Rita shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting any help anyway.” Though such a statement could come across as bitter, for Rita, it was simply a matter of fact. She’d gone years without depending on anyone for anything. She could take care of herself. “I’ll handle it.”

And as far as ‘handling’ things went, there wasn’t much that could be done to begin with. A kid was dead, and nothing she or Taura or anyone did would change that. All that was left to do was to move on… and to take down Landel. The most any stranger could provide was emotional support, and that would just make Rita annoyed and uncomfortable anyway.

As she finished eating her sandwich, Rita started to wonder what the stranger’s deal was. “Anyway, it sounds like you’ve been keeping busy. How long have you been here? I don’t suppose you’ve found any good leads.” Or that he’d be willing to share, if he had. Still, she had nothing to lose by asking.