Because if she shuts down—
We lose it.
“I don’t know,” she says.
Then shakes her head.
“No… that’s not right.”
Good.
She’s thinking.
“I wouldn’t have kept it on me,” she says. “I would’ve put it somewhere safe.”
“Somewhere no one would look,” I add.
Her pulse picks up.
She’s close.
“Start with what you knew,” I say. “Your routines.”
She closes her eyes.
Thinking.
“Home?” Trigger offers.
“No. Too obvious.”
“Work?” Beast adds.
“Maybe…”
Then—
Her breath catches.
“There it is,” I murmur.
“My old locker,” she says.
That hits.
“I had one in the back,” she continues. “I kept personal things there.”
I lean in slightly.
“You think it’s still there?”
“I think so. I brought it with me when I moved to Eagle River.”
That’s enough.
“Then we check it.”
Because now?