Cord ran his finger down the page in front of him. ‘Quarter after nine. It would seem they drove around for a bit before actually heading to the Kensington house which is next pinged at nine-forty. From there, the phones’ location remains static.’

‘We know Addis drove because her Chevy Malibu was in the driveway with the key still in the ignition, which makes sense if they were just planning on grabbing some clothes or schoolbooks or whatever girls snag for a sleepover,’ Tony threw in for Joe and Hal’s benefit. ‘And aside from a take-out bag of sopapillas, there was nothing in the vehicle, at least nothing that sent up any alarms.’

‘Or gave us anything else to go on,’ Cord added, nodding.

‘I want to add one more thing real quick,’ Tony’s shoulders drooped, and he stared down at his empty hands as he spoke. ‘When I arrived, Emerson’s parents had just received the Amber Alert notification, so Mrs. Childress was already on the phone with Dispatch. When she saw me at the door, man, she crumbled. It was bad.’

Alyssa understood all too well the horror and helplessness of realizing your child was missing, so she didn’t have to imagine what Mrs. Childress had been feeling or thinking because she already knew.

She also didn’t need to turn her head to know Cord’s penetrating stare was drilling into her. He knew her well enough to guess where her head had gone. Forcing her mind away from that point in her history, Alyssa reminded herself what was at stake – Addis and Emerson’s lives.

Tony reached into a folder to grab a five-by-seven photograph. He set it on the table for the rest of the team to look at. ‘Mrs. Childress said this was taken a couple of months ago during Emerson’s senior photo shoot. She wanted us to have an updated picture to release to the media. She also told me what the girls were wearing when they left the house last night.’ His gaze drifted around the table. ‘You all probably got the updated Amber Alerts?’ At everyone’s nods, he turned to Alyssa. ‘And I was able to update NCIC, as well.’

Joe twirled a pen between his fingers like it was a baton as he asked, ‘Can we back up a second? Seems we’ve got quite a bit of information from Emerson’s phone log. What about Addis’s? Were you able to go through hers, as well? And if so, was there anything in there that might point us in the right direction?’

‘Addis’s phone – which, by the way, showed fingerprints, but from their placement, I’m guessing probably belong to her – had a lock screen, but Grace easily guessed the passcode. It was her – Addis’s – birthday, so not at all difficult or original. So, to answer your question, we can verify that around the same time that Emerson sent a text to her mom asking if Addis could stay with them, Addis sent one to her father asking the same thing. He responded with a yes, so, we know at a few minutes after eight last night, Gabriel Kensington was still alive. We also noted the phone call to Grace and the numerous missed calls from Grace to Addis.’