“Cam?” He sounded unsure.
“Listen to me”—I needed to soothe him—“I don’t want you to worry that some confession is going to make me run. I already like you, and I’m not going to change my mind.”
“You can’t say that for sure, and it’s weird anyway.”
“What is?”
“Sometimes it’s not holding stuff back that makes people mad. When I don’t let them do things for me or help, they get mad too.”
“Is that right?”
He made a sound of agreement, his voice getting a bit more slurred.
“I suspect lots of people try to get close to you,” I assured him. Having seen the looks he got when he was moving between tables at the restaurant, I was betting Jeremiah had no end of interested parties.
“It’s hard for me to get close to people. I have some trust issues,” he muttered, and then laughed softly.
That might have been the understatement of the century.
“But I—not with you. I don’t know why, but I—Cam?”
“I’m here.” I was fairly certain he was about ready to pass out. “I’m going to come see you, all right? I’ll be there in a little while, and we’ll figure out your job situation and your living situation as well.”
“That’d be so good, ’cause I think I should move to Sacramento.”
“Oh, I agree. And we’re going to make that happen.”
“Mmm’kay.”
“Tell Merrell to go home when he gets there, because Cam is on his way.”
He whimpered like he was already sleeping, so I hung up. No sooner than I’d disconnected, another call came through with a Sacramento area code.
“Hello?”
“May I speak to Cameron Gallagher, please?”
“This is he.”
“Good morning, sir. My name is Officer Gerald Kramer, and I was asked to get in contact with you by Jeremiah Wolfe. Do you know Jeremiah?”
“I do. I know him well.”
“Which explains why he wanted me to call you. Do you have time right now for me to explain what occurred outside his residence last evening?”
“I do.”
It was helpful to hear the events of the night in chronological and lucid order, and I was not at all surprised to learn the man I was falling for had prevented a rape. He’d saved a young woman, been beaten in the process, and was then rescued by the girl’s father, who had put all four attackers in the hospital.
“Mr. Hornsberry is a big man, and he came downstairs with his son’s baseball bat in one hand and a cast-iron frying pan in the other.”
A father with righteous anger roaring through his veins, I could only imagine.
“He called the ambulance for Jeremiah right away, and then Merrell Barrett showed up, so things sped up from there.”
Of course they did. The man was the mayor-elect after all.
“I don’t mean to pry, Mr. Gallagher, but will you be around to take Jeremiah home from the hospital tomorrow? I’d hate for him to have to get a cab, and then be all alone in that rat trap of an apartment.”
“You know him beyond being the police officer on-site last night, then.”
“Yes. We went to school together,” he clarified for me.
“I see.”
“So he only has a motorcycle, and it was old when he got it in high school. I can’t believe he’s still driving the thing. I don’t care how gifted Zack is, that bike is going to blow up one of these days, and I hope Jeremiah’s not on it when it goes.”
New motorcycle or, better yet, a car. It was going on my list.
“Do you live in Sac?”
“I don’t, no, but I do a lot of traveling back and forth to see him.” It wasn’t true. Yet. But it would be soon, because frequent commuting to see Jeremiah was, without question, in my immediate future.
“That’s great. I was worried he still didn’t have anybody, so I’m thrilled to hear he’s got himself a boyfriend.”
“Yes, he does,” I assured him. “Please feel free to share that information with anyone who inquires.”
“Oh. Okay, I certainly will.”
Small towns were a wonder, no worry over privacy in the least.
“I’ll be there later today, Officer Kramer. I appreciate you contacting me. Jeremiah mentioned he’d asked any- and everyone to call me last night, so I’m glad someone finally got around to it.”
“He was in and out of consciousness last night, and not making much sense when he was awake, but I always try to do what a victim asks of me, no matter what anyone else says.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Like I said, Merrell Barrett was at the scene, though I’m still unclear as to what he was doing there, but since he’s gonna be the new mayor, everyone is sort of getting a head start on doing what he wants.”
“And he preferred you didn’t call me.”
“That’s right. He told the officers on the scene there was no one to call, but I followed the ambulance to the hospital, and as soon as they lifted Jeremiah out of the back and he saw me, he asked me again to call you. The fact he was that hurt and out of it, and yet coherent enough to make the request not once but twice, told me I needed to follow up as soon as I was off duty this morning.”