Framed by CP Smith Page B

hallway.
    “Hey. I’m done with work and thought we could have an early dinner. I wanted to talk to you about Kade.”
    “How did it go today? Did the dogs give you problems?”
    “It went great; the dogs behaved, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m worried about Kade, Dad. His arm was bandaged and when I asked him about it, he blew it off. I think he’s in danger.”
    “Did he tell you he was in danger?”
    “No, but he used the time-honored, “Don’t worry your pretty little head,” so I knew it was serious. I’m beginning to think we should start looking instead of waiting on these so-called friends.”
    Dad whistled through his teeth, nodding in agreement. Dad had always used that particular phrase on me when something bad was happening. Such as “ Don’t worry your pretty little head over it, your mother will be fine.”
    “Harley, we haven’t got a clue how to conduct an investigation. At best, we’d piss people off.”
    I followed on his heels as he headed towards the open kitchen that looked out over the river. I could see boats pass by through the large picture window, and became angry. Life was passing Kade by while he was stuck in prison. He could be out on a boat right now drinking a beer with his brother instead of rotting in a cell where he didn’t belong.
    Dad opened the fridge and pulled out two beers as I climbed up on the marble countertops like I had when I was a kid. After popping the top off my beer, he handed it to me then took a long pull from his own as I worked Kade’s problem over in my mind.
    “What if we put together a file of all the witnesses for his team? That way when they arrive, they don’t have to spend time researching. I could go to the courthouse and copy the public records of the case files, maybe go to St. Elmo’s Fire and see if the bartender from that night still works there.”
    “ We could go. There’s no way I’m letting you snoop around in a murder investigation by yourself. Have you forgotten there were three men in the alley the night Sutton died? Whoever he pissed off, they’ll wanna let sleeping dogs lie and Kade to continue to take the fall. They wouldn’t hesitate to go after a pretty little thing like yourself.”
    “You know that’s twice in one day a handsome man has called me a pretty little thing,” I grinned. “If I wasn’t so offended by neither one of you thinking I can take care of myself, I might get a big head.”
    Polishing off the rest of his beer, Dad belched before tossing it into the recycling bin. “We Dashes are known for our fast wit. However, you get your looks from your mother, God rest her soul, and a day doesn’t go by that I don’t thank God you look just like her. You keep her memory alive for me every time I look at you. So you’ll have to give your old man a pass for worrying about you. You’re all I have left of her.”
    “Is that why you never dated after she died? Because I’m a constant reminder of her?”
    Shaking his head no, my dad moved in front of me. I saw the sadness in his eyes that he usually kept hidden.
    “Daddy?”
    “Your mother was the love of my life. I don’t want or need to find a pale comparison. What little time I had with her was more than most people get in a lifetime of loving.”
    “But don’t you get lonely?”
    “Sure. But I have you to push away the gray clouds,” he said, running his hand across my hair. “Now, enough about me. Tell me how it went with Kade today.”
    That is a loaded question.
    “Well, he seems to have bonded with Buck since I was there two days ago.”
    “And?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, giving me the “dad” vibe like he did when I was in trouble.
    “And what?” I hedged, not about to tell him how my heart beats faster anytime I look at the man. “I’m there to teach the men how to train their dogs. It’s not like we were sitting around socializing.”
    “Right . . . Harley, when I told you last night