He turned his gaze toward her, his expression unreadable. “Yeah, I agree,” he said with a nod.

Her brow furrowed slightly. His brevity was perplexing. “I was hoping we could coordinate our strategies, perhaps review the evidence together,” she pressed on.

He nodded but offered little else. Frustration bubbled beneath her calm exterior. Why is he so hard to engage? she thought. “Daniel… um, I need…” she paused, collecting herself, “I need to know that we’re on the same page,” she said, her voice tinged with urgency.