“Why? What did you do?”

“I told him I thought the file on the flash drive might have something to do with why Jonah and Amelia were killed.”

Alex didn’t respond. He stared straight ahead and kept walking.

“Do you agree? Or do you think I’m tinfoil hat crazy too?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

Alex stopped and turned to face me. “What you’re planning to do with the file.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to steal anyone’s crypto if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I wasn’t.”

“That’s why I need your help. I don’t know anything about this stuff. If the file really is a list of private keys, how do I find the owners?”

“You don’t,” he said and started walking again.

“You don’t understand. That’s my—”

Alex stopped short and pointed his finger in my face. “No, you don’t understand. You need to delete that file and move on with your life.”

“I can’t delete it and move on with my life! What if those private keys are somehow connected to my family’s murder?”

“What if they are? Knowing won’t bring them back.”

“But if I know what the connection is, I could go to the police.”

“What do you think the police are gonna do?”

“Arrest them.”

“The shooter is dead. The police don’t arrest dead men.”

“But I still don’t know why he shot them. And I need to. Not knowing will kill me.”

“Wrong,” he said, pointing his finger in my face again. “It’s the people who own those private keys who’ll kill you.”

I sucked in my breath. “You know who they are?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You must know or, at least, have an idea, if you’re so sure they’re going to kill me.”

Alex shook his head. “Go ask your brother-in-law.”

“If Jake knew, those people would be dead already.”

“Maybe they are.”

“Enough with the riddles, Alex. Tell me what you know.”

“What I know is pursuing these people will not bring your family back. All it will do is get you killed too.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Well, I’m not.” Alex yanked Aaron out of the baby carrier and shoved him into my chest. Not surprisingly, Aaron began to wail. I tried to quiet him while Alex attempted to free himself from the baby carrier, but he got so frustrated with the complicated knot that he pulled a pocketknife out of his jeans and sliced through the fabric instead. The cotton wrapping fell to the ground in pieces.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” I said, staring at the shredded baby carrier. Aaron was stunned silent for a moment too then started to bawl again. I rubbed circles on his back to try to calm him down as I shouted at Alex, who was walking away from us. “I’m going to find out the truth with or without your help.”

“Then stay away from my niece and nephew,” he called over his shoulder. “They don’t need to mourn your death too.”

Chapter 29

Janelle was at the office when I arrived late Monday morning. “I was wondering if you were coming in today.”

I dropped my briefcase and purse onto my desk and stuck my head in her office. “Sorry, did we have something scheduled? I didn’t see anything on my calendar.”

I almost hadn’t come in at all. I’d had to force myself to shower and leave the house today. It had been months since I’d felt this way. But since the fight with Alex on Saturday, I could feel myself slipping back into depression. I’d been elated when I’d finally cracked the password on Jonah’s flash drive, but now I wished I’d never found the damn thing. No one but Alex believed it had something to do with Jonah and Amelia’s death, and he refused to help. I had nowhere left to turn.

“No,” Janelle replied, bringing me back to the present. “I was just hoping to talk to you before I had to leave for court. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure,” I said, and flopped down onto her guest chair. “What’s up?”

“A couple things. First, they’re moving Maria to a halfway house later this week. I thought you’d want to know.”

“I heard,” I said. “Alex told me.”

“You still keep in touch with him?” She seemed surprised.

I was not going to explain to Janelle why Alex and I were speaking again. Although after Saturday I wasn’t sure if we were speaking anymore. “He took the kids to visit Maria this weekend.”

Janelle nodded. “Her lawyer called this morning. She’s petitioning to regain custody.”

That wasn’t a surprise. We all assumed she would. “You think they’ll give it to her?”

“Not right away. She’ll have to get a job first, a new apartment, submit to weekly drug testing. But in the meantime, the judge will likely grant her supervised visits. That’s where you come in.”

“Me?”

“I talked to MJ’s foster dad this morning. He told me they have a new baby—”

I nodded. “Aaron. I know.”

“He told me they’re a bit overwhelmed at the moment so they couldn’t commit to supervising the kids’ visits with Maria, but he suggested you might be able to.”