Unfortunately, they came up empty on that front.After talking to the desk clerk at the hotel, they went to fourteen smaller businesses—she’d counted—including the gas station where Allison had made a purchase, and not a single person recognized the woman in the photograph.And every person they’d spoken with had seemed sincere.
“That was disappointing,” she told Evan when they were back in his SUV.“What do we do now?”
He backed out of the parking spot and headed toward the stop sign.
“Should I go left or right?”he prompted.
“For what?”
“To get to a back road.”
“Why?”
“Because we’ve driven this far.Might as well check it out.”
Becs wasn’t sure why that would help, but she used the map on her phone to direct him.They spent the next half hour driving around.Once they passed the mix of older homes and new businesses being built, the only things to look at were grass, trees, and hay.There was no way they were going to find Allison Bogart this way.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
“That’s Atticus.He said they’re on their way back.Everybody.And to meet at HQ by six o’clock in the morning.”She looked at Evan.“Do you think they found something?”
“If they did, they probably would call us in tonight.”
True.Maybe.It was Sunday, and they would have a three-hour drive ahead of them.
“I really hate that we don’t have anything to give them,” she said, watching out the window.“We learned nothing from Meredith and Decker.”
“That’s not true.”
Scrunching her face, she thought back to the conversation, trying to recall what she might’ve missed.She came up with nothing.
“Okay, I give.What didyoulearn?”
“Well, for starters, they’re hiding something.”
“I’m not sure that counts.”
“Trust me, it does.We just need to come up with the right questions to get them to open up.”
“Based on Decker’s death-ray stare, I’m not sure that’s even possible.”
“It is.”
“Well, I guess that’s why you’re the detective and I’m the analyst.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Becs.You’re a valuable member of this team.Without you, we wouldn’t have made it this far.”
She wasn’t so sure about that, but she was not going to argue and make him think she was fishing for compliments.She wasn’t.And certainly not from him.
She felt his eyes on her when he said, “You want to get a bite to eat before we get back?”
The two of them at a restaurant?Alone?No, thank you.
“I need to get back to Carly.Get her home and ready for school tomorrow.”
“Fair enough.”
Becs was grateful he didn’t argue.At the same time, she wondered whether he thought she’d ever been worth fighting for.
