Brandon stopped at an intersection as a stream of tourists and scooters moved through. “So, what’d you think of Jason?”

“Slimy.”

“Yeah.”

Antonio shook his head. “And I fucking hate being lied to.”

Brandon looked at him. “Get used to it.”

*   *   *

Leigh found a prime space near the streetlamp right in front of her office.

“Thanks for calling me back,” she told Tiffany as she gathered her files from the passenger seat. “It’s about Vanessa.”

“I figured.”

Leigh pushed open her door and got out. The street was deserted except for a trio of skateboarders probably headed to the parking garage on the corner, which had the allure of steep ramps.

“I wanted to see if you ever told Vanessa about your log.” Leigh juggled her files and used her hip to shut the door.

“My log?”

“Your stalker log.” She locked her car with a chirp. “The one I recommended you start keeping after our first meeting?”

“Oh, that. Yeah.”

Tiffany sounded out of breath, and Leigh pictured her on a treadmill at home, or maybe at her gym. She knew Tiffany had stopped jogging outside at night because of safety concerns. Along with a sex video, her ex had posted her address on social media, leading to a torrent of harassment. Even after moving apartments, Tiffany still didn’t feel safe going out alone at night.

“I may have mentioned it,” Tiffany said. “Why?”

“If you told her about it, I was just wondering if she might have been keeping track of anything, like you were.”

“You mean, like a stalker?”

“Yeah.”

“She never said anything to me, but we hadn’t really talked in a while. You know, come to think of it, I think I did tell her about my log. I talked to some of my friends about it when we were putting together the lawsuit. It really helped me feel, you know, more in control of the situation while everything else was so crazy. So I probably mentioned something to Vanessa.”

Leigh walked up the porch steps and spied Watermelon asleep on the swing. She shifted her files to her hip and fumbled for her key.

“So . . . do they know anything more?” Tiffany asked. “I mean, about where she is?”

“I’m not sure. I know they’re still investigating.”

Silence.

Leigh was being purposely vague, and she sensed Tiffany knew it. But she didn’t want to share anything more. She could already imagine Brandon’s look of disapproval if he found out she was still talking to Vanessa’s friends.

“I hope they find something,” Tiffany said quietly. “I’m really worried about her.”

“Yeah.”

“Her family must be frantic.”

“I’m sure they are.” Leigh stepped into the dim lobby, where the only light came from the glow of Bella’s screen saver at the reception desk. “Well, thanks for the call back.”

“Sure. Let me know if there’s anything else.”