‘Yeah, it’s been a lot to take in. And I really need to know more about him, to figure out how dangerous it is to visit him. I had this idea that if you could help me run a background check on him, I may be able to find out if he fits the suspect profile. I know it’s a lot to ask; I’m just desperate, Trav. I’m on the way to see Cris as we speak and I need to know if I’m putting myself in danger or if there’s a better chance it could be Adam.’

‘I wish I could, Liz,’ he said after a long pause. ‘But it would be highly unethical for me to use the firm’s resources for a personal matter like that. I could lose my job. I’m so sorry.’

My heart sank but I knew what I was asking was unreasonable.

‘No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I just thought—’

‘Actually,’ Travis interrupted, ‘I heard about a free background check website from a coworker. A buddy of his used it to make sure an old expunged drug charge was definitely off his record when he was job hunting. Apparently, it gave some pretty detailed information from searching public records. If you want, I can ask him what it was called and shoot you a text with the info, and you can look Adam up yourself.’

‘Oh my God, that would be great. Thanks so much, Travis. You’re a lifesaver, yet again.’

He laughed. ‘No problem. Be careful though, okay, Liz? Andie would kill me if I helped you walk into a dangerous situation.’

‘I will, promise. And thanks again.’

I clicked off the phone, another surge of excitement coursing through me. Maybe the background check would give me the information I needed. I’d just pulled up in front of my uncle’s house when my phone buzzed, indicating a text message. Looking down, I saw it was from Travis.

‘Hey, the name of the service is IntelliFind. He said if you just google it, the website will pop up and the instructions are pretty straightforward.’

‘THANK YOU!’ I typed back, a smile on my face. A tapping sound startled me, making me drop my phone in my lap. I looked up to find Cris’s face in the window. I gasped and clutched my chest before giving an awkward laugh and rolling down the window. He was wearing a t-shirt drenched in sweat and workout shorts.

‘What are you doing out here? Did Rosie not answer the door?’

‘Oh, no I was just answering a text really quick.’ I picked my phone back up and waved it around. ‘I’m done now, though,’ I said as I unclicked the seatbelt. I rolled the window back up and turned off the ignition, grabbing my bag from the passenger seat and taking a deep breath.