Mad, Bad and Blonde - Cathie Linz [73]
Thump thump thump.
That didn’t sound good. “Mom, what are you doing? Where are you?”
“In the kitchen.”
“What was that noise?”
“Me whacking the phone against the counter. Maybe I should hire someone else for the job. Maybe it’s too much for you.”
“It’s not too much for me.”
“Maybe you’ve got so many other cases that you don’t have the time to devote to this one.”
“Of course I have the time.”
“Really? Because I’m not sure you’re giving this the priority it deserves.”
Faith felt more than a twinge of guilt. It was true that she’d spent more time on Karl Hunter’s case than she had investigating her father.
“I knew it. I’m right, aren’t I?” her mom said.
“I’ll do better. I promise.”
“Please don’t let me down.”
Faith’s heart ached at the sadness in her mom’s voice. “I won’t.”
She worked until the middle of the night, trying to find something about her dad that would give her a clue as to what might be going on, but she found nothing. Surely that was a good sign?
“It sounds like Nolan Parker is a hot dog searching for mustard,” Buddy said as he and Caine sat in one Chicago’s many South Side Irish pubs late Wednesday night.
At Caine’s blank look, Buddy explained. “It means he’s in search of attention.”
“If he framed my dad, why would he be looking for attention? Which reminds me, you’re telling me the truth when you say you aren’t bugging his phone, right?”
“That would be illegal.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“I need to know if it’s you or if there’s someone else in this mix.”
“And I need to keep some things private. You’re not my client. Weldon is.”
“Does that mean that if Weldon is responsible for framing my dad, you won’t tell me?”
“You met the kid. Do you think he framed your dad?”
Caine rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know what I think. I checked and haven’t found any record of any other investigators tailing Fred and/or Nolan. So that leaves you. You tailed Fred and Nolan to find out if they were the one tailing Weldon. Am I right?”
Buddy just smiled. “Have another Guinness.” He signaled their server. “By the way, I did check out Faith’s ex-fiancé, and he had no connection to your dad’s case. But you knew that already. You just said it to push Faith’s buttons, right?”
Caine shrugged. He would have preferred his Corona over a Guinness, but Buddy had insisted on the Irish beer. He’d also insisted on dodging a direct answer to Caine’s question, but Caine could read between the lines . . . at least as far as Buddy was concerned. The rest of Caine’s life still felt pretty messed up, and reading between his own lines was a blurry business. Caine silently admitted he was guilty as charged about wanting to push Faith’s buttons. But that wasn’t the only thing he wanted to do to her. “Another Guinness isn’t going to clear my brain.”
“Maybe not, but it makes a soul feel good, and I have a feeling your soul could use some cheering up.”
Buddy might be an old guy, but he was right on the money with his observation. Caine was having a hard time dealing with the situation. The case had gotten more complicated. In the beginning, Caine’s only goal was to prove his dad’s innocence. Now Faith was in the mix. Caine already had enough guilt to last a lifetime without failing his father again.
Caine was a Marine. And failure wasn’t an option for a Marine. Not even for a former Marine.
Caine had spent over a third of his life in the Corps. He’d been trained to do what had to be done. He was part of a brotherhood that left no one behind. Yet he’d left his fellow Marines behind when he’d gotten out. A shitty decision to make. He’d been between a rock and a hard place. Not unusual for him. During his deployment he’d dealt with far worse.
He’d had to wait two long years after his father’s suicide before his obligation to the U.S. Marine Corps was completed. He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to prove his dad was innocent of the charges against him. He owed his father that much. He owed him so much more.
So why was he finding it so hard to adjust? His honorable discharge was