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They ordered and sat at a table while they waited for their food.

“I don’t like talking about how Ryan might’ve killed Caitie,” she said quietly. “I know you’re objective, and I’m just not.”

The creases on her forehead and the way her lips pinched were different. Not sad. Not defensive. More like…spooked. Something else was wrong. He forced himself to stay quiet until she got it all out.

“There’s more I think you should know.” Uncertainty scratched in her hesitant voice. “Something that talking to Dean made me think of.”

Wes folded the receipt and unfolded it, finding it harder than ever to be patient. He wanted to make everything right in her world. Impossible, yet she deserved it.

“But you might think I’m trying to turn your attention from Ryan.” Her hands trembled, and she clasped them together.

What had Dean said that spooked her? “You can tell me anything, and I’ll listen objectively.”

“Did you know the car that hit Ryan was rented the same way? They never found the driver.”

The hair on the back of his neck stood up. “The same as…?”

She bit her lip. “The person who followed us to New Jersey.”

What did he know of Ryan’s death? Not much. “He was killed in a hit-and-run, right?”

She nodded. “The police located the car that had hit him. They found it abandoned not far from where Ryan went off the road. Someone had rented a souped-up car from one of those apps where people rent their cars out for the day.”

“They used a fake profile?”

“A fake name and a stolen credit card number. The driver was untraceable.” She released a shaky breath. “Yes, even with all the resources the Cosgroves have.”

“That’s—” Their order was called. Questions raced through his mind, but he reached over and grasped her hand. “Give me a second. Sit tight while I grab the food. Then we’ll talk it through.”

He forced himself to calmly pick up their breakfast while his mind raced. That was awfully damn coincidental. Wes questioned himself: was he being objective? Or was he looking for ghosts in a closet? Because a connection made no sense. Caitie’s murderer and the driver who caused Ryan’s wreck weren’t linked. They couldn’t have been. The idea was such a stretch—except that Ryan was on his way to meet Wes.

He returned to the table with their food and handed her the bacon-and-cheese biscuit.

“Thanks,” she said.

He unwrapped his biscuit, still feeling the strangeness that had spooked Bailey. The similarities had to be explainable. Wes didn’t know the first thing about vehicular homicide and assumed people who left the scene were under the influence or had warrants. He needed to know how many hit-and-runs were found untraceable in the same way.

Bailey unfolded the wax paper around her biscuit and laid it out like a plate. “I remember something else. Something that didn’t seem like much. But now that I know Ryan was meeting with you, the memory surfaced.”

Wes tried for nonchalance. If he wasn’t worked up, she would relax. If she relaxed, she could remember what she needed to. He took a bite of his sandwich. “What’s that?”

“Ryan had a key.”

Wes arched an eyebrow. “To what?”

“I don’t know. He’d been jumpy for a couple of days about figuring out where it came from. People lose keys. I didn’t think much of it, but I’m pretty sure…” She dropped her chin and narrowed her eyes as though sorting through her memories. “I’m pretty sure he found out who it belonged to or was doing something with it the day he died.” She glanced up. “Did he tell you about a key?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

“Did you guys ever meet up before?”

“Never. We just met in passing.” Was Ryan bringing Wes the key? He had no clue why he would. Nothing he and Bailey worked on was locked. “You didn’t tell anyone?”

“Tell who what? He died in a car accident. Someone sped up behind him, tried to pass on a double yellow line, lost control, and bumped him like a PIT maneuver. Ryan died instantly. Other than trying to find the driver, they didn’t investigate. Only a funeral.”

She was right. Wes wouldn’t suggest the impossible idea that Ryan’s death wasn’t an accident. But was that what had disturbed her?

She chewed thoughtfully and set her food down. “Is it strange to talk about Ryan after last night?”