Successful-Test-5590's journey

I recently applied for a position at a company and two days later, I received a LinkedIn connection request from a woman who holds the same job title as the one I applied for. She isn't a recruiter, which made the situation even more puzzling. I didn't accept the connection request right away, and later that night, I received a rejection email for the job. The next day, I accepted her request, but she didn't send any message or explanation. I'm left wondering why she would want to connect with me without any apparent reason. I'm considering removing her from my contacts since it feels pointless. I even had a fleeting thought that maybe she noticed my relevant experience and wanted to keep in touch for future opportunities. What do you think?

I have an interview scheduled for a position that is about 20 miles away this Thursday. I'm feeling uncertain because I reached out to the hiring manager about the salary but haven’t received a response yet. The salary details weren't mentioned during the initial screening, and it wasn't listed in the job ad either. I'm hesitant to spend money on an Uber to get there if the salary ends up being too low. I’m also concerned about the lack of communication; it feels a bit off to me that she's ignoring my email before the interview. I live in Texas, where it's common for companies to avoid disclosing salary information. I'm wondering if I should still go to the interview or if it’s a red flag.