“I’m here about a very specific threat,” the detective said.

Everyone’s eyebrows went up a notch.

“Does the name Cory Calder mean anything to anyone here?”

They exchanged looks, shook their heads. “It doesn’t ring a bell,” Gloria said.

“So you haven’t noticed a comment online, for example, from someone with that name? No emails from someone like that?”

Bob said, “There have been so many hateful comments online, yeah, he might be there, but you’re talking hundreds, God, thousands, of people who’ve put in their two cents’ worth about Jeremy’s trial. It’s the proverbial needle in a haystack.”

Duckworth nodded. “Sure, I get that.”

“What kind of threat is this?” Madeline asked.

“There was an incident. Someone got hurt. It was mistaken identity. I think Jeremy was the intended target.”

“What?” Gloria asked. “What happened?”

Duckworth said, “What’s important right now is your son’s safety. Where is he? When’s he coming back?”

“I don’t know,” Gloria said.

Duckworth was unable to conceal his sense of alarm. “What? You don’t know where he is?”

“It’s not like that,” Bob said. “He’s being protected.”

“Protected how?”

Madeline said, “We hired someone. It wasn’t safe for Jeremy here. We’re quite confident that he’s in good hands.”

“Where? With whom?”

Bob said, “We don’t know where. That was the whole idea. That his location be kept secret. Even we’re in the dark.”

“I hate it,” Gloria said. “Not knowing where my boy is. I can’t help thinking that letting him go with Mr. Weaver was a bad idea.”

“Wait,” Duckworth said. “Weaver? Cal Weaver?”

“That’s right,” Madeline Plimpton said. “Don’t tell me we’ve made a terrible mistake.”

He shook his head. “No, not at all. Cal’s a good man. I know him. If Jeremy’s with him, I’m sure he’s being well looked after.”

There was a collective sigh. “Well, thank God for that,” Madeline said.

“But I’d still like to know where they are. I need to tell Mr. Weaver what I’ve learned.”

Bob and Gloria shrugged. But Madeline’s lips went in and out, as though she were debating whether to reveal something.

“What is it?” Duckworth asked.

“I know where they are,” she said.

Bob’s eyes widened. Gloria said, “You knew and didn’t tell us?”

“For God’s sake, Gloria, the last person I wanted to tell was you,” Madeline said.

“Go to hell,” her niece snapped back.

Bob said, “Madeline, whatever you’ve been keeping from us, it’s got to be safe to tell the detective here. And I’ll make sure Gloria keeps a lid on things.”

“You talk about me like I’m a child,” Gloria said. She said to Duckworth, “They took away my phone.”

“And then you stole it back,” Bob said, “and gave it to Jeremy. Look how that turned out.”