“Did you know he’d lived here?”
Sam nodded. “Yes. He said they moved to California when he was twelve. The route that he took us on through the mountains was planned through research though. Not from what he remembered as a child.” She looked past Cameron to where Tori and Andrea were chatting. It was nearly dark now, and she couldn’t make out their expressions. “There are gaps. I guess like you said, when he was under the radar. But two years are missing,” she said.
“Yeah. After he got out of the military. He disappeared,” Cameron said. “Murdock said there were no hits on him anywhere during that time.”
“What do you think?” she asked.
Cameron shrugged. “He could have still been working. Using an alias,” she said.
“Then he resurfaced using his own name? Why?”
Cameron shrugged again. “I’m only guessing, Sam, nothing more.”
Sam shook her head quickly. “He didn’t seem the type to use an alias,” she said. “He seemed almost proud of his accomplishments, both in the military and beyond. That type of person would want the recognition, not be anonymous.”
“True. But what other explanation could there be?”
Sam pictured Angel’s face, seeing the smile, the relaxed look he’d sported when they’d been fishing. He wasn’t a killer then. He was…he was almost a friend. She looked at Cameron. “Maybe he wasn’t working then. Maybe for those two years, he was just a normal guy.”
“Where? Murdock said they could find nothing on him. His military pension’s been going into an account he set up, but it hasn’t been touched at all.”
“You were in his unit, on his team. I imagine the assignments you had, it must have taken its toll on you. When you got out, what did you do?”
Cameron stared at her for the longest time, and she thought perhaps she wasn’t going to answer her. Cameron finally sighed.
“I didn’t exactly retire, Sam. Not like Angel. I was too young for that. But I was burned out. I couldn’t do it anymore. You’re right. It took its toll and I was ready to walk away, leave it behind. We reached a compromise,” she said.
“With Murdock?”
“Not at first, no. I was on a team of four. But I was told I didn’t play nice with others,” Cameron said with a quick smile. “The motorhome, that was an experimental assignment only. I traveled alone. It suited me.”
“Until you met Andrea?”
Cameron nodded but said nothing else.
“So…it’s not experimental any longer?” Sam knew the question could apply to either the motorhome or Andrea. Cameron’s quick smile told her she understood the double question.
“No. It’s not experimental any longer.”
Sam would have asked more questions, but Tori and Andrea walked over.
“Ready to head out?” Andrea asked. “I got a text from Eric. They flew in to Albuquerque earlier,” she said. “Got briefed there. They’re on the road now, heading this way. About forty-five minutes out.”
“Okay. I guess we need to get back to Taos and set up camp,” Cameron said. “Meet for a working dinner? Don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”
“There’ll be seven of us?” Tori asked. “Kinda hard to have a working dinner, isn’t it?”
“Not if we order pizza and eat it in your hotel room,” Cameron said with a wink at Andrea.
“How did I know that would be your suggestion?” Andrea glanced at Sam. “Did I mention she’s obsessed with pizza?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Andrea laughed good-naturedly as Eric drew her into a hug, kissing her quickly on the mouth. “You’re as beautiful as I remembered,” he said.
“And you’re as charming as I remembered,” she said. She ran a hand playfully through his hair. “You and long hair? It was nearly military short the last time I saw you.”
“Yeah, I wanted a change,” he said as he brushed it away from his face. “Besides, Reynolds hates it. Annoying him is the only fun I have these days.”
Cameron walked over to them. “No kissing,” she said with barely a hint of a smile.
“I’m not scared of you,” he said with a grin. Then he took Cameron’s offered hand, shaking it briskly. “Good to see you again, Agent Ross.”
“Yeah, you too. Where’s Reynolds?”
“Still in his room, I guess. He takes longer to get dressed than me,” he said, motioning to his jeans and T-shirt. “And Rowan had his nose stuck in his computer.” Eric turned to Sam and Tori and gave them an easy smile. “I’m Eric Scales.”
Tori held her hand out first. “Tori Hunter, FBI, Dallas.” She motioned to Sam. “This is Sam Kennedy, Dallas PD.”
Eric nodded. “You were the hostage.”
“Yes.”
“From everything we learned about this guy, you’re damn lucky,” he said bluntly.
Sam simply nodded but didn’t comment.
“So all of you have worked together before?” Tori asked.
“Yes. Serial killer,” Andrea said. “California desert.” She glanced at Eric. “So where did Murdock pull you from?”
“We were in Nevada. Had a kidnapping.” He shook his head. “It didn’t end well.”
“So how is Reynolds?” Cameron asked. “He still doing everything by the book?”
“Oh, he’s loosened up a little. Very little.”
“He still insist on wearing suits and ties? I know when we last saw you, he was dressing down a bit.”
“Yeah, he likes his suits, that’s for sure. But he’s not quite as fanatical about it,” Eric said. “In fact, tonight, I bet he wears only a starched shirt.”
Cameron grinned. “I’ll bet you ten bucks he has on a tie.”
Eric shook his head. “No way. He knows you. He also knows we’re having pizza brought in for dinner.”
“Ten bucks.”
“You’re on.”
Andrea turned to Tori and Sam. “When we were in the desert, Reynolds had on a suit and tie, dress shoes, the works,” she explained. “He and Cameron disagreed on the dress code.”
“Yes, Tori’s had her run-in with the dress code too,” Sam said with a smile.
“Another reason to go back to Homicide,” Tori said.
Cameron glanced at her. “So pizza is ordered, right?”
Andrea nodded. “On its way.”
They were in Tori and Sam’s hotel room and it was already a little crowded. Cameron pulled out the lone chair and sat down, stretching her long legs out. Tori and Sam sat on one of the beds and Eric sat down on the other. A quick knock on the door and Tori got up, opening it. Reynolds stood there, his ebony skin in dark contrast against the white of his starched shirt. A red tie dangled from his neck, and Andrea glanced over at Cameron who was smiling.
“Nice tie, Reynolds,” Cameron said with a smirk, holding out her hand to Eric. He slapped a ten-dollar bill there. “Thank you very much,” Cameron said.
Reynolds stared at Eric disapprovingly as he walked into the room. He was followed closely by Rowan, his laptop tucked under one arm.
“Very Special Agent Ross, so good to see you again,” Reynolds said. He turned toward her. “Andrea, you’re looking well.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you.” She pointed at Tori and Sam. “This is Tori Hunter, she’s from the Dallas office. And Sam Kennedy, Dallas PD,” Andrea introduced. “This is Special Agent Reynolds.”
Reynolds nodded as he shook their hands. “Hell of an ordeal you had.”
“And apparently it’s not over,” Tori said.
Cameron stood, walking over to shake Reynolds’s hand as well. “What’s with the tie? I thought you’d loosened up a little,” she said.
“Well, it’s a business meeting,” he said. “And we have guests.”
“It’s pizza,” Cameron clarified. “And Tori and Sam are no longer guests.” She turned to Rowan. “How the hell are you?”
Rowan gave her a quick smile. “Good. I understand I’m going to get to play with your computers again.”