Less than five minutes later, Joe and Sandra joined them. A quick scan of everyone’s bleary eyes and slack expressions was enough to tell Alyssa none of them had gotten much sleep last night, and if she understood her team like she thought she did, she knew much of that reason stemmed from a driving desire to locate Addis and Emerson and bring them safely home. Until they did, it was unlikely any of them would be getting much meaningful rest.

Sandra moved to the conference table and pulled out a chair. ‘Looks like we’re just waiting for Tony, right?’

Alyssa glanced up from what she was doing. ‘Actually, Tony called me this morning. He’s got some personal things to take care of, so we’re it for now.’ Mutual concern snaked across the room as Hal and Cord peered at each other before transferring their gazes to Joe. Tony was more than a partner to him; he was his best friend, and the fact that even he hadn’t been able to breach the brick wall that had been erected since May was just another reason to add to their worry.

Knowing there wasn’t much she could do for Tony until he was ready to share the demons he fought, Alyssa took a drink of her coffee, then cleared her throat. She needed everyone’s head in the here and now. ‘So, Elizabeth Monroe.’ Wanting Sandra to feel like she was definitely part of the team, she waved her arm in the young officer’s direction.

Not that she expected anything less, but Alyssa was pleased and impressed by how Hal, Joe, and Cord instantly shifted their attention from her to Sandra expectantly, as if they’d been doing it for years instead of one day.

More exciting was how Sandra smoothly transitioned from observer into informer, as if she, too, had been briefing the team for years. ‘We all know Grace Burgess believed one of Gabriel’s cases might have led to his murder, and at first, at least where I was concerned, I had my doubts, but what we learned from Elizabeth Monroe may support that theory.’ For the next twenty minutes, Sandra fielded questions as she gave a rundown on the Monroe interview, ending with, ‘Both Lys – sorry, can I call you that? I heard the others, but if you prefer—’

Alyssa was so used to hearing the shortened version of her name that she hadn’t even noticed when Sandra did it. ‘You’re fine. Go on.’

‘Anyway, Lys and I both thought it awful peculiar that Hayden Benson’s family was none too keen on Ms. Monroe hiring Gabriel Kensington. And soon after he met with Rosalyn Benson, a massacre and a kidnapping take place? Seems a little too coincidental.’