Tessa’s gaze locked on a squirrel racing up the willow tree in her yard. ‘Just that he disappeared the night they were supposed to run away together and that she never agreed with the claim that he’d run off in order to shirk his responsibilities. And then about a month ago, we were sitting outside enjoying the fall weather and a glass of wine when, out of the blue, she announced she was hiring a private investigator to find out what really happened. I guess Brandon had started noticing he was the only one of his friends without a father and was beginning to ask a lot of questions she didn’t know how to answer.’

‘What was Elizabeth’s reaction when she learned about Mr. Kensington’s murder?’

Tessa’s forehead wrinkled. ‘Well, when she saw it on the news, she called to tell me Gabriel was the investigator she’d hired, so I guess you could say she was understandably horrified. If you’re asking if I thought her reaction was in any way out of the norm, then I’d have to say no, definitely not.’

Alyssa thought back to her interview with Elizabeth and how she’d insisted her son not get himself invited over for fish sticks Friday. ‘I’m curious about something. When one of my officers stopped by last night, you said Brandon had been with you since Friday night. Was that planned or sudden?’

‘Sudden.’

‘And you didn’t find that odd?’

‘Not really. As much as she loves that boy, Elizabeth still sometimes needed a break, especially if she’d been working long hours.’ The lines around Tessa’s face deepened. ‘I guess I should’ve suspected something when she called just before nine and asked if we’d mind keeping Brandon for a couple nights.’

A flush of adrenaline sent a wave of heat through Alyssa. ‘Did she say why or indicate she was meeting someone?’

‘No, and playing Monday morning quarterback, I realize now I probably should’ve asked.’ Tessa used her fingernail to scrape at the loose paint on the table. ‘If I had, maybe Elizabeth would be home, safe now instead of fighting for her life.’

Alyssa cut her off. ‘I know it’s not easy, but you can’t allow yourself to think that way.’

Tessa waved her comment away. ‘Much easier said than done. When she didn’t call to check in on Brandon, and I didn’t see her car yesterday, I began to worry, but my husband told me not to overreact because she’d asked us to watch Brandon for a couple nights, and it had only been less than twenty-four hours.’ She snorted. ‘I knew I should’ve trusted my gut that something was wrong.’