Aaron was still awake, just like her. He replied right away: [Lance wants you to talk to him directly.]
Catherine shifted in her seat, resting her elbows on the table while texting. She paused, then lowered her head and started typing a message to Lance. First, she sent him a list of names.
She was halfway through her second text, trying to explain who he should look into, when her phone started ringing. Lance was calling.
Her hand shook and the phone slipped into her lap. She grabbed it quickly, shot Lorinda a quick “shh” as she walked out of the kitchen, then straightened up and answered.
“Lance.”
“If you have something to say, call me. Don’t text.”
His voice was deep and a little rough in the late night quiet. It made her heart skip, just for a second.
“I need Aaron to check out these people,” Catherine said, steadying her voice. “They might have connections to the Buck Family.”
There was silence on the other end. It dragged on so long that Catherine checked her screen, half convinced the call had dropped. But no, it was still connected. Was Lance asleep?
Finally, Lance spoke again. “That’s all?”
“That’s all,” she said, though she could hear the doubt in his tone. Like she hadn’t done enough. Like she’d spent the whole day slacking off. The truth was, she’d spent just two hours at that party and already figured out who might be connected to the Buck Family. She was exhausted, body and mind.
“I heard the weather in Eldervale’s nice,” Lance said out of nowhere.
Catherine blinked, thrown off. She glanced at the window, only to see nothing but darkness outside. “Yeah, it’s... pretty dark,” she answered, not sure if he was joking.
Lorinda, hovering nearby and listening in, looked even more confused.
“Are you settling in?” Lance asked.
The question hung in the air. Lorinda’s eyes widened as she listened, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

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