Raising the Stakes

“Dammit,” Mary said, with deliberate heat. She never cursed and her uncharacteristic use of the word made it sound like the worst kind of obscenity. “I am not an invalid. When will you get it through your head that I can handle bad news without clutching my chest and falling to the floor? If you’ve come to tell Dan something important, you’re going to have to tell it to me, too.”

A tiny vein throbbed in Keir’s forehead. After a few seconds, he nodded. She was right and he knew it.

“You recall our talk about Dawn Carter?” He looked from his mother to Dan. “Well, I think something’s about to happen.”

Dan shot to his feet. “Where? In the casino? Did you alert the—”

“No. Sorry. I didn’t mean…” Keir sank into a chair. “There are things happening, is what I should have said, and though it’s possible they’re meaningless, I don’t want to take any chances.”

“What things?”

“Well, you know we were trying to figure out what Baron wants with Dawn.” Keir glanced at his mother. “It would seem he’s, ah, seeing her.”

“Seeing her?” Dan said.

“Yes. Ah, dating her.”

Mary snorted. “What sort of delicate flower do you think I am? Do you mean he’s sleeping with her?”

For the first time since he’d entered the room, Keir smiled. “Yes.”

“And you know this because…?”

“Cassie told me.”

“Who?”

“Dawn’s friend, Cassie Berk. She’s a cocktail waitress in the casino. She knows Dawn better than anyone, and she said Dawn and Baron are…that they’ve become intimate.”

“That’s not a crime,” Mary said dryly, “certainly not in this town.”

“Well, there’s more.” Keir got to his feet, stuck his hand into his pocket and began to pace. “Seems that Dawn has never been involved with anyone before.”

“You mean, Mr. Baron swept her off her feet?”

“I mean, maybe he set out to sweep her off her feet.” Keir narrowed his eyes. “And maybe it had little to do with his attraction to her.”

Mary frowned. “I don’t follow you, Keir.”

“Cassie says a man’s been asking about Dawn. Seems like quite a coincidence, two guys turning up here within, what, a week, both of them interested in the same woman?”

“Yes,” Mary said softly, “I suppose it does.”

“Cassie says this guy doesn’t belong here.”

Dan raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never seen a human being who didn’t belong in this town, one way or another.”

“I’m not saying it right.” Keir frowned. “She says he looks like…” He thought for a moment. “Well, from her description, he sounds as if he just came down from the hills. Big, rawboned, cammo pants and combat boots, talks like a redneck and he’s got a cold look in his eyes.”

“Harman Kitteridge,” Dan said softly. “Dawn’s husband.”

“Right. It’s a good guess, anyway. Do we have a photo of him?”

Dan unlocked a drawer in his desk, took out Dawn’s file and leafed through it. “No, dammit, we don’t. But I can get one.”

“In the meantime, I’ve told Cassie she’s to call me if she spots him again.”

“I’ll have her take a look at the footage from the security cameras, let her see if she can find him.”