Instead of answering, Milo said, “So your brother and Ms. Fredd hung out in high school?”

Nod. “And during the plane ride, I remembered something else. One time, when she was at our house, my dad made a comment to Mom about her being troubled, it was good she was aiming for wholesome activities. You didn’t say if the project was one of Desi’s.”

“It doesn’t appear that way, ma’am. This was what you’d call a super-mansion.”

“Then for sure it wouldn’t be Desi’s.”

“Not into that kind of thing.”

“He would’ve considered it grotesque. But if he wasn’t working on it, why would he be there?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out, Ms. Flatt. This hiking group Desi and Doreen had, how many people are we talking about?”

“Just a few other kids, I really wasn’t paying attention.”

“And to your knowledge Desi and Doreen weren’t romantically involved.”

“I thought about that,” said Ricki Flatt. “Maybe, I really can’t say. Desi had so many girls who liked him. They were always calling him. Dad used to joke he needed a personal secretary.”

“Do you have any knowledge of his other recent girlfriends?”

Head shake. “Sorry, I wasn’t involved in my brother’s personal life back then and that didn’t change after we grew up.”

“Did you know that Doreen lived in a group home not far from your house?”

“No, but you must mean Hope Lodge. That place was the talk of the neighborhood. My friends joked about it, called it ‘Ho Lodge’ because the girls were wild. I’m not saying they were, but you know how kids talk. That’s probably why my dad said she had problems.”

“Was he worried about her being a bad influence on Desi?”

Ricki Flatt smiled. “My parents made a big thing about Desi and me developing our own sense of right and wrong. But even if they had tried to rein Desi in, it wouldn’t have worked. My brother did exactly as he pleased.”

Milo said, “Did Desi’s strong will lead to any—I have to ask this—iffy behavior?”

“What do you mean?”

“Anything out of the ordinary.”

“If you consider leaving home after high school and hitting the road for ten years out of the ordinary, sure.”

“Ten years,” said Milo.

“Ten lost years,” said Ricki Flatt. “Basically Desi disappeared. Once in a while we’d get postcards.”

“From where?”

“All over the country. National parks, that kind of thing.”

“Not overseas?”

“No.”

“What did Desi do to support himself?”

“He said odd jobs, temporary stuff that gave him time to explore nature, figure life out.”

“Postcards,” said Milo. “No visits back home?”