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out. “If I agree, that doesn’t mean you’ll keep information from me, does it?”
    Pete laughed. “I’ll share whatever it is you want to know,” he said. “And if at some point, you want to be the detective, I’ll be more than happy to move out of the way.”
    Sadie put her arms around his neck, careful not to touch his clothes; her hands were still floury from the pie crust that was likely getting dryer by the minute. “Well, maybe just move over so there’s room for both of us . . . if I decide I can handle it.” Her smile faded as the reality of what they were facing moved into the confusing thoughts cycling through her mind. “I couldn’t do this without you, Pete. And I do want answers.”
    Pete leaned in and kissed her. “We’re in this together,” he said quietly, pulling her half an inch closer.
    Sadie nodded and kissed him back, grateful for his confidence since she was still unsure about how she felt. “Thank goodness for that.”

Chapter 4
     

    The flight from Denver to Oakland on Thursday landed just after ten o’clock in the morning, Pacific Daylight Time. Pete and Sadie picked up their rental car—a white Chevy Malibu—and put their carry-on luggage in the trunk. Sadie hated traveling with just a carry-on. She preferred to bring enough clothes that she was prepared for a variety of weather conditions and possible events she might need to dress for, but there was an extra baggage fee to bring a checked bag, so she’d picked four coordinating outfits that could be rearranged over seven days, though she had no expectation they would stay so long. According to her research, the temperatures were supposed to be in the low 70s, which seemed impossible for July, but she’d been sure to bring close-toed shoes, jeans, and a jacket in case the evenings were cool. Wasn’t California supposed to be warm?
    The GPS guided them expertly from this freeway to that belt route to this connection to that exit until they found themselves going over the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, or Bay Bridge for short. Sadie already felt dizzy from the driving portion of the trip and they weren’t even in the city yet. How had people ever driven here without a GPS?
    She stared out the window and tried to hold on to the good feelings from the holiday yesterday. Things had gone so well with Pete’s daughters and their families, and each time Sadie was with them, their relationship felt a little more comfortable. Brooke, the older, had asked for the recipe for Sadie’s famous potato salad and had invited her to attend a community theater production the next month to see her oldest son perform in an adaptation of An American Tail. It was the first time Brooke had specifically invited Sadie to anything, and it filled her with confidence that good things were happening within these new relationships. After the fireworks were over, both of Pete’s daughters had initiated hugs good-bye. It had been such a fantastic day. But they weren’t in Pete’s backyard enjoying hamburgers while the kids played on a Slip ‘N Slide anymore. Sadie wished like crazy that they were.
    Pete used something called a FastTrak pass to get them through the toll booth. The pass had come with the rental car, but she wasn’t sure what was so fast about it as they seemed to move as slowly across the enormous structure as every other car. While they crept forward a few feet at a time, Sadie took in her first sight of a city that didn’t seem as though it could possibly fit on the small patch of land ahead of them.
    “It’s too early to check into the hotel,” Pete said, “but we could have the concierge hold our bags while we grab lunch at Ji’s restaurant. It’s just a few blocks from the hotel.”
    “Um, sure,” Sadie said, internally acknowledging her hesitation at meeting her nephew. He’d asked her to call when they got into town. Showing up at his restaurant was as good as calling, right? She didn’t want their