Gloria took my hand and squeezed hard. “She don’t need that. Talking to someone who shrinks heads. She’s doing just fine. Talks to me plenty.”

“Sorry. I wasn’t clear. We’d like her help to get additional information from Maisy about this Carl individual. She’s phenomenal with children. She really is. I thought Maisy’d be more receptive talking to a woman.”

“Oh. Oh, in that case.”

Then he got up and went outside. I walked behind him, but when the screen went back, I didn’t push it open again. I watched him go down the steps and talk to a lady in a brown skirt. She kept nodding, and she had a big envelope in her hands. That was the lady who was going to do something to my head. I pressed my cheek onto the paint. The door didn’t feel happy, happy. Even in the sunlight it was cold as an icicle.

Telly’s truck drove down the driveway. It was a tight squeeze with the other cars. He jumped out before he was even stopped. Or that was what it looked like.

The man put up his finger to the lady, and went right over to Telly. “Mr. Janes?”

“Yep.” His hair was wet. I didn’t see any bags of his clothes like Gloria said. Maybe they were in the back.

“I spoke with your wife already about last night’s search, but…”

“Go on.”

“I didn’t want to alarm her, but there were signs of a struggle under the bridge.”

“What do you mean?”

“Things smashed. Scattered. Garbage strewn about.”

“That could be anything. Kids messing around. Animals, even. Or maybe that, that man didn’t keep things clean.”

“Perhaps,” he said. He smoothed his tie. “There were also two individuals there when we arrived. But we weren’t able to talk to them.”

“Two individuals? What do you mean? Why not?”

“They vacated the premises as we approached. My officers gave chase but weren’t able to locate them.”

“Rowan? And that bum?”

“At this point we can’t say for sure, but we believe one was a female. Based on the voice.”

“So he’s with a woman now?” Telly rubbed at his eyes. “We know that, right?”

“A female was in the vicinity. But she could have been with this Carl person. Or possibly it’s just two people in an unrelated circumstance.”

“Then why’d they run?”

“We’re trying to locate them. To get an answer to that question.”

Telly blew out air. “I can’t believe I didn’t go out there. Didn’t go to the old bridge. I could’ve found him.”

The man put his hand on Telly’s shoulder. “We’ll continue doing everything we can.”

“Thanks, Detective. Thank you.”