Page 26

The next morning, Jo had a crick in her neck.

Her sleep had been awful, if she’d slept at all.

Her mind wouldn’t shut down. Now she rode shotgun as Cole drove along the winding two-lane road to meet Naomi Bancroft, Mason Hyde’s sister.

Mason, previously suspected of killing someone at an ATM as well as Jo’s mother, was the victim on the ferry.

A dead man. His sister Naomi had contacted Remi at Cedar Trails in search of Jo.

Apparently, Jo’s hiding place in Hidden Bay was now common knowledge—it was out there.

A few moments after the text from Remi, Naomi had contacted Cole to discuss what had happened to her brother.

She still wanted him involved in investigating and wanted to clear Mason’s name but wasn’t sure how she felt about him investigating while protecting Jo.

Regardless, she insisted on meeting Cole and Jo for a conversation she didn’t want to have on the phone, claiming she had vital information.

So here we are , on our way to meet the sister of the ferry victim.

And the sister of the man who might have killed Jo’s mother.

Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe Cole had been right.

He hadn’t wanted to leave the safe house, but neither could they allow Naomi to meet them at the safe house or at Cedar Trails.

She might lead another someone with nefarious intentions to them.

With the windshield wipers working double-time, Cole steered the Yukon north, along the Hood Canal and then finally into the small fishing community.

The Hood Canal was the westernmost fjord that was separated by the Kitsap Peninsula from the main body of water of Puget Sound.

No Seattle cityscape to view from here, and Jo liked it that way.

The Hood, Line and Sinker bait shop was at the small marina filled with old fishing boats, completely different from the million-dollar yachts moored in the slips across the sound in the Seattle metropolitan area.

Meeting Naomi here had been the woman’s idea.

On the gray, rainy day, Cole walked close to Jo, his protective demeanor obvious to anyone as they made their way up the short stoop into the shop.

A bell rang when he opened the door, and the unmistakable smell of fish and bait hit her.

No one was at the counter with the cash register.

Somehow managing to cover and protect her, even as he scouted the place, Cole gently urged her deeper into the bait-and-tackle shop that stocked groceries too. The floor creaked, and the fishy smell permeated the place. Jo loved it.

The bell at the door rang again, signaling that someone else had entered, and Cole ushered her between the aisles to the exit at the back.

“Hey, Chuck,” a man said. “How’s it going?”

“I hear the blackmouth aren’t biting.” An older, gravelly voice responded. Must be Chuck.

“That’s never good for business.”

While the two men continued their conversation, she and Cole moved to the back, where the drinks were tucked in glass-doored refrigerators, and there they saw a reflection of the older man behind the counter—Chuck—talking to another man in jeans and a cap.

“Come on, let’s go,” Cole whispered. “She’s not here.”

“We should have waited in the Yukon,” Jo said.

A woman stepped from the ladies’ room. Her eyes widened.

“It’s you.” She thrust her hand out to Jo. “I’m Naomi.”

Jo shook her hand, and then Cole did the same. Naomi looked to be in her early fifties, and her eyes reflected deep sorrow. Of course Jo was sorry that Mason Hyde was dead, but had the man killed her mother? This meeting had been a bad idea.

Naomi gestured to the back door, then headed toward it.

Cole led Jo as they followed Naomi. Once outside, they stood under a large, covered porch.

She motioned to an older RV parked a few yards away, close to the water.

This was weird, and yet she got it. Naomi wanted to speak in private.

In that case, they could talk in the Yukon.

Cole moved to block the woman. “What is this? Why here?”

“I’ll explain,” she said. “Please.”

She opened the door and stepped in first. Cole kept his gun and Jo close. She pressed her palm against her own firearm at her side. Taking the two steps up, she tripped, but righted herself, stumbling inside the musty and dirty space.

“Please, have a seat.” Naomi slid into the booth at the small table.

Jo sat across from her, but Cole remained standing.

“Why here?” Cole asked again.

“It had a For Sale sign on it,” she said. “I rented it for a day so we could talk here.”

“And you didn’t feel any other place would be safe?” Jo would have gone a different way.

“No. I also rented a boat for the day and took it across the sound. I still can’t be sure whether anyone followed, but I don’t think they did.”

Jo shared a look with Cole. That’s exactly what he’d done. He’d followed the ferry she had taken.

“You’re sure about that?” Cole asked.

“As sure as anyone can be. So, we have to hurry.”

“Why would someone follow you?” Cole asked.

“I’m the sister of a wanted man, after all. A deceased wanted man.” The last words came out bitter. She leveled her gaze on Jo. “I blame your mother for that.”

“Now, wait a minute.” Cole stood taller, clearly ready to walk out of this weird meeting.

Jo’s throat tightened. “I’m so sorry for what happened, but I don’t know what’s going on. Please tell me everything. You obviously wanted to talk to me for a reason.”

This woman had hired CGIS to investigate Jo’s mother’s murder to clear Mason’s name, and her demeanor reflected her displeasure about Cole working with Jo. Had Naomi brought Jo here to take revenge on her? If so, Cole wouldn’t allow that to happen.

“Mason didn’t kill your mother,” Naomi said.

“Why was he on that ferry?” Jo asked. “Why had he followed me? How had he even found me?”

“He was looking for you, not to harm you. He wanted to ask for your help.”

“My help?” Incredulity infused her. “What could I do?”

“Three years ago, his image was flashed everywhere for being responsible for a murder at an ATM—the image your mother had drawn. Mason had to disappear.”

“But the police say he met my mother at a grocery store parking lot that night, before she died. So he stalked her. He was angry that she’d drawn his picture.”

Frustration and impatience edged Naomi’s heavy sigh. “No. You don’t understand. She contacted him .”

“What?” Jo couldn’t believe her ears. “How did she even know him or where he lived?”

“You didn’t tell me this before, Naomi,” Cole said.

Naomi kept her focus on Jo. “He was set up. Your mother claimed she had no choice, but she told him to get out. To leave town and disappear.” Naomi shifted forward, vehemence in her eyes. “Your mother is to blame for what happened to him.”

Jo felt the need to get out of this place, but she remained sitting, not backing down. “My mother would never have set someone up. And why did he think I could help?” Jo asked.

“And more importantly, how did he even find Jo?” Cole peered out grimy windows. So, he was feeling cagey too.

Naomi closed her eyes and took in a few breaths, then she opened them. “You really don’t get it.”

Cole growled under his breath and leaned on the table. “You told me none of this. You left me in the dark. I want to know what is going on. Everything. Quit dragging it out. Who is after her, and why aren’t you telling this to the police?”

“My brother and your mom knew each other...” Naomi pursed her lips, then continued. “You know ... before.”

No. I don’t know! “Before?”

“Free—” A bullet slammed into the glass.

Cole covered Jo on the floor as more bullets sprayed the camper. The sound of bullets, of Naomi’s and Jo’s own screams, was deafening.