Lyle stopped short of Max to look out at the lake, and then up into the trees, before saying, “This sure is a slice of heaven you got here.” Even in that compliment, Max could hear sadness.

“You okay?”

Lyle seemed confused and said, “You haven’t heard.”

“Heard what?”

Lyle looked at the bench as though asking for permission to sit. Max gave a nod, and Lyle sat, resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands together, his fingers trembling slightly. “You met my daughter, Sandy, remember?”

“Yeah, outside the store. Had your grandson with her… Pip, right?”

“They’re missing.”

Max leaned forward, matching Lyle’s posture. “Missing?”

“Three days ago, her boyfriend came home from work and she was gone—Pip too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It ain’t like that, Max. Something’s wrong. She wouldn’t do that—not in a million years. You don’t just up and leave when you got no cause for it.”

Indulging an old habit, Max began to shuffle through the possible explanations: ran away, kidnapped, taking a break from the boyfriend. “What about her stuff, clothing and the like?”

Lyle paused before answering. “Her clothes were gone,” he said finally. “Her clothes and Pip’s clothes were gone.”

“What about other things… medications, makeup?”

“Gone. I know what you’re thinking, Max, but it ain’t so. She didn’t run off. I know my daughter.”

“What about the boyfriend?”

“His name is David Haas. They’ve been together about a year now. A stand-up guy by all accounts.”

“And she lives with him?”

“More like he lives with her. Sandy’s ex-husband, this piece of shit named Reed Harris, destroyed her credit rating, so after the divorce, she couldn’t get a loan to buy a tent. My wife and I gave her our place to live and we moved into an apartment. Then after I lost the election… well, I didn’t see any reason to stick around where I wasn’t wanted. We’re up in Ely now.”

Max found he had a hundred questions, but asking those questions might pull him into Lyle’s situation, which was probably the reason for Lyle’s visit in the first place. Max decided to pull back. “I assume you reported this to the new sheriff?”

“The man has no business wearing my badge. He says she ran off and that’s all there is to it. But that’s not what happened. I know it in my gut. That’s why…”

“That’s why you came here,” Max said. He took a slow drink of his coffee, and considered the gentlest way to turn Lyle down.

“I know how it sounds, but I also know my daughter. That’s the thing. I know with all my heart that something bad happened. Tell you the truth, Max, I’m scared. It’s been three days and we ain’t heard a word. It’s not like her. Even if she did run off, she’d have called.” For the first time since he took his seat, Lyle looked at Max, his features already thinner than Max remembered. “Max, I need your help.”