Milo shrugged. “She’s a good person. Like most good people, she gets frustrated when there are mistakes. Claims that she doesn’t know how they happened, that she knows how to do the work.”

“Is she dependable?” A.L. asked.

Milo shrugged. “Sure. I mean, she’s here every day. Not really a morning person but she stays late and that helps us because we don’t have much traffic on our lots until midafternoon usually.”

Rena shifted in her seat. “What time does her workday start?”

“I think she’s here most days by 9:30 or 10:00. I’m not a clock watcher. I wouldn’t want to work for one and I figure most other folks feel the same way. We don’t have a time clock or anything like that. People get paid for forty hours. I’m confident that they’re going to put the time in.”

“Of course,” Rena said. “But do you happen to recall what time she arrived for work yesterday?”

“I don’t but I suspect Portia knows. She works the service desk and everybody has to walk past her. Want me to call her and ask?”

“That would be helpful,” A.L. said.

Milo picked up his phone and they listened in to his side of the conversation. When he hung up, he said, “Portia said it was about 10:00.”

“Are you and Elaine friends outside of work?” Rena asked.

Milo looked at A.L. “I think Susie might have something to say about that.” He turned toward Rena. “My wife of forty-three years.”

“I suspect she would,” A.L. said. “But any feel for how Elaine spends her time outside of work?”

“Well, I don’t think she bowls. She’s always teasing me about that. I guess she spends a lot of time with her family. And a couple times a year, she takes a week off and goes to Vegas.”

“She likes to gamble?” A.L. asked, his voice the same tone as if he was asking if she liked chocolate chip cookies.

“Blackjack is her game. From what I’ve heard, she’s pretty good.”

“Lucky, then,” A.L. said.

“Yeah, well, I hope her luck holds out and they find that little girl.”

“We do, too,” A.L. said. He stood up and Rena followed suit. “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate you keeping our visit here just between us.”

“No problem. Always happy to help Baywood’s finest. Tell your dad I bowled a 259 the other night.”

Rena waited until they were in the car before speaking. “I specifically asked Elaine Broadstreet what she did after she dropped Emma off at the day care. She said she went to work. If she was at the day care by 7:30 and it’s a fifteen-minute drive from there to here, there’s more than two hours of time that is unaccounted for.”