"Sanderson and his father, Kent, are playing in the tournament," Jason said. "Along with the Adlers."
"Can you get me in?"
"Of course."
He paused as Haley pointed to herself. Then he said, "I'd like to bring Haley as well. I need to keep an eye on her, and she makes our suspects uncomfortable. They have a more difficult time refusing to answer questions when she's there."
"I'll see you both tomorrow at two."
"See you then." He met Haley's gaze as he put down his phone. "We're making progress."
"The shooter is dead, so it doesn't feel like progress. I knew it was unlikely one of those rich guys would have actually shot Sabrina, but we've hit another wall, another dead body."
"It's almost impossible not to leave some kind of trail or a digital fingerprint on a job like this. It's usually buried under layers of encryption and secrecy, but my team is good, and they'll continue working as hard as they can to locate the employer."
"The Westbridge group has money and connections, Matt."
"True, but they're not invincible."
"I hope not."
"Are you hungry?"
"I…I don't know," she said with a helpless shrug. "I hadn't thought about it."
"Well, you don't have to think about it. I'll cook. You relax."
She gave him a questioning look. "You cook?"
"I'm not in line for a Michelin star, but I can throw something together. Why don't you settle in and take a few minutes to breathe? It's been a rough day. I know that finding your apartment in that condition was disturbing."
"It feels so personal now. It's weird. Someone tried to run me off the road last night, which was far more dangerous, but the way they went through my things…it really bothered me."
"Well, make yourself at home. You can watch TV, take a nap, a shower. Whatever. I'll get started on dinner."
"You're being very nice to me, considering it was only two days ago that you wanted to arrest me."
"Taking that phone was stupid and illegal. But I understand why you did it. We've moved past that."
"Yes, we have. Into a world that feels very topsy-turvy." She paused. "Thanks for taking me in. I think I will jump in the shower. It usually helps clear my head."
"Go for it. And your presence here will actually justify the money I spent on having a guest room because no one else has stayed there."
"Then, you're welcome," she said with a tired smile before heading into his apartment.
He couldn't stop himself from watching her every step of the way. He'd never felt so personally connected to someone involved in an investigation. He had always been able to separate his personal life from his professional one, but there was something about Haley that felt different, and he was a little concerned about the shift in his priorities.
He wasn't thinking as much about Sabrina's death and finding her killer as he was thinking about Landon, about helping Haley get the answers she'd spent six years searching for. He told himself it didn't matter that the line was blurring, because the cases were connected, but deep down, he knew the line he was walking was getting thinner, and he could get to a point where he wouldn't be able to see a line at all.
But that point wasn't now, he reminded himself. All he had to do right now was make dinner.
Haley couldn't believe what Matt managed to whip up in an hour and a half. When she sat down at his dining room table a little after seven, she was surprised to see a restaurant-quality plate of food in front of her. "What is this? It looks amazing."
"Chicken thighs sautéed in garlic and ginger with rice and chili bok choy," he said, as he sat next to her and picked up a bottle of white wine. "Would you like a glass?"
"Yes," she said, immediately scooping up a bite of his chicken dish. The spicy flavors had a nice heat to them, and she quickly went back for more. "This is amazing."
"I'm glad you like it," he said as he filled her glass.
