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“Yes,” Rick says, his expression full of concern.

“And you came here without calling me?”

“I wanted to tell you in person. I wasn’t going to ask you to make sense of it alone over the phone.”

I watch Rick’s face while he speaks. “You had time to drive here,” I tell him. “You had time to call her.”

Her eyes dart to the window, then back at him. “Did you tell the police?”

“I gave them the location after the investigator called.”

“Which officer?” I ask.

“I left the information with the department handling Connor’s report. I can get you the name.”

“You said there was a packed bag and cash inside,” I continue. “Was the car locked?”

Rick hesitates. “My investigator looked through the window.”

I lean forward and rest my forearms on the table. “He counted cash through a car window?”

“He saw an envelope with bills visible inside it.”

I hold Rick’s eyes. “And he knew the bag was packed with Connor’s clothes?”

“He saw clothing through an open zipper.” Rick closes his folder. “Andrei, I’m passing along what he told me. The police will confirm it.”

“Give Drew the investigator’s name and number before you leave,” I say.

Rick’s expression cools. “I will.”

Cassie pulls the book toward her. “Connor left these numbers where he knew I would look. He left another message telling me to keep searching. Why would he do that if he planned to run?”

“I don’t know what Connor intended when he wrote those messages,” Rick says. “I wish I did. The car may mean he left on his own, or it may mean something else. I thought you deserved to hear about it.”

He’s given her a conclusion and then stepped back from it. The packed bag and cash are there to make Connor appear guilty. If Rick arranged the car, he would know more about its contents than his investigator could have seen. If he’s telling the truth, someone else may have put them there. I can’t decide which from the way he sits across the table.

Cassie turns Connor’s book face down and fixes Rick with a hard look. “Did you hire the investigator through the bank?”

“No. I hired him myself.” Rick smooths the front of his jacket.

“When?” she asks.

“Two days ago.”

Cassie grips the back of her chair. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to raise your hopes unless he found Connor.” Rick leans toward her, his voice gentler than it was when he answered my questions.

She pushes her chair back a few inches. “You didn’t find Connor.”

“No,” Rick says. He lowers his eyes to the book beneath her hand. “I’m sorry.”

Reid writes the date Rick gives us on his legal pad. I ask Rick to repeat the time of the investigator’s call, and he tells us it came shortly after eight. He says he contacted the police before leaving Seattle, though he can’t name the person who took the information. Each answer gives Drew a place to start checking.

I turn the forged invoice back to Rick. “We still need the bank’s response on these documents.”

“I haven’t forgotten why I came.” Rick’s gaze goes to Connor’s book before returning to me. “I’ll speak with the fraud department and counsel today.”