Miranda glanced at her notes. “No one in the family has heard from any of the Albrights, though on Christmas Day for the last three years the Grahams have received a hang-up call.”

“Why is that suspicious?”

“The first time, they were positive the caller was Denise. The caller didn’t say anything but didn’t hang up right away, and Betty said all the right things—that no matter what happened, they could come home and she’d help them. Then there was a sob and the caller hung up. The next two years, same thing, just silence. She gave the information to the sheriff’s department, but they either didn’t do anything with it or didn’t tell her. She gave me access to her phone records. The number was partly blocked, but it was an international number—Mexico. Rico and Sam—my daughter-in-law—traced it to Tamaulipas, but that’s a big state. We sent photos to the authorities down there but haven’t heard anything.” Miranda looked from Nate to Lucy. “It was Ricky, wasn’t it? He made the call.”

“We don’t know,” Lucy said, “but his remains weren’t found with his family. And if he did witness his family’s murder, why didn’t he come forward?”

“In my experience, fear is the most powerful emotion. And if he was scared enough, he might have had it in him to disappear. But I agree—it’s highly unusual. I’m just telling you what I know to be facts. I don’t have the answers.”

“If you would please contact the Grahams and tell them to give the Christmas Day caller my name and cell phone number and tell him that I want to solve his family’s murder and help him to come home.” Christmas was still six weeks away, but if they didn’t solve this crime—and right now they had so little to go on—she wanted Ricky to come home. And if he knew anything about his parents’ murders, he was safer if he shared with them rather than being on the run.

“I’ll let them decide,” Miranda said. “But what if he did witness the murders? What if he was threatened? A kid living with that fear for three years might not be willing to come forward.”

“We’ll do everything in our power to protect him,” Lucy said.

“Even if we have to go down to Mexico and pick him up ourselves,” Nate added.

Nate was quiet driving to Kerr County, and finally Lucy called him on it.

“Don’t tell Douglas and Chavez about our suspicion that Ricky is in hiding.”

“You’re going to have to elaborate, Nate. I trust your instincts, but there must be a reason.”