“Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
She ended the call and let the silence settle around her. Then she opened the door and stepped out into the warm afternoon.
The lot was quiet except for the hum of distant traffic and the rustle of trees lining the edge of the property. She locked her car and adjusted her bag on her shoulder — and that was when she saw him.
The stranger. He was walking along the far edge of the lot, hands shoved into the pockets of a worn jacket despite the heat. His movements were cautious, and he constantly looked around. Even from a distance, she could see the tension in him.
Her pulse quickened.
She hadn’t heard a peep from him since that last note, but had been hoping she would see him again.
Ray’s contact still hadn’t been able to get into those files, so they were still at a dead end.
“Hi,” she called gently as she walked toward him.
He stiffened immediately, his gaze snapping up and locking onto hers before flicking to the building, then the street, then back to her.
“I was hoping I’d see you again,” she said, slowing her pace so she wouldn’t spook him.
He didn’t smile. Didn’t relax. But he didn’t leave either. Still, she didn’t feel threatened. And even if she did, she knew that Seth, Pierce, and Ray’s friend was sitting just inside the front door.
He hesitated, and she could see his jaw tightening. The guy looked ready to bolt. But she couldn’t let that happen.
“Do you need help?” she asked.
“The truth needs to come out,” he said.
“What truth?” Charley asked.
The guy started to shake his head, like maybe he had already said too much. But she couldn’t let the conversation end there.
She glanced toward the entrance. “We can go inside and talk.”
The reaction was immediate. He took a half-step back, eyes flashing with panic.
“No.”
The refusal was absolute.
She shifted quickly. “Okay. We don’t have to go inside.”
She scanned the street and spotted the bus stop bench across from the lot. “We can sit over there. Open space. No walls. Just me and you.”
He considered it, then nodded once.
As they crossed the street, Charley pulled her phone from her pocket and shot Alyvia a quick text.
Charley:With the stranger. Talking across the street at the bus stop.
Alyvia’s reply came almost immediately.
Alyvia:I’ll let Seth know.
Charley:Tell him to stay out of sight. I don’t want to scare this guy.
After getting a “thumbs up” emoji from Alyvia, she slipped her phone back into her pocket.
