“I don’t know, Sarge. This day and age, people are always thinking three steps ahead. And like Robinson said, he’s a friend of the Montclairs.”

“You’re right. So. What do you suggest we do?”

“First, we put Sutton Montclair in the missing persons database, let the MP detectives see what they can find on her. Check her passport, bank accounts, tear apart their lives a little bit. I want to find out more about the online situation with the reviewer. Stalkers have hurt people before.”

Moreno looked over at her. “You think she was telling the truth that her account was hacked?”

“No idea. But it’s worth a look. Might explain where she went, or if she was in danger, where she’s been taken.”

“What’s your gut say? Do you think she’s missing, or that she’s being held against her will somewhere, or she got sick of the pretty boy and her pretty life and hoofed it?”

“Too early to make a proper assessment, sir. Like I said, something doesn’t jibe. I’d like to know more, about them both, before I make any decisions about what might or might not have happened.”

“It’s probably just a domestic gone wrong. She’s tired of the fighting and takes off. Might even have a piece on the side who helped. It’s been known to happen.”

Holly tapped her pen against her teeth. “I don’t know, Sarge. Not to play devil’s advocate, but if she’d really left him, why would he talk to a lawyer and bring us in? He knows we’ll be digging into everything. He knows any investigation on our part will draw attention. Is he doing it for personal gain, wanting his fifteen minutes in the spotlight? Did he hurt her, but he’s clever and wants to look innocent? I don’t know, but toward the end I got the sense that he was truly distraught and feared for her life.

“Sutton Montclair may not want to be found, she may have wandered off, may have hurt herself, or she may have been kidnapped. We don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle, but I don’t think he killed her, either. It felt like he really was worried for her.”

“But?”

“He didn’t tell us everything. I think we should keep looking at him, hard. Find out what he’s holding back. The friend seemed pretty concerned. If he’d kept the friends out of the loop, I’d lean more toward he hurt her, but that he was worried enough to call in someone who was close to his wife tells me there’s something here. I can’t help coming back to the idea that if he did something and didn’t want to get caught, why would he put himself under such scrutiny? I mean, I know it’s the way psychopaths operate, for the thrill of it all, but he didn’t strike me as a psychopath. Only a man looking for answers.”

Moreno took the toothpick out of his mouth, wrapped it in a napkin, and stashed it inside his empty Starbucks cup. Stared out the windshield some more. Holly knew he was a thinker; she’d grown accustomed to his silences while they worked.