“I’ve heard of him, of course, but I don’t actually know him.”
“No, but he knows you. Even with two Krewes on call, we’re always scrambling. This is a very big country. We have a number of agents now, but as you can imagine, we can’t just look at each year’s graduating class. You’ve been on his radar.”
That was actually a little disconcerting, Dallas thought. It was difficult explaining sometimes why he had certain information. Even so, he’d thought he’d kept the nature of his unique informants well hidden.
“Don’t worry,” Raintree told him. “Adam has a unique ability to assess people. I doubt anyone else has figured out what you can do.”
Dallas didn’t respond right away, instead turning away to make the tea. He was saved from answering at all when Hannah came into the kitchen with Kelsey right behind her.
Hannah seemed much better. The weight of the world seemed to have fallen from her shoulders. Dallas wished he could have made the past couple of days easier for her—he hadn’t know her long, but the hours they’d shared had seemed incredibly intense. He was feeling things for her that he knew he shouldn’t. He needed to back away—fast.
“You might have mentioned that your cousin was with the Bureau,” he told her wryly.
“Sorry. It never came up. Kelsey is like me. Or I’m like her, I suppose, since she’s a year older. She—well, she knows Melody and Hagen, if that tells you anything.”
He nodded. He knew she hadn’t withheld the information out of any malice, but it still bugged him.
“We’re not here officially,” Raintree said. “If that helps.”
Dallas nodded and said, “Good to know. I’m the lead on the Jose Rodriguez case, since he was one of ours down here.”
Hannah sank into a chair. “And he’s all of ours, in a way,” she said quietly. “I told Kelsey that I’ve seen him—except that I haven’t seen him since that first time. And now...”
“Now there’s been another death,” Kelsey finished for her.
“That poor girl,” Hannah said. “I can’t help but feel...”
“Hannah, you had nothing to do with it,” Dallas told her firmly. “Don’t go blaming yourself.”
“But I knew her. She was a guest here,” Hannah said.
Dallas found himself walking over to her, hunkering down. “If you blame yourself, then Jose would have to blame himself, too, and he isn’t at fault, either. Whoever runs Los Lobos is responsible, and everyone involved deserves the harshest punishment the law can dish out. Jose died in that alley trying to avoid putting anyone else at risk. It didn’t work. But we can’t know that whoever killed Yerby Catalano knew she’d stayed here. They might have seen her at O’Brien’s or on the street, walking behind Jose and his group.”
When her eyes met his, he was surprised at the gratitude in them.
“Katie!” she gasped suddenly. “Katie worked on those sketches with the police artist, and she was definitely at O’Hara’s. She could be in serious danger.”
“David Beckett is no man’s fool,” Kelsey assured her quickly. “Not to mention that Liam is Katie’s brother-in-law.”
“David is married to Katie O’Hara?” Dallas asked.
Hannah frowned. “You know David, too?”
He nodded. “Haven’t seen him in ages, but of course I know him. Liam and I were friends for years.”
“Small world,” Raintree said.
“It’s Key West,” Dallas replied, his words echoed by Kelsey and Hannah at almost the same time. For a moment he was another Conch and not the outsider.
Conchs, as native Key Westers were called, were few and far between.
“We should still call and make sure they’re aware,” Hannah said.
Kelsey nodded. “I’ll call Liam right now.” She reached into her pocket for her cell phone and took a seat at the table.
Hannah suddenly went into hostess mode, rising and heading for the tea.
“I can do that,” Dallas said.
“I’m fine,” she assured him, smiling. “I’m not an invalid. You all may be the agents, but Jose came to me. I can’t help but feel involved, but I’m okay.”
“You still have to be careful,” Dallas said.
“I intend to be,” she promised as she took the teapot and put it on the table. He picked up cups and saucers.
“Can I do anything?” Logan asked.
“The Jameson’s is in the corner cupboard over the sink,” Hannah said.
She found a box of scones and put them on the table with a stack of plates. Everyone joined Kelsey around the table as she finished her phone conversation.
“I read the file, but there’s not a lot there, so why don’t you bring us up to speed on what you know about Los Lobos?” Raintree said to Dallas.