“Do you have patient parking here, Dr. Crane?” Vince asked.

“I have three spots behind the building. If those are full, they have to use public parking.”

“It’s all right if we take a look back there,” Vince said. “There’s a back door, right?”

“Yes. I’ll show you.”

He led them down a hall and out a door into the shadowed alley behind the building. Vince took it all in—the surrounding buildings, the lack of activity. The building directly next door had a large FOR LEASE sign up on the wall. JAMESON REAL ESTATE with the phone number of the agency and a photo of a pretty, smiling agent inviting interested parties to call.

Two of the three parking slots marked for Peter Crane, DDS, were taken. One by a sleek, dark blue Jaguar sedan, and one by a white Toyota Celica.

“I couldn’t tell you if Miss Vickers parked back here or not,” Crane said. “Ava might know.”

“Are there any surveillance cameras back here?” Vince asked, scanning the buildings across the alley.

“I don’t know. I don’t have one.”

The door to the office opened and the all-knowing Ava leaned out.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “But Miss Navarre called, Dr. Crane. There was some kind incident at school. She asked if you could please come pick Tommy up.”

“Incident?” Crane repeated. “What now?”

“She didn’t elaborate.”

Crane sighed. “I’m sorry, guys. I’ve got to go.”

“By all means,” Vince said. “Family first.”

Ava held the doctor’s car keys out to him, but looked to Vince and Mendez. “Our hygienist, Robin, will be in tomorrow. She did Miss Vickers’s cleaning.”

“Just for the record, Dr. Crane,” Mendez said. “Where were you last Thursday night?”

“Home with my family. Call me if you have any more questions,” Crane said, going to the Jag. “But I honestly don’t think I’ll be of much help. I’m sure I’m not the last person who saw Karly Vickers that day.”

“Why do you say that?” Vince asked.

“Because the last person to see her that day must have been the person who took her, and I know that wasn’t me.”

He opened the car door but stopped short of getting in. “Is there a search going on?”

“Not yet,” Mendez said.

Crane’s brow furrowed. “Shouldn’t there be? One woman is dead. One woman is missing. It would be terrible if she ended up dead too just because no one was looking for her.”

“We’re looking for her,” Mendez said. “You have my card if you think of anything.”