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Angelica's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. "That's Millie. She's wondering when we're coming."

"You should go." I turned back to my monitors. "I need to keep digging."

"Code..." Katherine started.

"I'll keep digging," I said again, more firmly. I couldn't look at her. Couldn't see the hope in her eyes that I was failing to deliver on.

Jase caught my arm. "Take a break. Eat something.” He gestured at Katherine and Angelica eating breakfast at the table. “You're no good to anyone if you collapse." He pulled me over to the kitchenette, away from the women.

"I told you, I'm fine."

“No you’re not, but that’s not what I wanted to tell you,” Jase whispered. "Nash texted me twenty minutes ago," he said quietly. "The stranger didn't show up at the diner for breakfast this morning. First time since he appeared two days ago."

I processed that. The guy had been consistent—breakfast at the diner, lunch and dinner at Pearl's. Now no breakfast.

"Pattern break."

"Exactly." Jase leaned against the counter, eyeing the women. "Could mean nothing. Could mean he got what he came for."

"Or someone told him to lay low." I thought about Russell Dunlap running four days ago. Different timeline, but the stranger's sudden interest in Jasper Creek felt wrong. "You think they're connected? The stranger and Russell?"

"Don't know yet. But Nash has every business owner in town on alert. If this guy surfaces anywhere—gas station, hardware store, Java Jolt—we'll know." Jase's jaw tightened. "I don't like unknowns this close to my family."

"Me neither."

"We keep this from Katherine and Angelica for now," Jase said. "No point worrying them when we're just watching and waiting."

I nodded. One more threat to track while hunting Russell Dunlap.

"But Code?" He met my eyes. "You stay close to her. Until we know what we're dealing with."

"I wasn't planning to go anywhere."

“What are you two whispering about?” Bonnie asked.

“I was telling him he needed to eat,” Jase answered.

The bedroom door burst open. Lachlan emerged first. "Are we going now? Aunt Millie said there are pears too, and we can make pear butter, whatever that is!"

"Let's load up." Jase started herding his family toward the door. He paused beside me, voice low enough that only I could hear. "Keep her safe."

"I will."

They left with Angelica, the door clicking shut behind them. Silence settled over the suite.

Katherine and I stood there, alone, the weight of everything unsaid pressing down on us.

Last night she'd kissed me. Told me I was scared. Called me out for thinking I was being noble when really, I was just protecting myself.

She was right about all of it.

"Code." Her voice was soft.

I finally looked at her. Those blue eyes held worry, fear, but also something else. Trust. She trusted me to fix this. To find Russell. To stop him.

I didn't deserve that trust. Not when I'd just let our only lead slip away.

"I'm sorry." The words scraped out of my throat. "I thought I had him. I should have moved faster, should have⁠—"