Charlie shuffled the contents of the file in his lap. His father joined the Marines at the end of the Vietnam War but wasn’t drafted. He volunteered . . . and Charlie never asked him why. Maybe like Noble Benedict he felt a sense of duty? Obligation?

“What else do we have on Sydney’s background?”

The question returned Charlie’s focus. “Her parents and teachers paint her as the all-American kid—no pun intended. Honor student. Was accepted to Anderson University on a partial scholarship. Volunteered locally. No history of drug or alcohol abuse. Not allowed to date—”

“No boyfriend?”

“No, sir. Not according to her father.”

Sheriff Huggins drummed his fingers on the desk but said nothing more.

“Best friends are Jolene Carson and Annabeth Mendoza—”

“Jolene Carson is the one Sydney was supposed to spend the weekend with, right?”

“Yes, sir. They’ve been friends since kindergarten.” Charlie flipped through his notes. “Jolene Carson is coming in shortly. Deputy Wilson spoke with Annabeth Mendoza yesterday.”

“Any other friends?”

“I had Deputy Wilson talk with the principal at the school, along with Sydney’s teachers, to see if there’s anyone else we should interview. We got a few names. Deputy Wilson’s going through that list now.”

“Based on what you just told me, does she seem like the kind of girl who would have a private Facebook account?”

“No, but maybe she was hiding something else.” Charlie thought about his meeting with Annika Benedict. That reminded him. “Sir, we’ve checked all the evidence and Sydney’s cell phone was not recovered at the scene.”

“Teenagers, especially girls, don’t leave home without their phones, do they, Lynch?”

“No, sir. Her parents gave me a description and the serial number, but if the phone is turned off or dead it will be impossible to track.”

“Contact their provider. They might be able to tell us the last location picked up by satellite.”

“Yes, sir.” Charlie flexed his jaw at the oversight. Why hadn’t he thought of that? How many times had they found terrorists hiding in holes because of the cyber crumb trail they left behind?

“And you’re making good use of Agent Padello?”

“Yes, sir.” Charlie appreciated Sheriff Huggins’s humility and willingness to reach out for help. Even if it meant reaching out to another agency. Far too many times Charlie had seen pride destroy lives because one alpha team had to outdo another alpha team, only to have the enemy humble everyone with an overlooked IED. “The FBI agent has been working with Frost on Sydney’s computer. We’re hoping we find something there.”

“Deputy Lynch.” Deputy Benningfield knocked on the doorframe of Sheriff Huggins’s office. “You have a visitor. Lane Kent.”

“Thank you.” A zing zipped through Charlie’s heart before his gaze landed on the sheriff. Gray eyes held concern. “She’s probably here for her memory card. Deputy Frost is finished with it.”

“Go take care of it.”