While the two men continued their conversation, she and Cole moved to the back, where the drinks were tuckedin glass-doored refrigerators, and there they saw a reflection of the older man behind the counter—Chuck—talking to another man in jeans and a cap.
“Come on, let’s go,” Cole whispered. “She’s not here.”
“We should have waited in the Yukon,” Jo said.
A woman stepped from the ladies’ room. Her eyes widened.
“It’s you.” She thrust her hand out to Jo. “I’m Naomi.”
Jo shook her hand, and then Cole did the same. Naomi looked to be in her early fifties, and her eyes reflected deep sorrow. Of course Jo was sorry that Mason Hyde was dead, but had the man killed her mother? This meeting had been a bad idea.
Naomi gestured to the back door, then headed toward it. Cole led Jo as they followed Naomi. Once outside, they stood under a large, covered porch. She motioned to an older RV parked a few yards away, close to the water. This was weird, and yet she got it. Naomi wanted to speak in private. In that case, they could talk in the Yukon.
Cole moved to block the woman. “What is this? Why here?”
“I’ll explain,” she said. “Please.”
She opened the door and stepped in first. Cole kept his gun and Jo close. She pressed her palm against her own firearm at her side. Taking the two steps up, she tripped, but righted herself, stumbling inside the musty and dirty space.
“Please, have a seat.” Naomi slid into the booth at the small table.
Jo sat across from her, but Cole remained standing.
“Why here?” Cole asked again.
“It had a For Sale sign on it,” she said. “I rented it for a day so we could talk here.”
“And you didn’t feel any other place would be safe?” Jo would have gone a different way.
“No. I also rented a boat for the day and took it acrossthe sound. I still can’t be sure whether anyone followed, but I don’t think they did.”
Jo shared a look with Cole. That’s exactly what he’d done. He’d followed the ferry she had taken.
“You’re sure about that?” Cole asked.
“As sure as anyone can be. So, we have to hurry.”
“Why would someone follow you?” Cole asked.
“I’m the sister of a wanted man, after all. A deceased wanted man.” The last words came out bitter. She leveled her gaze on Jo. “I blame your mother for that.”
“Now, wait a minute.” Cole stood taller, clearly ready to walk out of this weird meeting.
Jo’s throat tightened. “I’m so sorry for what happened, but I don’t know what’s going on. Please tell me everything. You obviously wanted to talk to me for a reason.”
This woman had hired CGIS to investigate Jo’s mother’s murder to clear Mason’s name, and her demeanor reflected her displeasure about Cole working with Jo. Had Naomi brought Jo here to take revenge on her? If so, Cole wouldn’t allow that to happen.
“Mason didn’t kill your mother,” Naomi said.
“Why was he on that ferry?” Jo asked. “Why had he followed me? How had he even found me?”
“He was looking for you, not to harm you. He wanted to ask for your help.”
“My help?” Incredulity infused her. “What could I do?”
“Three years ago, his image was flashed everywhere for being responsible for a murder at an ATM—the image your mother had drawn. Mason had to disappear.”
“But the police say he met my mother at a grocery store parking lot that night, before she died. So he stalked her. He was angry that she’d drawn his picture.”
