The decision to wait until they reached the Tahoe before trying again was made for her when she peeked down at her screen to make sure her finger hit the correct number, and she almost rammed into a fire hydrant, barely skirting around it in time. Apparently, her multitasking skills didn’t stretch to include running and dialing at the same time, something Cord pointed out as soon as the SUV was in sight.

Unlocking the doors, she shot him a withering glare. She’d just turned the key in the ignition when Hal’s incoming call blasted through the speakers. She answered with: ‘I’ve been trying to reach you.’

‘As evidenced by the half dozen missed calls,’ Hal said drily. ‘I was in the restroom, and since I prefer to piss in peace, I left my phone behind.’

‘Too much information, Hal.’

‘Sorry. What’s up?’

‘Long story shorter: Addis and Emerson discovered a pocketknife beneath the cabin where they hid and decided it was an amulet of sorts. I showed it to Elizabeth Monroe, and her reaction sent her into a medical episode. But once she was stable again, she demanded to speak to Cord and me. Turns out that pocketknife was a gift from her to Hayden Benson the day before his disappearance. She said she’d seen it in a gift shop, and since it had his name, she saw it as a sign and purchased it for him. Most of the lettering is worn off, but it makes sense. There are lots of possible explanations for why this knife was found in a remote cabin in the woods, but most of them lead back to the same thing: it places Hayden with either Adam Campbell or Alexandra Greene shortly before he was never seen again.’

When Alyssa stopped to catch her breath, Cord filled Hal in on what they’d seen on the hospital’s security cameras.

Hal was unnaturally quiet for so long that Alyssa had to check to make sure they hadn’t dropped the call. ‘You still there?’

‘Yeah, I’m here. Listen, I have some news to share with you, as well. First, Dr. Sharp dropped in. Her preliminary finding on Adam Campbell is that he didn’t commit suicide as the gun gripped in his hand suggested. Someone hammered his skull in before he died, so she’s ruling his death a homicide. Using his body temperature as a gauge, as well as the rigor mortis that had set in, she estimates his death occurred somewhere over twenty-four hours ago but less than seventy-two.’

Alyssa’s mind immediately flashed to Adam’s neighbor. ‘According to Emilia Martinez, she saw Campbell leaving his house Tuesday night, so we know he was alive then.’ From the corner of her eye, she saw Cord nodding his head in agreement. ‘Now, you said, “first.” Does that mean there’s more?’ she asked.