“I don’t know about your kids, but Noah still takes a nap. Maybe that’s what you need—a little nap.”

“That sounds really good actually.”

Noah came bounding down the stairs with his backpack on. Lane gave him extra kisses, which he quickly wiped away with the back of his hand, before she led him outside and buckled him in the back of Meagan’s minivan. As soon as they pulled out of the drive, Lane locked up the café and started for the courthouse. How was she going to convince Sheriff Huggins and Charlie they were wrong about Miguel? And what evidence did they have that had Sheriff Huggins convinced Miguel could’ve killed Sydney? And what would she say if she ran into Charlie?

The steady cadence of determined purpose hummed from every desk inside the sheriff’s station. The drone of reporters milling about outside had set Charlie’s nerves on edge. They were waiting for a statement, but it wouldn’t be issued until after Charlie and Sheriff Huggins spoke with Judge Sullivan.

Charlie looked at his phone. Lane hadn’t answered any of his calls or text messages. And when he stopped by the Way Station Café, a simple sign in Lane’s handwriting said the café was closed for cleaning. He tried knocking, but there was no answer.

Heaving a sigh, Charlie looked at the report he’d just finished. The evidence was strong and it pointed to Miguel. Deputy Wilson even found a chiseling tool in Miguel’s workshop with traces of blood on it. It would take time to get the DNA results back, but the shape of the tool was unusual enough that a quick call to the medical examiner confirmed it could be the murder weapon.

“Deputy Lynch.” Frost appeared at his side. “You need to see something. You too, Sheriff.”

Sheriff Huggins had stepped out of his office and was now following Charlie and Frost as they headed to the back room. The bounce in Frost’s steps, Charlie quickly learned, meant the young man had something important—and an endless supply of energy.

“Agent Padello sent these over a few minutes ago.” Frost held up several still shots. “Recognize anyone?”

The two people in the photos clearly had no idea they were being photographed. The first photo was of a man and a woman sitting under an umbrella. They both wore sunglasses. She also had on an oversized sun hat. The next photo was a close-up of the same couple sitting at what looked like a beach or poolside bar. The woman was still wearing the hat, but her sunglasses were off.

Charlie’s body went rigid. “That’s Annika Benedict.”

“And Deputy Lynch gets the point.” Frost’s lips curled into a goofy grin. “Don’t feel left out, Sheriff. You get double points if you can guess who the man is with her.”