“Just that the police were crawling up his dad’s ass...sorry,” he said, looking at Rena. “They talked to his dad a bunch of times because his dad worked at the day care that she disappeared from. Now that I think about it, I do remember one thing he said. That the police dug up his dad’s garden.”

“Did he think his father had anything to do with the disappearance?” A.L. asked.

“I don’t know. Christ. That’s not the kind of thing you ask your friend.”

“Did you ever think that either Coyote or his dad had anything to do with the disappearance?” Rena asked.

Now Chuck narrowed his eyes. “Detectives, you’ve got a lot of questions about something that happened ten years ago.”

A.L. closed the distance between him and Chuck. “Another five-year-old girl disappeared in very similar circumstances in Baywood this past Wednesday. We have an eyewitness who put Coyote Frogg in the vicinity the previous night.”

“Well, fuck me,” Chuck said. “Sorry,” he added, again in Rena’s direction. “I’ve been out of the country on business this past week, just got home late last night. I’m behind in my news. But now something makes sense. I got an email yesterday asking for a contribution. I only glanced at it but I did see that it came from a guy I know in Baywood. His bank and my investment company are owned by the same holding company. We cross-sell a few products.”

“What’s his name?” Rena asked.

“Steven Hanzel.”

“Are the two of you friends?” Rena asked.

“No. We have common friends. He’s...let’s just say, I’m a happily married guy and when I travel, I’m in my hotel room by 8:00, alone.”

“And he’s not.”

“That’s what people say. But I guess this shows that he’s an okay guy. I mean, he’s reaching out pretty broadly to raise money for a good cause.” He paused. “I just can’t get my head around the fact that the Coyote Frogg that I knew could have anything to do with a missing child. But believe me, if I had any information about him, I’d tell you. I got three kids. Anybody who hurts a child isn’t even human and I’d be the first person to step on them in the street.”

A.L. and Rena both handed Chuck a card. “Please call us if you remember anything else that might be helpful,” A.L. said.

Ten minutes later, Rena spread butter on her strawberry French toast. She loved places that served breakfast all day. A.L. had gone for the more traditional burger and fries for lunch.

A.L. drank his coffee.

“Ten years ago, Doug Franklin documented that Coyote Frogg was not in contact with his mother.”