at his office at one o’clock and informed me in not-so-nice terms that he didn’t want to see me before then because I would be in his way. He didn’t say you couldn’t go home, but he did say you should feel free to take it easy this morning. He’ll be updating everyone in full and developing an action plan at the meeting. And he specifically requested that you attend.”
“He did?” Landry was thrilled to be included. While Favors didn’t belong to her, it was hers in so many ways.
“He asked Beep who needed to be brought in. You were at the top of her list. He asked me to come in case there are construction-specific questions that need to be answered.”
“Did you build Favors?” She hadn’t thought to ask last night. She’d assumed they hadn’t, but maybe she was wrong.
“SPQ? No.”
Mo snorted, and Cal shot him a “shut up” look.
“Then why does he want you there? I mean, I think it’s great, of course. It’s not like I have a problem with it or anything like that.”Shut up, Landry.“I’m curious why you would have to attend. It’s your Saturday. Seems like an awfully big ask.”
“Nah. I don’t mind. Like I mentioned before, Gray and I go way back. When he became police chief, he took a rather unusual step. Our town is small. Our police force has always been tiny. But it’s a new world, and Gray needs more people than he has available on the police force. He can always call in people from Asheville if he needs something done in an official capacity. But sometimes that kind of delay can be catastrophic.”
Mo humphed. “What he isn’t telling you is that before Gray came, we had a missing hiker situation. The police chief wouldn’task either of us for help because we’re Quinns, and he firmly sided with the Pierces. Cal did a lot of search and rescue in the Marines. And he also did some crime scene investigating. He has skills that could’ve been useful, but he was kept out of the investigation.”
“What happened to the hiker?”
“Cal went out on his own and found him. But...”
Cal stared at the ground. “It was too late. I don’t know if I could have gotten to him in time regardless. But the people in town were furious with the police chief. Gray heard all about it when he was being interviewed for the position. So he told them that if he was hired, until he could rebuild the police force to appropriate levels, he wanted to hire a few people as consultants.”
“So you work for Gray?” Landry was confused now.
“My consulting fee was $1. So was Mo’s. We have no jurisdictional authority. We don’t carry guns. We aren’t officers. But Gray knows he can call on us if he needs something when time is a critical factor, or when he thinks our knowledge of the town and the people here would be beneficial.”
“Gray’s a smart guy.” Mo sipped his coffee. “And he’s not proud. He wants to do his job. He wants to do everything legally and correctly. But he also doesn’t want the wheels of justice to be bogged down in red tape. Which is why Cal will be attending the meeting. He knows everyone, understands the dynamics of the town, and is respected.”
“Yeah, and Beep needs someone she can trust to give her straight answers and not try to take advantage of the situation.”
Now it was Mo’s turn to stare at his feet. Landry decided not to dig into that mystery right now.
“We’re friends. It’s the least I can do.” Cal said this without a hint of sarcasm.
“If that’s your definition ofleast...” This time she managed to stop herself. Who was this guy? He was going to give up his Saturdayto sit in on a law enforcement conversation about a building owned by the family his family had a low-key feud with.
“It’s not a problem. I want to help. Your livelihood was in that building. The sooner they figure out what’s going on, the sooner you can get back in business. I don’t mind. I like to take care of my friends.”
“I appreciate that. But you barely know me. We’re practically strangers.”