“I didn’t know what it was at first, but when Molly and I got closer, I knew it was something bad.”

I look over my notes. “We want to go back to the night of July Fourth. You remember that?”

“Yes.”

“You and your dad were sleeping on the summer porch, is that right?”

“Yes. It was hot, so we decided to sleep out there instead of on the living room couches.”

“Did you hear anything at all in the night?”

“No. It was quiet.”

The porch is on the side of the house farthest from the riverbank, so despite the screens, it might’ve been hard to hear anything.

“Did you get up at all during the night?” Joe seems content to let me question Alice. He settles back with his notebook, and I get it. We don’t want her intimidated or uncomfortable. She knows me at least a little.

“ No.”

“What about your dad?”

She glances at him again. “I don’t think so.” Mr. Branch puts an arm around her shoulders.

“So you both slept straight through the night then?”

Alice purses her lips as though she’s thinking. “Yes. But I got up really early.”

“What time?” I ask quietly.

She draws a deep breath. “Well, I set my phone alarm because I wanted to sketch the sunrise. I like to draw out on the deck, so I set it for five o’clock. It was still dark when I got up, but I didn’t want to miss it. I wanted time to make a cup of tea and get my materials together.”

“Did you hear anything? See anyone at that hour?”

“No. Everything was quiet.”

“Was your dad still asleep?”

“Yes. He was snoring.”

“So what did you do?”

“I went into the kitchen and turned on the little light over the stove. I made tea. I was careful not to let the kettle whistle because I didn’t want to wake anyone up. While the tea bag steeped, I went into the mudroom to get the key ring because Molly locks up all the doors at night and I needed to get out on the deck.”

“Okay. Then what?”

Alice shrugs. “It wasn’t there.”

“What wasn’t there?” I ask, pencil poised.

“The key ring.”

My heartbeat kicks up. “Was it there the night before?”

“I think so. It’s always there.”

“Then what happened?”

She sighs. “I went back to bed. There wasn’t any sense in staying up if I couldn’t get out on the deck.”

“Did you go back to sleep?”

“Yes. I fell back asleep until seven or so when my dad woke me up.”

“Was the key ring back? Did you notice?”

“I saw it there when we left.”

“What time was that?”

She looks at her dad.

“We left a little after eight, I think,” Mr. Branch says. “Is that all, Detectives? I’ve got a store to run.”