He shook his head to indicate the name didn’t register at all and his eyes crinkled with his apparent confusion. Deven sighed and dipped into her pocket for the picture. She unfolded the paper and slid it across the desk.

Paul’s frown deepened when he saw the image. “Where did you get this?”

“It was in my sister’s bedroom.”

“I don’t get it.” His eyes flickered between the picture and Deven as if she were the culprit. “Who is your sister again? Kennedy? I don’t remember you bringing her with you with your dad.”

“I didn’t. We don’t share the same dad so she wouldn’t have come. Does the name ring a bell at all? Maybe you met her at a bar or something?”

Again, Paul shook his head, this time slower. Deven could see the gears turning, clearly not making any type of correlation. “There’s not many people I would’ve given a picture to,” he said. “Hell, I don’t even remember giving this picture to anyone.”

“This is crazy.” An overwhelming cloud of anxiety began to settle and Deven stood to pace. None of it made sense. “Who took the picture?”

“I don’t remember who took this picture specifically. It was a couples’ trip so a group of us went to the mountains. Everyone was just snapping pictures.”

“And Kennedy wasn’t one of the friends?”

“No, she wasn’t. These were some friends from college. Just two other couples, me and Amber.”

Deven stood looking at the window but not seeing anything. Her thoughts were in shambles and causing a headache to brew. “Maybe one of them is friends with Kennedy,” she reasoned.

“Okay, that could explain the how. But why would they give a picture of me to her?”

“I don’t know.” Deven released a frustrated breath and massaged her temples. The budding ache in her head was now a full-blown hammering and it was causing her eyes to water. “Listen, something is not right. My sister is missing, or maybe dead, or—”

“Wait, your sister is dead?” Paul’s eyes grew round like saucers. “Oh my God, Deven. I’m so sorry.”

“No, listen Paul. I don’t think she is. I mean—I don’t know what’s going on but I’m not sure if she’s dead. There was a woman found who they say is her but . . .” Deven threw up her arms, completely spent of both energy and ideas. She felt like she was spinning in circles pleading for answers that weren’t there. She didn’t even realize Paul had crossed to stand with her until she felt his presence pepper goosebumps on her skin. Then his hands were on her shoulders, turning her body to face him. His smile was completely platonic, a direct contrast to the fuck me vibes Deven was savoring from his woodsy cologne that assaulted her nostrils. Lord, she was a complete mess.