"But Leslie did have it," Marisa said. "And considering all the updates Leslie had done on her house, Richard probably figured he'd hit pay dirt. Her business was successful, but that successful?"

"Right. But she only had the G&K money."

Only the G&K money? It was millions. "Surely that was more than what Charles had in his account."

"Right," Nate said. "But wouldn't Richard consider Charles's money his?"

Marisa remembered the man's words from their phone call two days earlier. Nobody's going to get hurt if I get my money, he'd said. My money.

"This isn't just about money," Marisa said. "It's about getting what he believes he deserves."

"Exactly. Which is why he was willing to consider taking proof of who stole it instead of the money itself. For him, in his weird way, this is about justice."

Marisa couldn't help an angry chuckle. "Because there's justice in kidnapping a four-year-old. In..."

Nate rested his hand on her knee, and she stopped before she said too much. Nate was probably right. There was no need to tell Jessica about Leslie's murder.

Jessica looked between them, eyes narrowed. "The thing is, he was good to Hunter. He really seemed to care about him. He hung around, coached soccer, spent time with him. He was like..."

After a moment, Nate said gently, "Like a brother?"

"Oh." She sighed. "Yeah. Just like a brother."

Nate scribbled something in his notebook. "He found you to feel you out, see if you had the money. He stayed because he cares about Hunter."

"I guess," Jessica said.

"Okay. Good. Now we just need confirmation. Do you have the guy's phone number?"

Her eyes widened. "I do, but—"

"If we can confirm who he is, that would make all the difference. Can you call, just make up a story?"

She looked between them. "Like what?"

Marisa reached across the table and took Jessica's hand. "I know it's scary. But if we're right, this could mean the difference between finding Ana or never knowing what happened to her."

"Of course, I understand." Jessica turned to Nate. "But what should I say?"

Marisa pulled her hand back. "Are he and Hunter close?"

Jessica focused on her. "Very."

Marisa swallowed the rising excitement. "Does Hunter ever call him?"

"Yes. I'll have to tell him not to."

"You should, yes. But maybe... Could you call to tell him Hunter is sick? Or maybe to cancel something they'd planned?"

"They have no plans."

"Wait." Nate scrunched up his eyes again. "How much does he care about Hunter?"

"A lot. I think. And maybe more than I realize, because of the brother thing."