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While they waited for the detective to appear, Jo looked out the office windows.

The stormy skies had calmed and remained a flat gray, at least what she could see of the sky beyond the thick marine fog.

But the storm inside her chest still raged.

Palms sweating, Jo gripped the armrests and stared at the computer screen.

“What’s taking so long?” she asked.

“He could be on another call or talking to his supervisor,” Cole said. “He’ll be here, don’t worry.”

“Before we talk to him, is there anything that you haven’t told me about this investigation?” Because Jo really didn’t want any surprises dropped on her while they talked to Detective Wilson.

“I’ve only read the reports from the past ... as well as spoken with Naomi Bancroft, my client.”

“Your client who hired you to investigate my mother’s murder and clear her brother’s name.” Jo didn’t know how she should feel about that. “You hesitated.”

“What?”

“You said you read the reports from the past, and then you hesitated.” She shifted to Cole as pain expanded in her chest. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Cole looked nervous, and Jo didn’t like it. “Cole?”

“You know everything. I was hired to investigate because Naomi believes he’s innocent, but she wanted me to investigate your mother too, since she had identified Mason with her sketch.

She had a reputation of always being extraordinarily accurate, and that’s the reason for her popularity with law enforcement.

Naomi believes that Mira couldn’t have made a mistake and that, possibly, it was . .. intentional.”

Her breaths quickened. “What are you saying, Cole? And be very careful with your next words.”

“She had a gift, Jo, like you have a gift. The question coming from my client is why Mira identified an innocent man, nothing more.”

“Are you accusing my mother, as if she was some sort of criminal?”

Cole released a heavy sigh. “Absolutely not. I was hired to look into things by someone who believes a loved one is innocent. That doesn’t mean he is innocent.

I’m not trying to build a case one way or the other.

And honestly, you should already realize that I’m focused on what is going on with you. ”

“You figure, work with me and you’ll figure this out for Naomi too.” Her breath hitched. “Why take the case, Cole? It feels almost like a betrayal.”

“Jo, please. I’ve explained this. I wanted to help you to be free of the danger. I’m looking for the truth, no matter what that is. Learning who killed your mother is key to setting you free.”

“From that danger, but now there’s my father and his issues.” Jo looked out the window. She couldn’t catch a break. Right now, it felt like everyone had betrayed her. Lied to her.

Finally, the detective’s face popped up. Both Jo and Cole sat back. She struggled to remain calm after the heated exchange with Cole. With wire-rimmed glasses on a thin face, Detective Wilson appeared to be somewhere in his late forties and looked more like an accountant than a detective.

Cole adjusted the sound. “Detective Wilson.”

“Hi, Cole, thank you for meeting me.” Detective Wilson smiled. “Please just call me Rick. I don’t like formalities in situations like this.”

Situations like this?

“Okay, Rick,” Cole said. “This is Jo Cattrel.”

“Ms. Cattrel.”

Jo nodded her acknowledgment. She didn’t correct him.

He could just address her formally for now.

Jo tried to act enthusiastic, but a sense of dread filled her.

She’d longed for someone to look into Mom’s death, but she was so distracted and weirdly torn since her mind was consumed with thoughts of Pop, especially after last night.

She sat up taller. Mom deserved justice. If only Pop was here now, he would agree, and he would join her in this meeting.

“I’ll get right to it, then. When I spoke with Cole, I warned him that you were in danger. I know that you informed the Lansing Police Department early on that you feared for your life and that you believed your mother had been murdered.”

“And the police ruled it an accident, but now you’re looking into the possibility that she was, in fact, murdered,” she said. “Cole told me some of it, but I want to hear from you what changed.”

Rick nodded and looked at his notes a few seconds, then said, “Your mother had finished a sketch just before her death. We had never been able to identify the person who murdered a man at an ATM. We couldn’t get a clear image of him, but Mira was able to work her magic.

But even then, we didn’t have a name. Just a face and no leads.

That is, until this week. We received an anonymous tip identifying Mason Hyde as the man in the sketch.

I’m sure Cole has told you what’s going on, since he was hired to investigate. ”

“He’s told me some of it, but I’m still not sure how this connects Mason Hyde to my mom’s death. Unless you suspect that he killed her because she’d drawn his likeness.”

“I’m getting to that. We tried to find him and bring him in for questioning. We weren’t able to track him beyond his address in Michigan, so clearly, he intentionally dropped off the map, which makes him look guilty. But then yesterday, we found him, or I should say we learned of his death.”

Jo bit back a gasp.

Cole tensed next to her. Her throat grew tight.

Still, what did any of it have to do with Mom?

So she sketched a criminal. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“I’m still not sure why my mother was murdered, because I do believe she was, or why you believe that I’m in danger from what happened three years ago.

” There must be a reason. And maybe that reason was the same reason Mom warned her to hide.

“Yes, well, we recently uncovered previously unknown security footage of Mira Cattrel meeting with a man on the night she was killed. If you recall, her vehicle was found overturned in a flooded ditch.”

And Mom was already dead when they found her. “And now you believe she was forced off the road?”

“We’re looking into the matter again. I should say I’m looking into it.

So, the man with whom she met before she died is the spitting image of the man in the ATM attack, and the tip led us to Mason Hyde.

I wanted to question him about Mira and why he met with her and ask about the fact that she ended up dead moments later. ”

Jo focused on breathing, slow and steady.

Cole grabbed her hand and squeezed.

“And now you say the man is dead,” Cole said.

“Murdered. That ramps up the danger factor in my opinion, specifically for you, Jo.”

“But why? He’s gone now. Do you think he was coming after me?

” She almost shrugged. It all seemed pointless.

Her mother wouldn’t get justice if Mason Hyde was her killer.

“Wait. You don’t think the danger was coming from him.

I’m sorry, Detective Wilson, but I’m confused.

First, what makes you so sure he was the one who killed her? ”

“We weren’t sure, but their interaction was suspicious.”

Their interaction ? “I’m not sure I like where this is going.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying your mother committed a crime. But you have to admit that it seems suspicious.”

And that’s part of why he wanted to question her—to find out what was up with her mother. Anger pulsed through her. “She draws his likeness, and he confronts her? Yes, that’s suspicious. He confronted her and then killed her. My mother was the victim here.”

She was losing it, really losing control, and squeezed Cole’s hand so hard she thought she might break it. But he held on.

“What else can you tell us to give us context?” Cole asked.

“I’m wondering if Jo recognizes the man in this image.” Rick shared the screen.

“No, why would I? I didn’t see everything Mom did. We worked on different projects.” She glanced at Cole. Had he seen the picture of Mason Hyde? Probably, since Cole was working for Mason’s sister to clear his name. Cole hadn’t shown this to Jo, but then again, he probably didn’t want to overstep.

The detective waited for her to say more, but she was speechless. What did this guy want from her?

Cole and Jo shared a look. Cole leaned forward. “What are you getting at?”

“The point I’m leading up to is that Mason Hyde was murdered on the ferry and Ms. Cattrel was in the same vehicle with his murdered body as it rolled off the ferry.”