“We’ve still got a missing child.”

Wilson belched into Darren’s ear. “I don’t follow. Steve Quinn told me the feds were moving on an arrest in that case, one of the old-timers in Hopetown.”

“I believe the boy is alive, sir, and I need to get an assist from the game warden to get an escort out on the water.”

“Water?”

“He’s on the lake, sir. He’s on an island out there, I’m almost certain of it. An island that’s connected to the history of Hopetown. I believe the old man was holding him as leverage to get Rosemary King to change the terms of the sale.”

“Mathews, you sure about this—”

“I found a snake pit out here. Thieves and liars. And I think Leroy Page has some misguided idea about how to make things right, and he took the boy. And there’s a woman involved, a woman who’s gone missing, a lawyer working on the sale, and I think Rosemary King had something to do with that.”

“Son,” Wilson said. It was rare he didn’t call him Ranger, though Darren often slipped through, given how close Fred Wilson and William Mathews had been when they served in the department together. The son here came out tender as a caress, the kind usually followed in these parts with the soft insult of Bless your heart. But Wilson was actually trying to communicate something that Darren hadn’t expected: trust. “I don’t have feet on the ground and can’t really wrap my mind around all this, but Darren, if you’re telling me you think there’s a kid alive out there somewhere, I ain’t gon’ do a damn thing to stop you from looking. But I can promise you ain’t gon’ get a lick of help from Marion County. You give me an hour or two to make a few calls, I’ll see which one of our regional offices has access to a boat we can get to you.”

“We don’t have time. It’s been almost six days.”

“You think he’s in danger?”

“Strange enough, I think Leroy’s been feeding him, taking care of a kid he openly admitted he couldn’t stand.” It was Leroy who was in danger of going to prison if someone didn’t get this kid before he actually died out there, now that his grandfather’s old fishing buddy wasn’t around to bring him food and water. Darren said, “It’s just time he came home,” and left it at that.

“Do what you have to. I back you one hundred percent.”