Page 129 of It Runs in the Family

I held it up to give him a better view.

“She’s proud of that?”

“Maybe it took her a long time.”

He made a face that suggested she should have taken longer. I couldn’t disagree.

“Do you want to swing by the Dollar General to see if she’s workin’?” he asked.

“Seems as good a plan as any. Do you know where it is?”

“Yeah.”

I continued to search through Deanna’s posts, stopping on a post from last October. “Bingo. Deanna and Rebecca bought them together.”

Boone’s brows shot up.

I held up the selfie Deanna had taken of her and Rebecca, both holding up their wrists with bright blue bracelets tied on. I read the caption out loud,

“Besties for the resties.”

“That’s great,” Boone said. “Not only did they buy them together, but Deanna should know something about Rebecca.”

“Yeah.”

I switched back to Rebecca’s Instagram profile, looking for something else to tie her to Selena or anything else suspicious, but other than her food and nature posts, there wasn’t much. Deanna hadn’t tagged her in the bracelet post. She did have a photo of herself, her mother, and a brother she’d taken on her mother’s birthday three years earlier.

“I found a photo of Rebecca with her family.”

His mouth pinched tight. “We can’t talk to them. It would be risky.” He shot me a glance. “Which is why this interview with Deanna is important. We’re approaching her about the bracelet, which gives you the opportunity to ask questions about Rebecca under the pretense of trying to contact her. If a deputy or detective interviews her—and if they’re worth their salt, they will—then it will look purely coincidental if your name comes up.”

“My name?”

“She doesn’t know me, Iris. You have to be the one to question her, using the story that you want to buy a bracelet for your cousin’s birthday. You can use it to bring the subject around to Rebecca.”

My stomach churned. It was one thing to talk to Marvin and get a name, but I was about to talk to Rebecca’s friend, pretending she was still alive. It felt slimy, yet I knew this was a chance to find information that could lead me to Selena and possibly save both of our lives.

“I know this is important, but it still feels so wrong, Boone.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Are you saying you don’t want to do it?”

It wasn’t lost on me that he’d given me several outs today but wasn’t offering one right now.

He needed me for this.

I turned to him, trying to figure him out. His behaviors screamed cop—he had a fed source, for heaven’s sake—yet I couldn’t help thinking there was something shady about how he was handling everything. Including me in any of this was a massive red flag.

“Why are you letting me help so much with your investigation?” I asked, not bothering to hide the suspicion in my voice.

“You have access I don’t,” he said without hesitation.

“But you’re a cop. Can you even use anything I find?”

A scowl darkened his eyes. “I’m undercover. Which makes you a source. It’s not like I’m sending you off to interview people on your own and taking your word for it. I’m there with you, hearing it for myself.”

“You weren’t there when I overheard the deputies on the side of the road.”

He shifted in his seat. “True, but I’ve sought outside verification for everything you’ve told me.” He gave me a long look. “Do you still not trust me?” Worry and disappointment crossed his face.