“Because if you—a total stranger—show up on her doorstep demanding she turn over my documents, she’ll kick you to the curb. More to the point, she would be correct to do so. She’d have no way of knowing you were connected to me. Not only that, as far as she is concerned, I am missing, and possibly dead. No, the only way we have a shot at retrieving them is if I go. More telling than the words that will come out of her mouth is the smaller details, the emotional and physical clues. That is where the truth resides. I need to be in the room.”

Sarah was right, of course, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. She faced forward again. There was something about the sight of her profile against the glistening white, blue, and gold tiles whizzing past, so determined and strong in the face of such adversity, that moved him on a profound, fundamental level. But is that who she really is? the cynic in him whispered. Or are you falling into that old childhood trap of idealizing and whitewashing because you’d rather live in a fantasy world than face the hard truths? He released her hand, rubbed his face, trying to exorcise the unwanted thoughts. It didn’t work. “Sarah?”

“Mm . . . ?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” She turned to face him. “What’s on your mind?”

“You’ve mentioned your baby a couple of times.” He hated himself for the flash of sorrow he saw in her eyes, but he needed to know to put the demons to rest.

“Ah . . .” Her voice came out as softly as a leaf falling to the ground. She nodded. “Sorry. I kind of left you hanging, didn’t I?” Her gaze dropped to her hands lying empty in her lap. Sarah exhaled as if steadying herself. “She didn’t make it. Was stillborn. I was out cold when she was born. I didn’t get a chance to hold her little lifeless body, to tell her I loved her. I would have liked to have been able to do that, but when I finally gained consciousness, she was already gone.”

He felt like such a dickhead for bringing it up. “I’m sorry.”

She reached over and patted his hand. “It’s okay. The passing of time helps soften the jagged edges.”

“Still.” Mick turned his hand over so they were hand-clasped again.

Sarah managed a smile, a slight shadow of sorrow lingering in her eyes. She exhaled again and then turned to look out of her window, so he turned to look out of his window as well, both of them lost in their thoughts as the tunnel walls whizzed past. There was a hint of sadness, but mostly it was a sense of tranquility, a feeling of trust, friendship, and something more, that filled the silence that surrounded them.