“To make a documentary about her life. We told you that when Troy decided you were the best person to look for her.” Her voice was still bitter, the subtext demanding what I could possibly do to merit Troy’s confidence.

“I’m sure Ms. Ferring and August have been in Lawrence, as recently as last week, but I haven’t found any trace of them since. It looks as though Ms. McKinnon took them out with her to dig up a field in the middle of the night. Something troubled Ms. McKinnon, something important enough that she wanted August to film it. In the middle of filming, an SUV drove into their midst. I don’t know if they were chased away or captured.”

There was a longer pause, and then Hempel burst out, “I wondered why Emerald was in such a rush to go down there. Troy would have taken her as soon as he got back from Israel, I told her that. He’d make sure she traveled in comfort. She didn’t need to go off with some stranger who couldn’t look after her. But all she’d say was she had the urge to go now, that she wasn’t going to impose on Troy, make him drive all over the country when he had an important job to do.”

There was a history buried in the long comment, hurt feelings, perhaps injured pride that Emerald hadn’t confided in her, but I didn’t try to sort that out, just asked if the Hempels had a key to Ferring’s house. “Can you go in and see if you can find anything, a letter, an e-mail, from Doris McKinnon?”

Hempel was taken aback: What kind of person did I think she was, breaking into a neighbor’s house and going through her things?

“You’re the kind of person who would do a great deal if you feared for a friend’s life,” I said quietly. “And I’m afraid for Ms. Ferring’s life.”

That changed her attitude at once. If Emerald’s life were in danger . . . well, why hadn’t I said so? She’d call around to some of the other people in the neighborhood, see if they’d heard from her.

“Do it in person, okay? I don’t know who or what we’re dealing with, but they went up to Chicago and trashed August Veriden’s workplace and apartment, looking for something they think he has. For all I know, they may be tapping your phone, although I hope not. I’m going to leave a message on Troy’s office line, with a number you can send a text to if you learn anything.”

I was feeling panicky. Not good. I wanted to be in Chicago, to check on Emerald’s acquaintances myself, but I needed to stay here until I got some inkling of what Baggetto and Sea-2-Sea and Sheriff Gisborne were doing.