Answers. She’d left Virginia because her search for answers about the why of Chase’s murder had left her angry and raw. She didn’t like the person she had become, not in the months after she buried her son. Worse, the more she looked for answers, the more questions she had—questions that she couldn’t answer. It tore her up, because her ex-husband believed it was her fault. Her job, her career, her life that had made their son a target.

It wasn’t. She couldn’t believe she was to blame in any way and still draw breath.

But she couldn’t prove her career hadn’t been the reason. When Chase’s killer was stabbed to death in prison, everything shut down. Her private investigation, the Marshals investigation, the local investigation. She’d reached an impasse and decided to leave it all behind.

To save herself, she’d had to walk away. She still didn’t know if it had been the right decision.

A moment later, when it was clear she wasn’t going to talk more about Chase, her dad said, “I listened to the podcast last night.”

Good. Change of subject. “Thoughts?” She shoveled eggs into her mouth.

“That dumb kid needs to turn everything over to the police.”

“Lucas said they dismissed his theory. And he’s not dumb, Dad. He’s young, not seasoned, obviously not a cop, but he’s anything but stupid.”

“So you think he gave them all the information he had?”

“I have no reason to doubt him, but I think...” She hesitated, unsure what she was going to say.

“You think...he knows more.”

“I wouldn’t say he’s withholding information so much as I believe he hasn’t told me everything about his interest in the case.”

“Another reason for getting involved?”

“Perhaps. Maybe he has personal information about Candace that he hasn’t revealed. Gossip? A deeper relationship? I can only speculate.”

“Ask him. Direct questions yield more honest answers.”

“I will. But before that I want to learn more on my own. I think he’s a good kid.”

“You always had the best instincts of anyone in the family.”

She smiled, got up with her half-empty coffee mug, and kissed his cheek. “I get my instincts from you.” She walked to the counter to top off her coffee. After sitting back down, she said, “I’m going to track down Taylor James, who argued with Candace that Friday.”

“The argument about the homeless guy hanging around.”