Maybe not directly. But did it have to do with Brynn O’Neal?

The elevator arrived. As they boarded, Rye switched subjects. “I take it that Brady is an aviation buff.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Does he fly?”

Her expression turned rueful. “No.”

The elevator door opened on the lobby level. They stepped out, and Rye’s heart kicked against his ribs when he saw Brynn alighting from a sheriff’s unit parked in the porte cochere. Wilson was at the wheel. Brynn bent down and said something to him, then closed the door, and he drove away. She entered the lobby through the automatic doors. She was carrying that damn box.

Immediately spotting him and Marlene White, whom she must have recognized from the photograph on Brady’s desk, she made her way over. She acknowledged him with a nod, then turned her attention to Brady’s wife and introduced herself.

Mrs. White clasped Brynn’s hand as she had Rye’s. “Dr. O’Neal, thank you so much for seeing to Brady last night.”

“Call me Brynn, please. And you’re welcome. I only wish I could have done more. What’s his condition?”

Marlene repeated what she’d told him. “He regained consciousness only a little while ago. Just in time for Rye to see him.”

Brynn turned her gaze up to him. “You two talked?”

“We exchanged a few words. Not sure he’ll remember any of it.”

“Oh, he’ll remember,” Marlene said around a laugh. “He won’t forget you telling him that you’ll talk planes.”

“I’m surprised he doesn’t have his pilot’s license,” Rye said.

“He would if he could. All he ever wanted to do was fly. But he has a heart murmur caused by a faulty mitral valve. They discovered it when he was still in his teens, but he was probably born with it. He suffers mild symptoms that are controlled with medication. It doesn’t prevent him from doing pretty much whatever he wants to.”

“Except fly,” Rye said.

“Except fly,” she repeated sadly.

Brynn asked, “Doesn’t it bother him to manage the airfield, watch other people do what he would love to be doing?”

“No, just the opposite. He’s still plane crazy and enjoys the camaraderie with pilots.” She looked over at Rye. “When he heard that you were thumbing your nose at the weather and flying in here last night, he was as excited as a kid. As he left the house, he said, ‘I can’t wait to meet this fellow.’ Now he has. Your visit today will have meant the world to him.”

“When he’s recovered, I’ll come back and take him flying.”

Tears misted Marlene’s eyes. She pressed her hand to her chest. “He would love that.”

Rye could tell that his spontaneous offer had surprised Brynn. Hell, it had surprised him. He was aware of her searching his expression, but he didn’t acknowledge her. Instead, he bent down, picked up his flight bag from off the floor. “Now that it’s getting light, I need to go check on the plane.”

“How are you getting out there?” Marlene asked. “You don’t have a car, do you?”

“I’ll figure out something.”

“You’ll take mine.”

He chuffed and gave his head a hard shake. “I can’t do that.”

“Of course you can.”

He searched for a reason to refuse. “Didn’t a deputy drive you here last night?”

“He offered. I declined.”

“Because you thought you would need your car.”

“I thought I might. But I don’t. I’ve got friends and relatives begging to know what they can do for me. If I need a ride before you get back, I’ll have my choice. Let me go get the key.”

“Mrs. White—Marlene, I can’t take your car.”

“Please. Brady would loan you his pickup if he could.”

She was looking at him with such appeal, he could tell that it was important to her that he accept. He bobbed his head and gave her a gruff okay. “Thanks. I won’t keep it for long.”

“For as long as you need it, it’s yours to use. I’ll go get the key.” She turned to Brynn. “Will you still be here when I come down?”

“I’m afraid not.” She motioned toward the entrance. Wilson was just pulling his car to a stop. “My ride is back. I’m glad I caught you, though. I didn’t want to leave town without checking on your husband’s condition. Please tell him I wish him a speedy recovery. But not to rush it,” she added with mock sternness.

“I’ll tell him.”

Brynn reached into her coat pocket. “I wrote down my cell number. I would appreciate knowing how he’s coming along.” Marlene took the slip of paper from Brynn, then clasped her hand as before. “Thank you again for what you did for Brady last night.”

“It was precious little. I regret not having had the pleasure of meeting him when he was conscious.”

“Maybe you could come back with Rye.”

He and Brynn gave each other a fleeting look, but neither made a commitment.

Sensing the awkwardness she had unwittingly created, Marlene gave Brynn a quick goodbye hug, then told Rye she would soon be back with her car key. The elevator door opened as soon as she pushed the button.

Then he and Brynn were alone in the lobby. Even the woman at the sliding window had deserted her post.

Brynn looked up at him, but not directly. Somewhere in the general vicinity of his chin. She said, “I guess this is goodbye.”

“I guess.” He looked out at the sheriff’s unit. “Wilson’s chauffeuring you all the way to Atlanta?”

“No. The Ford dealership here in town leases cars. Of course it’s closed today, but, under the circumstances, Wilson thinks the owner might open long enough for me to get a car. But I hated to call him so early on a holiday. I’m waiting until nine o’clock.”

He nodded to all that but remarked on none of it.

After the short lapse, she asked, “You’re going out to the crash site?”

“Yeah.” He looked toward the entrance again. The vapor from Wilson’s tailpipe was adding ghosts to the fog. “Maybe this stuff will burn off soon, and I can get some pictures on my phone.”

“They won’t be pretty pictures.”

“’Fraid not.”

“I’m really sorry about the plane.”

“Me, too.” He repositioned the strap of his flight bag on his shoulder and tried his damnedest not to notice the strand of hair that kept slipping from behind her ear and curving against her cheek like a black satin question mark. “You’d better not keep Johnny Law waiting any longer.”

She looked outside and smiled. “I think he’s a little ticked for having to babysit me.”

Rye noted the time. “Less than two hours till nine.”

“He’s offered to take me to breakfast while we wait. Maybe a hot meal will improve his mood.” Coming back to Rye, she said, “Well…” and stuck out her right hand.

He looked down at it, hesitated, then took it. “I hope your cancer patient makes it.”

With that, her eyes met his head-on. “Thank you. Very much. So do I.”

He sensed there was hidden meaning in her words, but he couldn’t just stand there gazing into her rain-colored eyes in search of it, so he gave her hand a cursory shake and released it as though it had stung his palm.

She backed away several steps, then turned around and headed for the door. However, she hadn’t covered but a few yards before she stopped and turned back. “There is one question I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

He rolled his shoulders in a motion of assent.

“You said, ‘They did what they came to do.’”

This time he rolled his shoulders to indicate puzzlement. Since it was entirely faked, he added a furrowed brow to help convey perplexity.

“When we discovered Brady, you said, ‘They did what they came to do.’ You were referring to his attackers, correct?”

“I don’t remember saying that,” he lied. “But, yeah, I was referring to whoever did it.”

“You used the plural because there were two sets of footprints.”

“Yeah.”

“So if this man who quarreled with Brady was the culprit, he must’ve brought along an accomplice.”

“Looks like.”

“Did you mention that to Deputy Rawlins?”

“Slipped my mind. And, anyway, he’s the detective. He should’ve thought of it himself.”

“Hmm.” She nodded agreement. “At the time you said that, it sounded as though you had an inkling of who they might be.”

“I didn’t. Still don’t.” That was true.

“Or that you had an idea of what their motive was.”

“No clue.” Also true.

Her doubtful gaze held steady on him and, becoming impatient with it, he said, “I don’t remember saying that, and I don’t remember what I was thinking. I was talking off the top of my head. Rambling.”

She gave a skeptical laugh. “You have certain character traits which become immediately obvious to anyone who meets you. Rambling isn’t among them.”

She continued looking at him as though trying to will him to say more. When he didn’t, she turned away and went through the automatic doors. They closed behind her.

His gut felt hollowed out.

He was hungry, was all.