In his hesitation, something must have shown on Ethan’s face, because Robinson waved a hand and said, “But I have fifteen minutes now. Tell me your troubles.”

Ethan gave a humorless laugh. “It seems my wife has left me. Here’s the note.”

Robinson read it, brow furrowed, then handed it back. “That’s too bad. I always thought the two of you were thick as thieves. Don’t worry yourself too much. With any luck, she’ll see the error of her ways and come home soon.”

“Here’s the issue, Joel. She’s left without her things. No wallet, no phone, no laptop. Fifty thousand is missing from our accounts. On the surface, this all looks standard, I know. But I have a bad feeling. Something’s wrong. She’s been very depressed and upset since our baby...since Dashiell died. My head says she left. My heart is concerned that she’s done something stupid.”

Robinson tapped his fingers on the desk, rhythmic, endless, processing.

“Suicide makes no sense. Why take money? If you’re planning to off yourself, why the cash?”

“Exactly. I agree. Problem is, none of her friends know where she is, and get this, they think I had something to do with her disappearance. They came by to confront me. I could tell by the way they were acting, they’re scared of me. They said if I didn’t call the police they’d do it for me. I don’t—”

A hairy white brow rose, and Robinson held up his hands. “Stop. I don’t want to know.”

“I didn’t—”

“Seriously. Stop. Right now.”

“No. Listen to me. I didn’t hurt my wife. But I think it’s time to call the police. Get out in front of this. Just in case.”

Robinson was shaking his head, eyes closed. “You’re screwed if you do. They will tear your lives apart.”

“I can’t sit around and do nothing. I’m worried about her.”

“Sit down.”

Ethan hesitated for two seconds, then sat.

“Here’s how this is going to go. If you call the police, they will immediately consider you a suspect. Every word you utter will be parsed. Say they find her living it up in Rio, all fine and dandy. But say something has happened to her. God forbid, I know, but if someone has harmed her—”

“God, no. Don’t even say it.”

Robinson sighed. “It’s a terrible thought, I know. But no matter the circumstance, you are going to be turned inside out. They will investigate you until warrants are coming out your ass, and if they find nothing, you’ll be convicted in the media regardless. You know how they love to spin things. Once word gets out on this, you can’t turn back. Have you tried looking for her?”

“Not really. I mean, I’ve been giving her space. She asked me not to look for her. I’m honoring that request.” He sounded prim, like a schoolmarm, and Robinson shook his head again.

“Come on, Ethan. Think. That’s a guilty man’s answer. The media will spin your hesitation into the story. They’ll claim you’ve been buying time, making sure your tracks are covered.”