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but about the puzzle of Elise’s life as a whole, he wondered if there might be a more efficient way to fill in the blanks. Until now, he’d believed the only way to find the killer was to start with Elise’s past and move forward. Her name was a lie. Her job was a lie. Liam had believed there was nothing from the present to go on. But was that true? Since he’d started asking questions, he’d learned one thing about the last year of Elise’s life that was not in dispute: she’d spent part of it in jail.

That meant she had a cellmate. It wasn’t hard for Liam to imagine that if he’d never gotten bail, he might have said all kinds of things to his while he awaited trial. But how were they going to find her? Even if they did, there was no way Liam was going to walk into a prison to visit her. That seemed like it would be tempting fate.

He didn’t have to, though, did he? Anita could do that. Since she was a free woman, she could go anywhere she wanted. Even—and that was when it occurred to him how they could find Elise’s cellmate—to see Ryan Reyes.

No doubt, as a PI, he knew how to get that information.

Liam couldn’t risk going into Ryan’s office any more than he could risk visiting a prison, so if Anita was game, he’d have to send her off to do both.

That might be for the best. Divide and conquer. Liam could stay here to follow up on the lead Anita thought was important while she went to chase down the one he thought was.

Whispering, Liam explained his idea to Anita.

“That makes sense,” she whispered back.

He gave her the number to his burner, and she asked him to escort her to the elevator, where she reached for her gun.

“What are you doing?” Liam said.

She pressed the Beretta into his hand. “Put it in your pocket. I can’t take it with me into the prison and I’d feel better if you have it. Just in case.”

“Just in case what?”

“I don’t know. Just take it, all right? It’s not going to hurt.”

Liam didn’t care for guns. He wasn’t comfortable handling them. But the receptionist was watching. Even though Anita’s body shielded the weapon from her view, he could see growing concern on her face. Perhaps simply that they were standing on the far side of the room whispering was enough to alarm her.

He took the gun to end the conversation, discreetly sliding it into a pocket inside his jacket. Anita looked pleased. She pushed the elevator button. The doors opened immediately. “I’ll call you when I’m done,” she said, and stepped on board.

Anita Watson

Ryan worked out of his home. He welcomed Anita into a large living room with mahogany floors. The only furniture was a pair of white leather sofas, facing each other and separated by a glass coffee table. He was wearing a pair of loose cotton pants, sling sandals, and a black sports tee. His yoga mat was laid out on the floor, facing the windows and the view of the lake beyond.

“Don’t mind my appearance,” Ryan said. “I was in the middle of an afternoon stretch.” He went to the kitchen. “Would you like a glass of cucumber water?”

“I’m fine,” Anita said. She’d been surprised when Ryan gave her an address in The Gold Coast, one of the city’s most expensive neighborhoods, but was even more so now that she was inside Ryan’s apartment. This man and his home were not what she was expecting from a PI.

Ryan returned to one of the two sofas and gestured for her to have a seat on the other. “So what can I help you with?”

All Anita had told him on the phone was that the matter was urgent, figuring the details would be better delivered in person. “You were hired by Flores and Washington to work on Liam Parker’s defense.”

Ryan’s whole energy changed. His spine straightened. He lowered his head, leaned forward. He had transformed from an easygoing yoga enthusiast to a man on edge, ready to react to the slightest threat. Anita wasn’t surprised. She was a stranger, showing up out of nowhere and discussing a murder suspect who’d gone on the run. But Anita hardly cared whether she’d put him on edge. Now that she was here, she wanted to get straight to the point.

“I’m Elise’s sister. I’m helping Liam figure out what happened to her. We need your help.”

“You know Liam is on the run from the police.”

“I know.”

Ryan looked Anita over in a different way than he had when she arrived. She could tell he was trying to decide whether to believe her. He sipped from his glass of cucumber water and leaned back. “What do you need my help with?”

And with that, Anita, too, was able to relax a little. Ever since she’d left Liam waiting alone for Chris in the lobby of Ellison Trust, part of her had been afraid she’d have to go back to him with the news that she’d failed to find out who Elise’s cellmate was. That was something she just couldn’t do. They both needed this. But if Ryan had sent her on her way, she might not have had any choice. Ryan was more likely to believe in Liam’s innocence than anyone else she could hire, and it wasn’t a good idea to go around announcing to strangers that she was helping a wanted felon evade the police.

“Can you find out where Elise did her time and who she shared a cell with?”

“You think they might know something?”

“We don’t know.”

Ryan rubbed his face, then ran his hands through his hair as he thought some more. “Patricia Harrison asked me to do a routine background check on Elise, see if anything popped up she could use. But if you guys are serious about finding the killer, you should let me help. I’m good at what I