Everyone is grateful for the small piece of information that might be enough to find the getaway driver. We all sit in the office after a long day of patience and hard work. Connor is finally smiling at me again, he even made us all a cup of tea to thank us for the extra hours and determination we've put into this case this last week.

"I don't understand how a tattoo will help. Plenty of men have a tattoo in the same spot, and it's not like a quote is uncommon," Vincent shares his opinion.

"But we can spread the word. People can keep a look out, especially in the areas we believe he might've gone to," Trevor disagrees.

"Exactly," I say, giving Trevor a grateful smile.

"It's a long shot, but it's a start," Connor says.

Octavia lets out a small laugh and rolls her eyes. "So what do you want to do? Put a picture of chest in every paper you can? 'Please help us find this chest.' Like Vincent said, it's not uncommon."

"Talk about being optimistic," Trevor mutters.

Octavia glares in response with her jaw clenched. "It's called being realistic. You should try it sometime."

"I'm sorry I like to keep positive. We haven't had anything on this case recently. Raine is getting away with things right under our noses! This is the first useful information we've had this week that we can finally go on, so yes, I'm going to be optimistic about it, because someone has to."

"Meaning?"

"You're all giving up," he expresses with an upset expression painted on his face.

Connor clears his throat and raises his trimmed eyebrows that have a perfect shape. "I assure you, we're not giving up."

Trevor calms down a little and places his head in his hands, breathing carefully to steady his heart that thumps like a drum. "I'm sorry. I know that everyone is trying their hardest. I'm more frustrated with myself than anything."

"You're trying your hardest," I assure him. "Don't be so hard on yourself. We're all in the same boat."

Trevor manages to pull a small smile to show his gratitude, though it doesn't hide the tiredness in his eyes. "You and Octavia did good today."

"Thank you, Trevor," I say in a chirped voice before facing Octavia and widening my eyes.

She sighs and accepts defeat. "Thank you."

He takes a stand and pats Vincent on the shoulders. "We'll make ourselves useful and get the word out."

"Thanks, guys. That would be appreciated," Connor tells them. "Octavia and Vanessa, you get yourselves home. Good work today."

"Thanks, Con." Octavia doesn't hesitate to grab her belongings and rush out of the room. I assume it's because she wants to get away from work as soon as possible, but I can't help wonder if something else is going on.

With suspicions building in my head, I glance at the door that closes behind her. My eyebrows furrow, but before I can think further on the matter, Connor addresses me.

"I'm sorry for getting stressed earlier. I hope you can understand given the circumstances," he says while removing his tie and allowing the two top buttons of his shirt to release. He leans back and finally relaxes after a long and stressful day.

I smile as I reach for my bag and take a stand, ready to leave so I can return home and finally rest. "Of course. I'm sorry, too. I really didn't mean to waste anyone's time."

"It's all forgiven. Trevor's right, you and Octavia did some good work today. Get yourself home and have a relaxing evening to yourself. You deserve it."

I down the rest of my now cold drink before pulling on my coat and walking out of Connor's office. Although I'm exhausted and in dire need of sleep, I can't help the smile that pulls onto my face after hearing everyone's words of encouragement. I've spent so long trying to prove myself and show that, although Raine is my sister, I'm still very capable of finding her and bringing help to this case. I won't let my emotions or our relationship get in the way. At first I was hasty and believed that she could change if I only I could get to her in time, but as the years went on, she only got worse and I had to hear every gory detail. Now I doubt there's anything I can do, other than get her away from this town and show every victim of hers that they can feel safe again. It's not fair that they're losing sleep while she cackles over what she's done. Clearly she's not the sympathetic and understanding girl I once knew.

"Word's out," Trevor sighs when he catches up to me.

I glance up at him and smile softly. "Now we just have to wait and see."

"I expect we'll get a few calls through by tomorrow. We can check them out together if you'd like? I understand if you'd rather do it with Octavia, though."

My head recoils at his last statement. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you're always with her. You two seem to be getting closer," he says casually.

"It's only for work. I mean, I'd like to be her friend, but I doubt she's the type to make friends."

Trevor and I both laugh. Apparently he agrees.

"But yeah. I'd love to check them out with you—that's if we get any calls about it," I say.

"I'm sure we will. We've got to keep positive," he tells me, though it seems he's telling himself as well.

I nod in agreement. "Octavia rushed off quickly, don't you think?" I ask, changing the subject entirely without meaning to. She's been on my mind since she sprinted out the office.

Trevor doesn't seem as suspicious as I do about the matter. He simply shrugs in response with a relaxed face. "Doesn't she always?"

I scrunch my eyebrows as I think back to every time we've had work. She never stops to chat, she just races off as soon as she possibly can.

"You don't think that's weird?" I whisper so none of my other coworkers can hear and turn this into a gossip that will spread through the entire office and land straight into Connor's lap. There's no point in assuming anything until I know for certain, but all I can do is think back on every time she's rushed away, all the secrets she's kept from us, all the attitude. What if it's for a reason? What if she's up to something?

"Not really. We've all got our personal lives. You and me don't really need to rush off because we have no commitments. Vincent has his pregnant girlfriend, so it's never a second thought when he races home to get to her. It's quite sweet actually. She told him she was craving chocolate donuts the other day, so he bought them for her as soon as he had the chance." Trevor smiles sadly to himself, like he's imagining that sort of life and almost longing for it. In all the years I've known Trevor, he's never been in a relationship, but I know how much he desires to have one. Apparently he hasn't met the right person yet.

"Right, but what commitments does Octavia have? A house, maybe a dog? But nothing that would cause her to rush out everyday."

"Well we don't know, do we? She keeps her life private."

"Exactly."

After pulling a confused face, Trevor pulls me to an empty corridor so we're away from the landlines ringing and the sound of workers tapping away on their computers.

"Vanessa, what are you trying to say?" he whispers.

I lean against the hard wall and sigh to myself while I think long and hard about how to word this. "I don't even know myself. It's only today that I've started thinking it."

"Thinking what?"

There's a slight hesitation before I decide to confide in him. "What if...what if she's working for Raine?"

Trevor's face drops as soon as the words slip off my tongue. Due to him being so shocked, he's not able to speak for the first few seconds, but then he suddenly lets out a laugh. It's an annoyed laugh that makes me feel ashamed for even insinuating it. "You cannot be serious."

When I don't reply, he furrows his eyebrows and drops his jaw.

"Octavia is one of the most loyal members we have here. She's put her ass on the line for years trying to find Raine, and now you're accusing Octavia of working with her? And for what? Because she leaves in a rush?" he says harshly. Every word hits me like a ton of knives that penetrate my lungs and causes them to deflate.

Trevor's right, of course. I'm a terrible person for even thinking that Octavia would do that to us, but I can't help the feeling in my gut that is screaming at me to investigate this.

"Listen to me," he demands in a soft tone before standing straight, looking around the office to check no one's listening, and running his hand over his buzzed hair. "Forget about this, okay? Octavia would never betray us. I know you may not think so, but she's our friend as well as our colleague. I've seen you two grow closer over this last week. You never know, maybe she needs a friend just as much as you do. So don't throw that friendship away."

I stroke the pads of my finger over my smooth, long fingernails while nodding and listening to his suggestion. I know he's right, and I'm trying to tell myself that, but there's still a nibble in the back of my mind. I'm trying to ignore it the best I can.

Even if Octavia's not working for Raine, which I know she most likely isn't and I'm just reading into things too much, there could be something going on in her personal life that could explain this. I could help her out and make things easier, maybe even be the shoulder she needs to cry on. I want to investigate this and see what I can find out, but I decide against it. Whatever is going on in Octavia's life, she'll tell me when she's ready. Clearly she's not ready to do so yet, so I'll be patient in the meantime.

"You're right. I'm just being stupid, ignore me," I sigh, feeling deeply disappointed in myself for accusing the woman who is only just starting to grow closer to me after all those years of acting cold and distant.

"It's not a problem," he assures me. "We're all tired and we're all saying things we don't mean."

"You're very forgiving," I say with a small grin tugging at my cheeks.

He finally laughs and causes all the tense air around us to evaporate. It feels like I can finally breathe again.

"Speak for yourself. Plus, I think we're all quite forgiving."

"Maybe it comes with the job," I joke. "Do you think you'd ever forgive Raine once we find her?" I ask this because I'm trying to work the answer out for myself.

Trevor tenses his jaw and looks down to the ground while he thinks about my question. I can tell it's difficult for him. Eight years is a long time. A lot of anger and hatred can build in that amount of time.

"I don't know, Vanessa. I'm sorry." He gives me a sympathetic smile. "What about you?"

I sink into myself as I try to remember the girl she once was who she'll never be again. "I don't know, either. I'd like to...but it's getting harder to see her as Matilda. I don't think I could ever hate her, but the bond we once had is gone. We'll never have that again, I know that for sure."