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“How long ago was this?”

“They left about fifteen minutes ago,” she said. “Maybe it was just me, but the whole thing seemed weird.”

“It definitely wasn’t you,” I assured her. “If they come in again, act like you don’t know anything’s going on and call or text me.”

“That won’t be hard since I don’t know what’s going on.”

“It’s a long story, but the gist of it is Lauren has more or less been stalking Gabby and trying to sabotage her at work and school. We’re not sure why, but Gabby filed an official complaint with the police yesterday. They should be arresting her and serving her with a restraining order in the near future,” I explained.

“I wish I would’ve known before I served her,” Irene said. “I would’ve given her soggy fries and spit in her drink.”

“You’re the best,” I laughed.

“That’s what I hear,” she said. “I’ve got to get back to work. Behave yourself and take care of Gabby.”

“I will,” I promised.

As soon as we ended the call, I pulled up Irene’s security camera feed and downloaded the clips with Lauren and the male who joined her. From what I could see, Lauren arrived at the diner in a vehicle that was different from what I’d seen her driving before. She parked, went inside, and placed an order. Ten minutes later, a male arrived on foot and entered the diner. He went straight to Lauren’s table, where the two began arguing. As Irene said, he grabbed her arm and escorted her from the diner. They walked to her car, where he helped her into thepassenger’s seat. Then he got into the driver’s seat and drove away.

I couldn’t say for sure, but I was fairly certain the guy who joined her was the guy who had been posing as Chad. They appeared to be around the same height and weight. Once again, he was wearing a hat, so there wasn’t a clear shot of his face. There was, however, a clear view of the license plate number.

My excitement was short-lived. The plates came back registered to a rental car, which had been rented to a John Smith. John Smith paid in cash and put down 123 Main Street as his address.

I sighed in frustration. I hit dead end after dead end when it came to Chad, and it was maddening. And I still couldn’t say for sure if he was connected to Lauren. The guy from the diner could be a new player in the game. I had no idea.

I hated not being able to find the information I was looking for, but I hated not having a next step to take even more. Once again, I was at a standstill, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“How was your first day?”I asked when I picked Gabby up.

“Great!” she said with a wide smile. “It’s completely different than the office in Cedar Valley. The people are friendlier, and the overall environment is much more upbeat.”

“So, you think you’ll be happy there?”

“I know I will,” she said. “How was your day?”

“Frustrating,” I grumbled and told her about Irene’s phone call.

“Let me see the videos. I can tell you if it’s Chad,” she said excitedly.

I handed her my phone. “Pull up the last two videos I saved.”

She was quiet for a few beats before she gasped. “That’s him.”

“You’re sure?”

“Completely,” she said confidently. “It looks just like him, and that’s his hat. Every time I saw him, he was wearing that hat. I’ve also seen him in that jacket before.”

“Call Edge from my phone and put it on speaker.”

It rang several times before he answered. “Hello,” he said, sounding out of breath.

“Hey, brother. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I couldn’t find my phone. What’s up?”

“Earlier today, Lauren and an unknown male were in Irene’s diner asking about me and Gabby. Gabby just identified him as Chad,” I started.

“Got it. I’ll head there now,” he said.

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