“Yes. Jesse saw two men, but there had to be at least a third accomplice in the Malibu. The men at the murder scene couldn’t have driven the car to the school and been in front of my house at the same time.”

“That’s what I figure,” Mancini agreed. “Two men may have been able to shuttle vehicles prior to the attack, but the timestamp on the CCTV footage, the time Jesse places the killing, and the distance to the school demand a third person. Cory has come to the same conclusion.”

“Has he concluded they’re all within his agency?”

“If he has, he’s keeping a tight lip. But I’d expect nothing less. Give me your email address, and you’ll have the photos by the end of the day.”

Ethel thanked him and said goodbye.

Jesse took a deep breath. “Do you think whoever broke in found the hard drive in Davie’s room?”

“No. I think they were looking for that KryptoFold device or the scrap of paper you found. They might have done a cursory search of Davie’s room, but the odds are they saw that LEGO construction as a solid toy.”

“Shouldn’t we tell Director Bradshaw about it?”

“Probably.” She gave him a conspiratorial smile. “But we don’t know what we’ve found, do we? Let’s determine that first so we don’t waste Cory’s valuable time.”

He grinned. “Cousin Ethel, your consideration of others is truly awe-inspiring.”

It was midafternoon when they pulled into Ethel’s driveway. To their surprise, Lisa’s and Douglas’s cars were both parked on the street.

“What do we tell them?” Jesse asked.

Ethel opened the driver’s door and got out. She turned back to Jesse who remained in his seat. “That we went to Richmond after our walk. I wanted to check on the Finch family. The first rule of undercover work is to stay as close to the truth as possible. Now you’ll tell them you’re tired and going up to rest. How long will it take you to re-create Jonathan’s computer?”

“It depends upon how much data needs to be transferred. It could be an hour or two.”

“Fine. Stay in your room until you have something to show me. Also, charge Pete’s phone, and I’ll get it from you later.”

Jesse followed her through the back door and took the rear stairs. As he walked down the hall, Douglas and Lisa emerged from their rooms as if they’d been waiting for him. Their casual clothes indicated they both had the afternoon off.

Douglas eyed the backpack. “You okay? The note said you and Ethel went for a morning walk.” He looked at Lisa. “We were afraid you’d developed some complication and had gone to the emergency room.”