“Anything,” Lucy said. “I was the youngest of seven kids, and no one told me anything, but I was a good listener. I picked up on a lot of stuff going on in my house, like when my sister broke curfew or when my dad decided to retire, long before anyone else knew he planned on retiring. Because I listened and was very quiet. And I told my best friend Justin everything, especially when I was worried about something—like my dad retiring—I would talk to him about it first. You and Ricky were best friends, right?”

“Yes,” Joe said. “Since first grade. The three of us. The Three Musketeers. I miss him a lot. We both do.”

Ginny nodded her agreement.

“Did Ricky share anything with you that he might have been worried about?”

They still didn’t say anything.

“You’re not going to get him or anyone in trouble. I promise. But someone hurt his family, and we want to find that person.” Or people. “Anything Ricky shared with you is important, because part of a police investigation is gathering information, as much information as possible, to piece together the truth.”

Joe and Ginny exchanged looks, then Joe said, “He thought his parents might be getting a divorce. He saw his mom crying a couple of times. It really bothered him.”

“I can see how that would upset him.”

Lucy waited, to see what else came to mind.

“His dad yelled at him a week before,” Joe added. “And Mr. Albright never yells at anyone, even when we deserve it.”

“Do you know what that was about?”

He shook his head. “I don’t even think Ricky knew, he said that his dad yelled more now than he ever had in his life, even when Tori hit the mailbox because she was texting as she backed out of the driveway, and Mr. Albright was real mad about that and took her phone away and she couldn’t drive for a month. But Ricky thought his dad was mad at his mom, and he thought his mom was going to leave, and it really scared him. He didn’t want to make a choice about who to live with.”

Ginny said, “It wasn’t fair. And they don’t talk. Didn’t talk. You know, like our mom and dad tell us almost everything and we can always ask questions and stuff, but Ricky never liked to ask questions about anything because he said his parents would not really answer him, just say, ‘Oh, it’s fine,’ or whatever. You know?”

Very smart observations from two young kids, Lucy thought. It reminded her that kids picked up on a lot more than adults gave them credit for.

“Did Ricky mention that they were going on a trip or anything? Or maybe that his mother was planning a trip?”