All those months and years working side by side with her mother, solving crimes, and she could never have imagined this scenario. And Pop? She’d let herself trust him. Lean into him. Trusting was a risk she had been willing to take, and now she paid the price. At least he’d said goodbye, and she knew, as far as he was capable, that he loved her.
Pop had been Ransom Driscoll.
Before...
Was it possible that her mother had been living under a new identity? Where did Jo fit into all this?
Who were my parents ... before?
Well, her mother was dead and gone, but her father was still alive, as far as she knew. And while Jo drew breath, she wouldn’t stop until she got answers. Cole squeezed her hand, drawing her attention back to the moment.
“Are you okay?” He squeezed her hand again.
His tenderness pinged around inside. “Under the circumstances, yes, I’m as okay as can be expected. How about you? You risked your life out there, you know.” Again.
“I never should have agreed to meeting her or talking to her inside the camper.”
“I don’t blame you for what happened. We’ll both do better next time.” She freed her hand from his.
After all, they weren’t together, and it felt inappropriate to hold his hand for too long, especially after she’d laid down the game rules. She had to try harder to ignore the thrumming inside at his nearness. The warmth that erupted in her heart when he looked at her long and hard. And his heroics ... being willing to step out and take a bullet for her. To dive into dangerously cold water to pull her from a sinking vehicle.
“I hope there isn’t a next time in terms of a precarious situation. I mean, to keep you out of danger.”
“As long as questions remain, I’m in danger. You’re in danger.”
“We need answers. So let’s get back to the house—as long as no one followed—and talk to the Washington and Michigan detectives and see where we are. Learning who this hitman is could lead us to who is behind this.”
She expected the feds would get involved at some point,if they weren’t already, considering the multiple states and agencies involved. “We don’t have to wait on that, though. We need togoto Michigan.”
“What are you thinking, exactly?”
“We know that my father isn’t who he said he is. Naomi mentioned her brother knew my mother before ... so I think ... is it possible that my mother wasn’t who she said she was either?”
Cole didn’t answer. Windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the rain as he accelerated the Yukon, steering along the wet road, passing cars, leaving anyone who might follow behind. A man on a mission.
Then, finally, he said, “Anything is possible. And if that’s the case, if she, too, was living under an altered identity, then...”
“This has to do with them both. It’s not two different investigations. It’s just one, with one question. What doestheirpast have to do with my present?”
23
My thinking exactly.
The possibility that her mother’s murder and her father’s disappearance could be connected had been at the back of his mind, with each new lead confirming it. Naomi’s revelation seemed to lend more credibility—at least in his mind—that there could be a connection.
On the drive back, he had gone above and beyond to make sure no one followed them to the safe house. He’d made sure that no one had placed a tracker on the vehicle. After all, the gunman had been at the bait shop. If he was after Jo and not Naomi, then he could have attached a tracker. Cole and Hawk had arranged to trade vehicles behind a shopping center in Olympia. Cole had driven out of his way for that, but it was worth it. He’d put on a ball cap and Jo had ducked down in the seat as they exited. The plan was that Hawk would wait half an hour and then head in the opposite direction. The two brothers looked enough alike, Cole hoped, that if someone was waiting, they would follow the Yukon.
Cole had seen no vehicle lights along the two-lane road,then finally, he turned onto the gated drive and steered through the privacy gate, up the drive that cut through a thick, dark forest. It was approaching five o’clock, but the gray, dreary day made it seem much later. He parked in the garage and shut the door behind the vehicle.
Jo started to get out.
“Wait. Let me clear the perimeter and the house,” he said. “I’ll look at the cameras first.”
He viewed the security cameras at the house, and no one had entered or approached. The possibility remained that someone had hacked the cameras, so Cole would clear everything himself for good measure. After he did a quick perimeter check, he moved back to the vehicle. Jo got out.
She stayed with him as they entered the house through the garage. She had her weapon drawn too, as he cleared the house that was a little too large for his comfort when it came to security. But the location met other check marks—it was remote and hard to find or get to.
Cole tucked his gun away.
