Read Online The Other Daniel - A Camille Grisham Novella by John Hardy Bell - Free Book Online

nervous.
    “I’m not here in an official capacity,”
Chloe said with a thin smile that did little to mask her concern.
“I was in my car and I heard the call come in over dispatch. It
goes without saying that I got here as fast as I could.”
    “Thank you,” Camille said, though her nerves
were no less frayed than before.
    “I was getting some background outside from
Ms. Park. She says the man currently in custody claims that your
father was abducted.”
    Camille could only nod.
    “She says that her colleague, a man by the
name of Jacob Deaver, was also abducted. Presumably by the same
person.”
    “Has he said anything else?” Meredith asked
with a shaken voice.
    “You mean Daniel MacPherson? As far as I
know, he’s been uncooperative so far. But the Q&A has only
started.”
    “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
Camille cried. “I can’t just sit here, knowing my father is out
there somewhere. Give me another chance with Daniel. All I need is
a few minutes.”
    “In your current state I don’t think that’s
such a good idea,” Chloe advised. “We have plenty of people talking
to him now. If there is information to get out of him, they’ll find
a way to get it.” She put a hand on Camille’s shoulder. “Is there
anything I can do for you now?”
    “Aside from finding my father and Jacob
Deaver, no.” Then she looked Chloe in the eye. “But I do appreciate
you coming here.”
    “Of course. Beyond the fact that Paul is
your father, he’s also a part of the DPD family. A very important
part. That makes this personal for all of us. Me especially. Trust
me when I say we’ll find him.”
    Just then, three forensics techs walked
through the front door. Two of them fanned out to opposite corners
of the house to begin their work while the third approached Camille
and Chloe.
    “Detective Sullivan. Ms. Grisham.”
    Chloe smiled. “This is CSI Robert Franklin.
I called him and his team in as a special favor.”
    “Thank you,” Camille said to the tech.
    “Happy to help, Ms. Grisham. If there is
anything here that points the finger at a potential abductor we’ll
pick it up.”
    Camille could only hope that was true as the
tech walked away to survey his own corner of the house. She then
began her own search; looking for even the slightest thing that
might have been missing or out of place. From what she could tell,
everything was as she remembered it before she left for the Brown
Palace, right down to her father’s car keys and wallet sitting in
their usual spot near the kitchen table.
    She continued her methodical walk through
the house as the CSI techs worked around her. She wasn’t sure what
they were supposed to find, but she appreciated their presence, as
well as the gesture by a good friend that brought them here in the
first place. Had the promise to find her father been made by anyone
other than Chloe, it would have felt hollow. But Detective Sullivan
was as good as they came. And if she promised a positive outcome,
Camille had no choice but to believe her.
    As she trailed the techs through the house,
she was finding very little to sustain that belief. Then she came
upon the delivery box on top of the foyer end table. Aside from the
fact that it hadn’t been here when she and Meredith left the house,
what most caught her eye was the plain white shipping label with
its crude scribbling of her name. She instinctively reached for it
but quickly stopped herself.
    “Chloe, come look at this.”
    The detective rushed over. Her eyes were
already fixed on the box. “What is it?”
    Camille shrugged. “Apparently it was
delivered this afternoon while I was gone.”
    “Were you expecting a package?”
    “No.”
    Chloe called over her shoulder. “Hey Rob,
check this out.”
    The tech walked over, adjusting his latex
gloves as he did. “What is it?”
    “We’re not sure,” Chloe answered. “It was
delivered this afternoon.”
    Robert picked up the small box. “It’s light.
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