“Thank you,” Carly whispered. “I’m so glad we met, so glad you knew my mom, so glad I can trust you. Shallie, I love you.”

Shallie felt tears gather as she hugged the girl. “I love you, too. And you’re right. You can trust me.”

“OH, HERE ARE some extra copies of your printout.” As they prepared to leave, Cord handed her the two pages.

“Thanks. I know I could’ve emailed it, and I will email it to the PI. But I thought it’d be easier to do it this way for tonight, so I can make notes on our discussion.”

They drove to Bailey’s in silence, watching as the sun began its descent in the western sky. As always, Cord was struck by its generous beauty and felt pleased that Shallie seemed just as touched. When they arrived, Brynne greeted them with, “Your…friend is waiting. At the table over there.”

Eli raised his glass of beer as they approached. “Don’t worry, this is my only one. Have to set an example, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. Shallie, what would you like?”

Remembering his grandfather-inspired manners, Cord waited for Shallie to sit down before he did.

“A glass of white wine.” She selected a West Coast Chardonnay from the brief list Brynne recited. “Good choice,” Brynne said.

“She’d call anything you’ve got here a good choice,” Cord muttered.

“Hey! I heard that,” Brynne said. “And by the way, anything you get here is a good choice.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll have a Corona. We’ll order food once J.P. shows up.”

“LET’S MOVE ON to business,” Eli said in what Shallie thought of as his sheriff voice.

She gave him the printout. “Here’s everything I know. The Chicago information came from my cousin Russell at the Painted Pony Motel. We’re planning to talk again. Or should I put the investigator in touch with him?”

Eli read over the pages and said, “Maybe later. Best if you talk to Russell by yourself first. Get him comfortable with all of this. Now, let me tell you about the guy I’m recommending. I’ve already run everything past him, and he’s available and interested.”

But before Eli could start discussing the case, Brynne returned with their drinks and a complimentary plate of sweet potato fries, accompanied by chipotle sauce.

Cord gave her a thumbs-up. After they’d had a few sips, eaten a few fries, Eli began. “This guy’s a private investigator in Tucson. Name of Eddie—Eduardo—Gonzalez. Like I said, he’s willing to get involved. I’ve known him since we were both at the police academy in Phoenix.” He paused. “After the criminal justice program in Seattle, I spent a year there doing some extra training.”

“So what kind of experience does he have with cases like this?” Cord asked.