Jill said, “Rafi Medina. His parents divorced a few years ago and his mom moved to Austin. He lives there most of the time. This was about a year before the Albrights were killed. I still can’t believe they’ve been dead all this time and no one knew.”

As she said it that way, Lucy realized that whoever killed the Albrights never wanted their remains to come to light. They were buried in a remote location, and their bodies may never have been uncovered except for the flooding. Even then, to have the bones found by someone who knew what they were and then who called the proper authorities … and then Ash being able to trace them to their burial site. Several things had to happen before they’d been able to connect the bones to the Albrights.

“If we can trouble you for the Medinas’ contact information, if you still have it?” Lucy asked.

“I’ll get it. It’s in my phone.” Jill started to get up, but her husband waved her down. “It’s on the charger,” she told him.

“Anyone else you can think of?” Nate asked. “A relative? A teacher?”

“His grandparents live far away,” Joe said. “He has an aunt I think in Houston or Dallas or something. I met her once. She has a bunch of kids.”

JJ said as he came back to the dining room and handed his wife her phone, “I would have thought he’d come here, talk to me. I like that kid a lot, I think he knew it.”

“He did, Dad,” Ginny said. “He liked being here.”

“You said earlier, Mrs. Young, that Becky had babysat a few times. Did you know the girls well? Did they have any problems?”

“Like a problem that would get them killed?” Jill shook her head. “Nothing I can imagine. Tori was a bit boy crazy, and sometimes she drove that pickup truck like a bat out of hell. I talked to Denise about that once. Becky was a smart girl. Really smart. Mature. She was more responsible than her older sister. I’m so sorry this happened to them. I really hope you find Ricky—and he can live with us. We love him as if he were our own, and I can’t imagine … if he’s still alive … what he must have gone through.”

“Absolutely,” JJ concurred. “He has family, I’m sure, but he is always welcome here.”

If he’s still alive.

Lucy couldn’t imagine that a nine-year-old could survive on his own for three years.

Nate turned his phone to Lucy. He had two missed calls from Ash. Maybe that’s why her phone had been vibrating. Then a message:

Call me when you’re done.

She thanked the Young family and made sure they had their business cards. The kids, especially Ginny, eyed her with both suspicion and curiosity.