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“Correct,” Nina replied. “Take a right at the next intersection.”

Jackson turned in his seat to watch the road behind them. Not that he didn’t trust Creed, but another set of eyes would be good. The officers had searched the area around the rental property, but Jackson worried the gunman who’d followed them across the lake could be lurking somewhere nearby.

Nobody followed them, though. The early morning hour, going on four o’clock, worked in their favor.

“Follow this road for three miles,” Nina said.

Creed nodded in understanding. “The closer we get to the city, the more likely we’ll run into more traffic.”

“I know.” Jackson shrugged. “We’ll have to take the risk.”

They rode in silence for several minutes. Jackson glanced over his shoulder again, surprised to realize Nina was still working on the computer. “What are you doing?”

She grimaced. “I know you think I’m going down the wrong path, but I’m looking at pictures of Robert and Daniel Cartland in the yearbook.”

He wanted to tell her the connection to her mother’s cold case was thinner than ice, but didn’t. Instead, he focused his attention on the road behind them, making sure they weren’t followed.

Ten minutes later, Nina directed them to a neighborhood that was more upscale than the trailer park. Maybe not wealthy, but certainly the people living here were better off than those in the trailer park.

“It’s the third house on the north side of the street,” Nina explained. “Drive slowly past, then find a place to turn around.”

Creed did as instructed. Jackson fixated his gaze on the house, noting there were no lights on inside. The garage door was closed as well. It was hard to know if the occupants were home and sleeping, or if Zane was driving around somewhere.

“Wait a minute, I think this might be his parents’ place,” Nina said. “I’ve logged into the city records and it’s owned by a Robert and Evelyn Cartland.”

“Looks like Zane is their son, huh?” Jackson wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Maybe we’re wrong about this guy being involved. A drug bust from five years ago doesn’t mean much. A lot of kids get in trouble.”

“But if he’s a known associate, that means he must have been with Esperanza at some point,” Nina argued. “That typically happens when they’re arrested together.”

“I know how it works.” He offered a reassuring smile. “We’re here checking him out, right? We still need to stick with the facts.”

She frowned but didn’t say anything more. Creed passed the home, cruising slowly through the rest of the subdivision. The neighborhood homes were larger on this end of the neighborhood. Jackson eyed the huge home at the end of the cul-de-sac. It reminded him of how Ellen Carter had described the home Douglas Tillman’s parents lived in. The mansion was close enough to the trailer park that he could easily imagine Nina’s mother, Anna, driving over to work here.

Was Nina right to connect Cartland to her biological father? Did Douglas ask his classmate Robert Cartland to kill Nina?

He gave himself a mental shake. Facts, remember? They were sticking to the facts. Not creating fiction.

“Now what?” Creed glanced at him as they made a second pass of the house. “Do you want me to park on another street and approach the place from the back? I might be able to see if anyone is home.”

“Yeah, I’d like to check it out.” Jackson shrugged. “We need to figure out if Zane still lives here. Maybe I’ll recognize him from the cabin.”

“I want to go with you,” Nina quickly interjected. “I saw the gunmen, too.”

Jackson momentarily closed his eyes, seeking strength. He turned to Nina. “Please stay with Creed. I don’t want to risk anything happening to you. I need you to alert me if Cartland comes home.”

“But—”

“No, Nina. Please don’t argue with me.” He held her gaze. “Please.”

To his surprise, she relented. “Okay, I’ll stay here. But you better stay safe, Jackson. I’ll be mad if you get hurt.”

Since he felt the same way about her safety, he nodded. “This won’t take log.” He gestured to the next intersection. “Turn right and head around the block.”

“Got it.” Creed did as he asked. Five minutes later, Creed had found a spot in the road that was partially covered by a large tree. “We’ll wait here. This angle allows us to see between the houses in case a car pulls in.”

“Great.” Jackson quickly pushed out of the car. “If you see lights approaching, let me know.”

Without giving Creed or Nina time to respond, he softly closed the door behind him. Then darted into the five-foot opening between the two houses, one of which butted up against the property belonging to Robert Cartland.