After a long moment, she shook her head. “I’ve never seen that woman before.”
Duke felt his chest tighten anyway. Not relief. Not confirmation. Just the familiar compression of another door closing.
“You’re sure?” Andi asked.
“I’m sure.” Pam’s voice was steady now, firm in a way that surprised him. Fear hadn’t vanished—but certainty had taken its place.
Duke leaned back slightly, letting the weight of it settle.
Another dead end.
Pam pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes shining with tears. “Please, find my sister. I don’t care who that woman is or why she lied—I just need Gina back before something terrible happens to her. I pray we’re not too late.”
Duke met her gaze and nodded. “We’ll do everything we can.”
He meant the words.
Because someone had gone to great lengths to insert them into this case.
And people didn’t do that for no reason.
Andi and Duke said goodbye and promised to keep Pam updated.
Still, as they walked back to Duke’s SUV, one thought wouldn’t let go.
Who was Fake Pam?
From what they knew so far, the woman didn’t fit anywhere in Gina’s life. She wasn’t family or a friend.
Yet she’d known enough to lie convincingly. That fact disturbed Andi more than anything.
Outside, the San Francisco morning had turned crisp and bright. Andi slid into the passenger seat of their rental and stared out the window as Duke drove, replaying Fake Pam’s face in her mind—grainy, indistinct, impossible to pin down.
“Nothing about Fake Pam makes sense,” Andi murmured.
“Not yet. But she wanted us involved. That part is clear.”
They needed to figure out who she was. But the task felt daunting, especially with the time element at play.
Andi understood contracts. She knew the details of what they’d signed when they’d agreed to do this tour. They legally had to fulfill their obligations.
But something about moving on just felt so wrong.
Twenty minutes later, the law firm of Morrison, Blake, and Associates rose ahead of them—sleek, modern, all sharp lines and confidence.
After a brief explanation at the reception desk, they were shown into a quiet conference room. But when they met with Gina’s supervising partner, she had nothing to offer them. They’d even shown her a picture of Fake Pam, but she hadn’t recognized her.
Their visit was a dead end.
Andi and Duke stepped back into the hallway moments later, and Andi stopped short. “I don’t think Gina’s disappearance has anything to do with her work.”
“I agree.”
“Then why was she taken?” Andi frowned.
“That’s what we need to figure out . . . but my bets are still on Colin.”
CHAPTER
