They jogged up the stairs because Regan hadn’t grabbed her umbrella. The rain was falling steadily again, and by the time they stepped inside the apartment, they were wet. She took off her jacket and hung it on the doorknob because there wasn’t a coatrack by the door.

She did a thorough check of the windows and locks. Nothing looked disturbed, just as it had been when she last looked.

Regan turned to face him, holding up the file she had gotten from campus police. “I have Adele Overton’s missing-person report here.”

He stared at her. Didn’t say anything.

“I know you also have it. But you didn’t share that with me. Do you remember three days ago when I agreed to go on your podcast? I asked to see all the information you had.”

“That report has nothing to do with Candace.”

“Taylor was interviewed by campus police about Adele’s disappearance. She and Candace were the last people to see her before she disappeared off the face of the earth, and you don’t think that’s relevant?”

He didn’t say anything.

“If I can’t trust you, I am of no use here.”

“Okay. Okay! I withheld the campus-police report because I was hoping to use it on the podcast as a bombshell once I had more... I mean, I needed a direct connection between Candace and Adele before I could make it public. Otherwise, it all just sounded like a nutty conspiracy theory.”

“I don’t know what your theory is, but you sure as hell haven’t told me everything. I thought we were a team here, Lucas. I want to help you, but you intentionally withheld important information. What else have you been holding back?”

He seemed nervous, and she wasn’t sure why. Because she was angry with him? She wasn’t going to apologize or coddle him. He was a grown man, on the verge of graduating from college. He could come clean now, or she would walk away.

And investigate whatever was going on without him.

She tried to push back on her temper, to get to the heart of what was going on. “Adele is the missing sister of your ex-girlfriend. You knew her a long time.”

“I’ve known Adele most of my life.”

“Would you have done this podcast on Candace Swain if you didn’t think that she was connected to Adele’s disappearance?”

“Yes, of course, she was my tutor.” Then he plopped down on the couch and said, “Maybe not.”

Regan sat in the chair across from him.

When he didn’t say anything, she prompted. “From the beginning, tell me what you did, what you thought, who you talked to. Leave nothing out.”

He had tears in his eyes now, but he wiped them away and began.