“I can’t shake the feeling that the kid is in danger. Or he was, which is why he left. And someone had to have helped him, because I don’t see how a middle-class white kid who doesn’t speak Spanish can disappear in Mexico.”

“If he’s the one calling the Grahams.” Except as she said it she realized that Ricky was the most logical caller. “I see what you mean.”

“This whole thing feels bigger than we prepared for, and until we know more about the initial investigation, we have to keep this internal. Those cops weren’t forthcoming yesterday, and neither the Young family nor Miranda King had a kind word about Detective Douglas.”

“Are you thinking that he’s somehow involved?” Lucy knew there were bad cops—she’d faced them. So had Nate. But they were few and far between, and her mind didn’t naturally migrate in that direction. She never wanted to believe that one of her colleagues was corrupt.

“I’m not saying anything. Just that we keep our theory to ourselves—until we can either prove or disprove that Ricky Albright is hiding out in Mexico.”

Detective Douglas kept Nate and Lucy waiting for more than thirty minutes, and by the time he called them into a conference room Nate was about to walk out.

Nate didn’t wait for Douglas to close the door before he said, “This is fucking bullshit, Detective.”

Douglas glared at him, heated. “I have other cases, all of which take precedent over a three-year-old homicide.”

“Multiple homicide,” Nate said. “We came here to talk to you yesterday and you were out. You assured us that you would be here at eleven this morning and yet wait until nearly noon to talk to us?”

Lucy decided to let Nate run without her interference. She was interested in how Douglas would respond. He was in his forties, a twenty-year veteran of the sheriff’s department. Maybe he didn’t like the FBI. Maybe he was just a jerk. Maybe he really had another important case.

Maybe he had screwed up the initial investigation and was trying to cover it up.

Or maybe he is corrupt.

Douglas clearly wanted to get in Nate’s face but bit back whatever he wanted to say and motioned for them to take a seat. “You have my undivided attention for ten minutes.”

Nate didn’t sit. He slapped the file folder down that had the information about the Albrights’ Escalade being dismantled in Mexico. “A private investigator found information about the Albrights’ vehicle, abandoned just over the border, chopped for parts. Did you follow up? This information wasn’t in the file you gave us yesterday.”

“Your tone is disrespectful, Agent Dunning.”

At first, Lucy thought Douglas was going to concede, but now he had his hackles up.