The One I Need

Cameron did just that. Keeping his voice low, he began with running into Juin Dion in Paris. “I was interested from the beginning. I thought she was, too. But it may have only been an act.”

“What’s with the sisters having different last names?”

“Dion is their mother’s maiden name. Juin uses it for business. She speaks fluent French and believes using a common French surname gives her a leg up in the international marketplace. The American version of her name is June.”

“What is it she does again?” Anson asked, clearly skeptical.

“Global account exec for Macrotech.”

“On the surface, the explanation makes sense.”

“But?” Cameron prompted when Anson picked up his club soda and took a drink instead of continuing.

“It’s equally likely she did it in an effort to deceive you.” Anson gestured with his glass.

“That thought crossed my mind,” Cameron admitted.

“You wouldn’t be the guy I know if it didn’t.” Anson gave a humorless laugh. “Remember Lana Kitterich?”

“She had us both fooled.” Cameron thought of the young woman who’d pretended to be a student to infiltrate their inner circle in college. “I hear she’s working for some big newspaper back east.”

“No surprise. Even back then, she was ambitious.”

“I admire the ambition, but I hate feeling like I have to be on guard every time someone speaks to me,” Cameron agreed. A thought struck him, and he cocked his head. “Is that why you and Eve spend time together? You know you can trust her?”

“I wouldn’t use Eve like that.” Anson’s voice turned decidedly cool.

Cameron waved a dismissive hand. “I know you wouldn’t use her. I just thought that perhaps having a public presence as a couple worked for both of you. Anyway, not important. Back to June.”

“What more is there to say?”

“I want to help her find the person who killed her sister.” Cameron recalled the look of sorrow he’d seen on her face more than once. “She’s in a lot of pain, Anson. Her mother, too. She just wants closure, and I—”

“My advice?”

“I wouldn’t have brought this all up if I didn’t want your opinion.”

“Steer clear of her.” Anson moved his glass aside and leaned forward. “You’ve no way to confirm her explanations are true.”

“She appears sincere.”

“So did Lana.”

“June is different than Lana. And I’m no longer a college kid blinded by a pretty face.” Cameron lifted his hands, palms out. “I ask myself, how can helping her be a negative?”

“Well, for starters, she could be feeding you a bunch of lies in an effort to get close to you, make you fall in love with her, get pregnant with your baby, sell family information to the media… The possibilities are endless.”

“When did you become so cynical? I feel like I’m talking to your paranoid campaign manager.”

“Jerome is not paranoid, and I’m not cynical. We are realistic.” Anson’s gaze met his. “Cam, you believe the best in people, and I admire you for it. But in the real world, not all people are good. Some lie. And most have an agenda. Walk away now.”

Cameron knew his friend was giving it to him straight. He also knew that his desire to help June solve a decade-old mystery made no sense. If the police, a PI and June herself couldn’t solve it, what difference could he make? It was that stubborn streak, the one that had caused so much tension between him and his father, that had him wanting to dig in his heels now, throw caution to the wind and do what he could to help her.

* * *

While Cameron was across town speaking with Anson, June met with Detective Gary Willis. When they’d first become friends, Gary had been a smart kid with a mop of dark brown hair and a strong sense of right and wrong.

Which was why she hadn’t been surprised when she’d heard from his mother that he’d gone straight into the police academy after college.