And through it all, Jo felt eyes on them.
Keller arrived around ten, settling into an empty desk with his files and his laptop. But Jo caught him watching—glances that lingered a beat too long, attention that seemed focused on something other than his work.
Once, she looked up to find him standing, coffee cup in hand, his gaze fixed on the corner where she and Wyatt had been talking in low voices just moments before.
Their eyes met.
Keller smiled—pleasant, professional—and raised his cup in a small salute before turning back to his work.
By noon, Jo’s nerves were frayed.
She found Kevin in the hallway.
“Keller’s watching us,” she said quietly.
“I noticed.” Kevin’s jaw tightened. “Shaw too. She asked me about the fibers found on Cooper this morning. Wanted to know if we found the car.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That we were still looking.” Jo rubbed her temples. Two FBI agents, both circling, both suspicious. And tonight they were going to set a trap that could blow up in all their faces.
“Eight o’clock,” she said. “My place. We figure this out.”
Kevin nodded. “I’ll be there.”
The afternoon crawled.
At four-thirty, Sam called a brief team meeting—routine stuff, case updates, nothing that would raise flags. But when it ended, he caught Jo’s eye and gave a slight nod.
We’re still on.
Jo gathered her things at five, same as always. Said goodnight to Reese, scratched Major behind the ears, waved to Kevin across the room. Normal. Routine. Nothing to see here.
She was halfway to her car when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Detective Harris.”
Jo turned. Keller was crossing the parking lot toward her, jacket slung over his arm, keys in hand.
“Agent Keller.” She kept her voice neutral. “Heading out?”
“Long day.” He stopped a few feet away, close enough to talk, far enough to seem casual. “You?”
“Same.”
He nodded, but didn’t move toward his car. His eyes searched her face—looking for something, reading something. Jo kept her expression blank.
“You know,” Keller said slowly, “I’ve been doing this job a long time. Long enough to know when people are keeping secrets.”
Jo’s heart rate spiked, but she didn’t let it show. “Everyone’s got secrets, Agent.”
“True.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I just hope whatever’s going on, you’re being careful. These people—the ones who killed Cooper—they don’t play games. And they have eyes everywhere.”
A warning? A threat? Jo couldn’t tell.
“I appreciate the concern,” she said evenly. “But we know how to handle ourselves.”
“I’m sure you do.” Keller stepped back, finally moving toward his car. “Have a good night, Detective. Stay safe.”