The morning sun had climbed higher. The air shimmered above the pavement.
She slid into the passenger seat of Evan’s truck. For the first time in two weeks, there was nothing left to chase. Nothing left to analyze. Nothing left to uncover.
The evidence was sitting in the detective’s hands.
She leaned her head against the window. “We just gave away everything.”
He started the engine. “It was never ours.”
“It feels strange.”
“Yeah.”
She watched the resort disappear behind them. “Harker finds the ornaments, the case is over.”
“Pretty much.”
The words should have made her happy. Instead, they left a hollow space she hadn’t expected. Because when the case ended, she would leave.
Three weeks ago, she couldn’t wait to finish the assignment and get home. Now she wasn’t sure she wanted to go.
He turned off the highway.
She frowned. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
The paved road gave way to sand. Sea oats brushed both sides of the truck. A minute later the dunes opened onto an empty stretch of beach.
No hotels. No umbrellas. No tourists. Just water and sky.
He parked. “Harker’s waiting on paperwork. We have time.”
She stared at the ocean. Then laughed under her breath. “You brought me to the beach.”
“You look like somebody who’s been operating on caffeine and adrenaline.”
“That’s because I have.”
“Exactly.”
The breeze caught her hair the moment she stepped out of the truck. Salt filled the air.
The steady rhythm of waves replaced ringing phones and police radios and vendor complaints.
For the first time since the blackout, her shoulders loosened. A little. Not much. Enough.
They walked toward the water.
She slipped off her sneakers and carried them by the laces. Cool water slid around her ankles. A flock of pelicans skimmed the surface farther downshore.
For several minutes neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
It never seemed to be.
“I used to do this with my mom,” she said.
