“I don’t like her home life. She’s married to a loser. He’s done time in County for drug offenses. I’m not sure he has a regular job. Probably why she’s willing to do this. She needs the money.”

“But she’s not using?” A.L. said.

“Oh no. That’s all been verified. She’s clean. Healthy. Eager to do this.”

“But you still don’t like it?”

“No. But Gabe thinks I’m being ridiculous. He knows her. He trusts her. And it makes him mad that all that isn’t enough for me.”

“Stressful situation,” A.L. said. “You both probably need to cut each other some slack.”

“We’re running out of time. This happens in less than three weeks.”

“So that gives you a little time to get your head around it,” A.L. said.

“I hope so. Because if I back out of this now, after everything we’ve gone through, I don’t think Gabe will forgive me.” She pushed her chair away from her desk. “Let’s go. We need to figure out where the hell Emma is.”

They found Claire Potter at her apartment. She was up and dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt. She was an attractive black woman in her late thirties who straightened her shoulder-length hair and wore an excessive amount of bracelets that clinked together whenever she moved her arms. She was also almost six feet tall. All that told Rena that even though their names sounded a bit alike, it wasn’t likely that Elaine had gotten Claire and Kara mixed up.

“Can you tell us about your day yesterday?” A.L. asked.

They were sitting in Claire’s small living room. She’d offered them herbal tea but they’d both turned her down. She sat across from them, her long legs folded under her body, a cup in her hands. “It was a good day. Like most days. The kids are great. For the most part,” she said with a smile. “I’m worried about what the parents are doing for day care today. Of course, I understand that we couldn’t open. Hard to do that with police tape around the building.”

“How long have you worked there?” A.L. asked.

“Almost two years. That’s when I moved to Baywood. My son was starting high school and I wanted him to go to a better school.”

“Are you married, Claire?” Rena asked.

“Divorced. Six years.”

“Then it’s just you and your son who live in this apartment.”

“Me, my son and two very ugly turtles.”

Rena smiled. “What’s your relationship with Kara Wiese?”