“Well, I have dialysis three mornings a week,” Perry said. “Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That starts at 9:00 but I’m always there by 8:30. Takes about four hours. So I’m there until about 1:00.”

“Where does this occur?” Rena asked.

“There’s a dialysis center about four blocks from our house. Broadhurst Pavilion.”

Pavilion. What a nice word for a place where they stuck needles into you and cleaned out your kidneys. “Thank you, Perry,” Rena said. “After 1:00, what did you do?”

“I always come home and take a nap. Then I watch a little television. That’s what I was doing when Troy called.”

“And your day, LuAnn?” Rena asked.

“I got up about 7:00 and walked the dog. Then I showered and drove to work. Our store opens at 9:00. I was there until 2:00. Then I drove home. Oh, wait. I think I stopped at the store on my way home. Yes, that’s right. I needed ketchup for the meat loaf I was making.” She paused. “I guess that was a waste. Neither one of us ate a bite of dinner that night. I threw the meat loaf away.”

“So you were at home when Troy called?” A.L. asked.

“Yes. Watching television with Perry. It was just so unbelievable. It still is. And we feel so helpless here,” LuAnn said. “We just sit here and wait for the phone to ring.”

“I’m sure that’s difficult,” Rena said.

“We’ve been told that’s about all we can do,” Perry said. There was a hint of hurt in Perry’s tone.

“I’m sure that Leah and Troy are comforted by your support,” Rena said.

“We love that little Emma. She’s the sweetest thing. And the idea that she may be lost or hurt or...” Her voice caught in a sob.

“It’s okay, honey,” Perry said softly, clearly speaking to his wife. “I’ll do this.”

It hit Rena that Perry and LuAnn were supporting each other the way she and A.L. had expected that Troy and Leah would.

“Truth is, Detectives, we’re not as close to our son and daughter-in-law as others are to their children,” Perry said.

Leah had said that they were lovely people. “Why is that?” Rena asked.

“It would be convenient if we could blame our daughter-in-law. But that wouldn’t be true,” Perry said, finishing the thought. “We maybe said some things that we shouldn’t have said to Troy when he was considering buying Garage on Division.”

“We just weren’t confident that it was a good decision,” LuAnn said, evidently having composed herself enough to speak. “But there was no talking him out of it.”

“Why didn’t you think it was a good decision?” A.L. asked.