Instead of answering, the woman’s gaze swung between the door and the three chairs in the room before she finally settled on grabbing one of the chairs and pushing it back into the farthest corner. That way, if someone opened the door, they wouldn’t spot her immediately.

It was a full minute before she visibly relaxed even a modicum, though her legs still bounced rapidly. Alyssa waited, though she felt impatience building. She had a trio of missing girls she needed to find before they met the same fate as Meghan Jessup.

‘I’m sorry. I know I must seem like a case to you.’ Red burned up her neck and into her cheeks. ‘I don’t even know where to start. And maybe I don’t…’

‘Why don’t you begin by telling me your name?’ Alyssa pushed off the door and dragged a chair over, angling it so that she was sitting close while still giving enough distance that the woman wasn’t boxed in.

The fingers went back to her teeth, and after a few seconds of gnawing at the quick, she dropped her hand back to her lap. ‘Lorna Price,’ she said, her neck twisted to the side as she kept her gaze trained on the door.

‘Lorna. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, tea, water?’ Expecting a simple yes or no, Alyssa was more than a little surprised when the woman leapt to her feet, forcing the chair she’d vacated to slam against the block wall.

‘No!’ Blinking rapidly, she lowered her voice. ‘I’m sorry. No, thank you. I’d rather you not leave me in here alone,’ she admitted.

‘Okay, no beverage.’

‘Listen, I’m afraid I may totally be wasting your time. I mean, what if I’m wrong or something?’

‘Why don’t you just start and let me be the judge of that? How does that sound?’ Alyssa turned her body just enough to make sure the red light on the digital camera mounted in the corner was on and recording the entire encounter. As soon as she saw that it was on, she informed the frightened woman in front of her. ‘Ms. Price, I need to let you know this conversation is being recorded.’

Lorna’s eyes widened, and her fingers returned to picking at the edges of the holes in her jeans. ‘What if what I tell you ends up being wrong information? Can you use that recording to send me to jail?’

If Alyssa wasn’t intrigued before, she definitely was now. At the same time, however, she needed to bring Beau Cambridge in, and she didn’t need this woman whiling away precious minutes. She forced herself to speak calmly. ‘Not if you’re disclosing information in a non-malicious manner.’ At the woman’s blank stare, she explained. ‘If you’re not purposely misleading the authorities with the information you’re providing, then no, it won’t be used to send you to jail.’

Instead of making her feel better, Alyssa’s reassurance seemed to have the opposite effect, as Lorna’s brows furrowed in confusion, and this time, Alyssa felt her patience begin to slide. ‘If what you’re about to tell me is told in good faith because of something you or someone close to you has witnessed, or if what you’re about to tell me involves something that has happened to you directly, then, no, you won’t be charged with making a false report. However, if your purpose is to mislead me for some reason, then yes.’