Alyssa and Cord settled onto a well-worn but comfortable sofa while Mr. Greene opened some curtains, the natural light neutralizing the dark gloom of the house. Within seconds, he eased himself into a La-Z-Boy recliner across from them.

Alyssa wasted no time diving right in. ‘Mr. Greene, I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us, so I’ll get straight to the heart of the matter. Last Thursday, we were called out to a double homicide where we discovered two teenage girls had also been kidnapped. Yesterday, we discovered one of the weapons used, a twenty-two caliber Glock 19, is registered to you. Can you explain that?’

Alexander Greene paled under her announcement, and he wiped one hand across his face. ‘That gun went missing years ago when I left New Mexico after my divorce.’

‘Did you report it stolen?’

‘No ma’am because I knew my ex-wife had likely squirreled it away because it was the one she most preferred of the guns I had.’

‘And your ex-wife is…?’

‘Helen Ross.’

‘When’s the last time you spoke with Helen?’ Cord showed no reaction to hearing the name.

‘Seven years ago. July fourth. It was her favorite holiday what with all the fireworks lighting up the sky. She called to tell me she and’ – he hesitated, closing his eyes before continuing – ‘my daughter, Alexandra, had moved from their home in Del Luna. She – Helen – was killed in a car accident a week later. One of her front tires blew out going around a curve in the canyon. I found out when an old buddy read about it in the paper and called me.’

Sadness crept in, emphasizing the lines on his face, and Alyssa guessed that, divorced or not, Alexander Greene still loved his ex-wife.

‘And what about your daughter, Mr. Greene? Are you in contact with Alexandra?’

The sorrow of moments earlier was replaced with a cold mask of indifference. ‘No, I’m afraid not. Frankly, she’s the reason I left New Mexico in the first place.’ His hands tightened into fists that he pressed against his thighs. ‘If anyone had told me on the day she was born – I didn’t know a man could feel so much love – that one day my own daughter would scare the hell out of me, I would’ve laughed in that person’s face.

‘When Alexandra was a toddler, she was the epitome of a daddy’s girl. She followed me everywhere and would’ve gone to work in the fields with me if I’d let her. From the time she was five, she went fishing and hunting with me as often as she was allowed. All that changed when she turned seven.’

‘What happened when she was seven?’ Alyssa prompted.