“That’s why he was calling me,” Joe said. “The car was stolen, and they were only able to identify him from fingerprints. When they ran them through the state’s criminal records system they found the warrant we had out on Chuck. He wanted to know about Chuck’s pals. Tanya and Declan Rooney.

“I told him we think Rooney was spotted up here yesterday,” Joe continued. “We need to see that security-camera footage from Publix. I’ll call the manager back today and lean on him.”

Vikki spoke up. “That’s why I freaked this morning, when we couldn’t reach you, Letty.”

“Sorry,” Letty said. She looked around the table. “Really. I am sorry. I gave Maya my phone so she could watch a cartoon. And the battery ran down. I didn’t mean to worry everybody.”

“We’re all gonna be on edge until this thing is over,” the FBI agent said. She handed her phone to Joe. “I think it’s time to take that photo of me with Maya. Don’t want Wingfield to start having second thoughts.”

Vikki went into the living room and sat beside Maya, who was lolling on the sofa cushions, softly singing to herself.

“Maya, Mr. Joe is going to take a picture of us together. Is that okay?”

“Okay,” the little girl agreed.

“Wait.” Letty took a hairbrush from her pocketbook and hurried to her niece’s side. “Let’s get rid of that bird’s nest in your hair.” She gently combed the child’s hair and clipped the sides with plastic barrettes that she fished out of the pocket of her shorts. She tugged at the hem of Maya’s pajama top so that it covered her exposed tummy. “We’ve got to get you some new clothes,” she said. “You’ve just about outgrown everything I packed for you.”

As Vikki posed the little girl on her lap, Letty felt another pang of guilt. Tanya would have died if she’d seen her daughter happily eating junky fast food in public, with uncombed hair and bare feet, dressed in her pajama top and a pair of shrunken leggings. She’d always taken such care with Maya’s appearance. “I can’t have her going around looking like some poor little street urchin,” she’d tell Letty, as an excuse for spending exorbitant amounts of money for a designer outfit her child would outgrow in three months. “And I won’t have Evan’s friends’ bitchy wives judging me and calling me white trash behind my back.”

Vikki stared straight ahead at the camera, unsmiling, while Maya kept watching television. Joe hovered a few feet away from the sofa, clicking the shutter. “Okay, I think I’ve got something we can use,” he said, handing the phone back to its owner.