“Is that so?”
I nodded, biting my bottom lip to stop from smiling.
“How about we do it together,” he offered. “Safety in numbers.”
I laughed. “Don’t be so sure.”
Thayer’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it.
“Maybe you should answer it,” I said.
“There’s no one more important than you,” he said.
“What if it’s your dad?”
“Right.” He slipped his phone from his pocket, and his eyes widened. “Shit. It is my dad.” He stood and answered the call as he walked toward the door. I watched him through the front window as he paced the sidewalk. His face gave nothing away as he listened to whatever his father was saying.
A few minutes later, Thayer tucked his phone back into his pocket. But, instead of coming back inside, he tunneled his fingers through his hair as he stared out at the passing cars.
My heartbeat quickened. What had his father said?
Eventually, he turned and walked back inside the restaurant.
“What did he say?” I asked as soon as he slipped into his seat.
He looked across the table at me and was silent for a long beat. “They can’t find a Carlo who grew up with Gino.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father’s guy went back through school records, real estate documents, even employees at Gino’s jobs growing up. No Carlo.”
“Maybe Carlo’s his middle name. You know how people sometimes go by their middle names,” I said, grasping at straws because the alternative was feeling like we were back at square one.
“I asked the same thing. He said they checked all the information they could find, and they came back with nothing.”
“So, what’s next?”
“He wants to know what you think,” Thayer offered.
“What I think?”
“If they approach Gino asking about Carlo, it could go one of two ways. Gino could lead them right to Carlo, or he could warn Carlo and Carlo disappears.”
I closed my eyes, not sure what other option we had.
“Hey,” he said softly, likely realizing I was reeling.
I looked at him.
His eyes were gentle and caring. “He said he’s reaching out to the local authorities to see if they’ve found anything. Maybe they’ve got videos from sidewalks or intersections. Who knows? Maybe they’ve already been able to ID him, and they’re just keeping it quiet.”
I nodded, wanting to believe he was right.
“Don’t worry, G. My father’s got this.”
“I know. I just want to know the truth.”
“He’ll find it,” he assured me.