“It’s reasonable that the killer would know that DNA would prove the identities of the bones and then Victoria—who was Denise’s best friend—might expose them. Because of emotion. Because she thought her best friend had left the country because of something else … like a crime they both committed.”

“That’s stretching,” Sean said. “If they both committed a crime, why would Denise leave but not Victoria? Why would either of them leave unless they thought the law would catch up to them?”

“It’s a good question. Maybe Denise didn’t feel comfortable with what she was doing. Or tried to get out of a sticky situation. This is the most frustrating case I’ve investigated in a long time.”

“The embezzlement angle is very similar to Stan’s alleged embezzlement. What’s the odds that two friends embezzled from the companies they worked for?”

“Possible, I suppose. Yet … what if it’s a motive that wasn’t a real motive? A red herring, something for the cops to follow. With both Denise and Stan. It worked once, right? The police thought Denise absconded with funds. Do it again—after killing Victoria.”

“I think you should call in your boyfriend.”

“He said you can call him because you’re not FBI.”

“Not following— Oh, I get it. He doesn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

“Exactly.”

“All right, we’ll talk to him tonight, after we find out what Lucy learned at the bank.” Sean pulled into his garage and turned off his engine. “Now, time for research. But I’m starving, so food comes first.”

Chapter Twenty

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

Lucy and Nate arrived at the Youngs’ house only a few minutes past twelve fifteen that afternoon. Nate had gone a roundabout way to ensure they weren’t followed.

JJ Young opened the door before they knocked.

“Ginny has something she would like to tell you,” he said.

Lucy should have guessed that JJ would talk to his daughter, considering she’d given him the idea that Ginny, not Joe, knew what happened to Ricky.

They walked in behind JJ, and Ginny was sitting at the dining-room table, her hands clasped in front of her. Joe was nowhere to be seen, and Jill stood in the doorway, her hands on her large stomach and her expression concerned.

Ginny wasn’t crying, but her eyes were rimmed-red and she stared at her fingers. When her father cleared his throat she looked up and met his eyes. This was a strong girl, Lucy thought.

Nate sat across from Ginny and said, “Your dad says you have something to tell us.”

She took a deep breath. “Yes,” she said, looking him in the eye. Brave, as well as tough. Her voice was a squeak. She cleared her throat and said, “I know where Ricky is and I know why he left.”