The phone sat in the middle of the table like a centerpiece. They talked about nothing in particular. Keeping it light. Certainly not the call they were all waiting on. For his part, Gibson kept up the pretense that he felt confident about his plan.

The contents of the message to Grace Lombard had been relatively simple. First was the photograph of Suzanne and her backpack at the kitchen table that Billy had taken all those years ago. Gibson remembered how he’d reacted to it the first time he saw it back at ACG and knew it would knock the wind out of Grace. They also included photos of Suzanne’s book. The only thing they held back was the picture of Suzanne pregnant. It was his hole card, and Gibson planned to show it to Grace in person.

The final piece was a short video recording of Gibson sitting at the table with the baseball cap in front of him. Jenn had been against it. She’d wanted to send a simple letter, but he said it was the only way. She would need to see his face if they wanted any chance of a meeting.

In the video, he spoke directly to Grace.

“Hi, Mrs. Lombard, this is Gibson Vaughn. It’s been a long time, but I hope you’re well. You made the best sandwich I ever ate. I miss the old days at Pamsrest, and I hope the place is still standing,” he said, pausing as he shifted gears. “Mrs. L., I know this is a strange way to approach you, but I believe you’ll come to see that these are extraordinary circumstances. I’ve learned something about Suzanne, about Bear, that you need to hear. In person. I’ve included photographs that I believe prove the truth of what I have to say. I don’t want anything. Only the opportunity to speak to you, and you alone. To tell you the truth.

“I’m going to ask you to keep this confidential until we have a chance to speak. Should you choose to involve your husband, then I guarantee that you will never know why your daughter left home or what happened to her. That may sound like a threat, but it is simply the truth.”

Hendricks had called the plan insane and tried to tear it apart. He was still taking potshots at it tonight.

“Hey,” Jenn said, “it’s our best shot.”

They’d been having variations of this argument since Greensboro. Hendricks, to say the least, had been skeptical right down the line.

“Yeah, but for all we know, she’ll take the message straight to her husband. I don’t care how well you knew her as a kid, Gibson. You really think she’s going to keep something like this secret from him?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s Grace, and this is about Suzanne.”