All confirmed he was a quiet kid, a good student who was well liked. But they couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right at home. He never had bruises, but he was out sick a lot. Several times he arrived at school not feeling well. They could never coax any information out of him to warrant any further investigation into his mother.

As far as locating Gabrielle’s doctors, Gavin found only one. He confirmed he was not treating Gabrielle for cancer, but the last time he’d seen her was more than a year ago. A lot can happen in that timeframe.

Right now, there were a few other loose ends Gavin needed to tie up. Never jump to a conclusion in a case: Gavin had learned that lesson the hard way. He also knew not to discount wealthy parents who want to get involved in their child’s investigation. It wasn’t a matter of if the Morgans would get involved, but simply when.

They could call the shots. And, evidently, they were about to take advantage of that fact. They had no love for their second son-in-law and in a phone call this morning they had made it clear that they wanted the police to investigate him. Gavin was curious about what caused the Morgans’ sudden decision. As far as he could see they suspected their daughter was behind all this. But this morning, they had changed their minds, and they gave no explanation for that.

Perry Logan, Gabrielle’s ex-husband, the man of the hour, was hard to track down. Gavin finally found him living in a run-down apartment in the Allentown area of Buffalo, a trendy and artistic district where housing prices come at a premium for those who wanted to be part of the culture. Property value in the entire city was skyrocketing due to a rebirth as the city exploded into prosperity with its quickly forming medical campus corridor. Every day it seemed several high-rise buildings, expensive lofts, and hotels were being built. But as with any tired city experiencing an awakening, some places are still sleeping, and will never come to life. The place Gavin was about to enter was one of them.

“This eyesore is sitting on prime real estate. I don’t know why they don’t sell it so someone can tear it down and build something else.” Warren looked around. “Anything else.”

“Beats me. Slum lording must be pretty lucrative,” Gavin said.

“How did Perry react when you told him about Gabrielle?”

“The same way all ex-husbands react. Indifferent.”

As they walked through the hallway, deeper into the dark, depressed building, the scent grabbed Gavin, making him wince. Urine, mold and mildew mixed with marijuana. Lovely.

“Which one are we going to?” Warren asked.

“Number 336.”

Warren glanced around the hallway, then traveled down it about twenty feet, peering around a corner at the end. “Dammit, there’s no elevator,” he said, irritated.