“It won’t last forever, Kev. Amy is dealing with some heavy stuff right now. You both are.”

“To tell you the truth, I’m actually getting really worried about her. She’s becoming more and more withdrawn. She spends all her time either locked inside her room or down at the cemetery.”

“Tried talking to her?”

“Of course, but whenever I do, we just end up arguing. I only want to help her, you know? I’m her father. I want to be there for her. The problem is I haven’t the slightest clue what to say to an eighteen-year-old girl who’s just lost her mother.”

“Hey, if it’s any consolation—and I know it’s not—I’ve got a forty-five-year-old brother who’s just lost his wife, and I haven’t got a clue what to say to him either.”

Kevin managed a small smile. “Well, Jack, you’re doing a damn sight better than me.”

Jack reached across the table and put his hand on his brother’s arm. “Doubt that very much. But do you know what? I think I’ve just had an idea, something that might help.”

“Oh?”

“It’s a bit out of left field, but will you hear me out?”

“Right now, I’d consider anything.”

Jack gave a tense smile and reached for his keys. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

Two minutes later, Jack returned from his car clutching a manila folder. He dropped it in front of Kevin and sat back down.

Kevin studied the front cover. It was a case file—the emblem of the Oregon State Police was emblazoned at the top, and there was a file number scribbled in red at the bottom. Kevin didn’t recognize the number, but he did recognize the handwriting—it was Jack’s.

“Say hello to your new assignment,” Jack said.

Kevin’s eyebrows ticked up. “My new assignment?”

“Before you say anything more, just take a look.”

Confused, Kevin flipped the cover and started reading. It was the missing person case Jack had mentioned a moment ago. The file was two months old and wafer thin, containing only a half-dozen pages that for the most part consisted of interview transcripts and county search reports. From what Kevin could gather, the investigation had been coordinated from Portland, despite the fact that the disappearance had taken place in a small town a couple of hundred miles to the south. Straightforward enough, but it begged the obvious question: What did any of this have to do with him and Amy?

“I’m lost, Jack. Why are you trying to pawn off one of your cases?”