Alex knows that she couldn't leave if she wanted too. It's too big now, too intrinsically tied to her life for her to abandon it. There may have been a point that she could have (though, it's definitely something that's a 'may' and not definite because of that whole one note thing) but there's not anymore. There hasn't been since she'd accepted Richard's call about the Unsound tape, and let him back into her life rather than the one case and done. Later, Alex will think about how Strand had stepped into her life with a black tape held between his hands like a bouquet of roses and dragged her back in. She'll also wonder if it's a coincidence that it's where Strand is from here. It almost could be one, but Alex Reagan has stopped believing in them at this point if only because coincidence was such a convenient excuse when it came to the story and her life now.

But either way, the whole thing isn't something that Alex Reagan can walk away from. Richard Strand may try (and he had, hadn't he? How many times had he picked up his toys and metaphorically gone home on her? Before Simon, after she'd found the truth about Coralee, the time that he'd spent chasing all of the things around her during the last few months? And then afterwards when it comes to the Axis Mundi according to Simon) but in the end, he can't seem to separate himself fully from Alex anymore than Alex can separate herself from Strand.

Simon working on something however, catches her thoughts and stops them in her tracks and Alex just looks at him quickly. "What were you working on, Simon?"