Alex looked up at a tree full of white birds and sighed. “No, he wasn’t like that. His name is George Campbell, and at one time I would have said he was my friend. He was invited to my wedding, but he was out of town.”
Cay didn’t like to think about Alex’s wedding. “Maybe he hasn’t heard about what happened to you, or maybe he was your true friend and won’t say anything when he sees you.”
“Is there anyone in this country who hasn’t heard about me?”
“To be safe, I think we should assume there aren’t,” she said. Her mind was swirling with things that they’d need to do if the man could identify Alex. First of all, they needed to stay away from him. They couldn’t let the man see Alex for fear of what he’d say or do. If he did see Alex, or even heard he was here, even though no one was here now to arrest him, how long would it be before the trader, this George Campbell, told someone who was going north? It could be just a matter of days before they were found.
“I want you to talk to him,” Alex said.
“Talk to him? To the storekeeper? Are you insane?”
“Probably. After I married Lilith, everything I heard and saw is a blur to me, but maybe if George wasn’t there he won’t . . . won’t hate me so much.” Alex took a breath. “When George left town, he told me he was going to miss the way I stole everything he owned.”
“Nice man,” Cay muttered.
“It was a man’s joke.”
“Then I guess I couldn’t possibly understand, could I?” she asked belligerently.
“You aren’t going to start a fight, are you?”
“How can you ask that of me? All I’m trying to do is—” She stopped because she realized she was trying to get into an argument. Better that than to face what was going through her mind. “What do you want me to talk to him about?”
“I want you to find out what he knows.”
“You mean find out what he’s heard about people searching for you?”
“Yes,” Alex said.
“I don’t know if I’m any good at lying.”
“What would you be lying about?” Alex asked. “Tell him you know of me through my father. Isn’t that the truth?”
“And do you think that Mr. Grady and Eli won’t know who I’m talking about? Even Tim will be able to figure this one out.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get them to come outside. You just talk to George and find out what you can. And I’ll be right there with you.”
“Making sure that he doesn’t attack me at the mention of your name?”
“Aye, lass, that’s just what I mean.”
Cay swallowed. “All right,” she said, but she didn’t like the idea of being a spy. She slowly walked back to the trading post and stayed outside the door until she heard what sounded like an explosion in the direction of the boat. Immediately, Mr. Grady and Eli came running outside, and Cay stepped into the shadows.
“What’s that fool boy done now?” Eli said.
She gave only a second to wondering if he meant her or Tim before she went into the cool, dark trading post where the young man was counting a pile of furs. “Did I hear that your name is George Campbell?”
“As far as I know, I’m the only one in Florida.”
Cay started to smile at him in a way that she knew appealed to men, but she stopped herself. She was supposed to be a boy. “My father has a friend named McDowell and he has a son who—”
“Alex?”
“Right,” Cay said, her face lighting up. “Alex mentioned a George Campbell, and I wondered if you might be the same man.”
“That I am.” When George bent down behind the deep counter to pull up more furs, Cay saw Alex slip in throu
gh the door to hide behind a cabinet full of men’s shirts. “How is Alex?”