Everybody laughed, and Nate led the two women across the room. "Marisa, I want you to meet my good friends. He indicated the redhead and said, "This is Rae Thomas."

Marisa stepped forward and held out her hand, but the woman passed right by her outstretched hand and hugged her. "I'm glad to meet you, but I'm very sorry for what you're going through."

Marisa felt the tears again. She blinked them back as Reagan stepped away and said, "For a couple of hours, I thought I might lose my son. I cannot imagine what you're feeling right now."

Marisa didn't know what to say and probably couldn't have formed words anyway. She nodded. The other woman stepped forward and hugged her, too.

Behind her, Nate said, "And that's Samantha Messenger."

"I'm praying like crazy," Samantha whispered in her ear.

Marisa sniffed. "Thank you." They stepped apart. "Thank you for letting us stay here."

Sam flipped her hand. "It's nothing."

Marisa let out a short laugh that sounded as much like a sob. "I thought you were a man."

The woman's eyebrows lifted, and Marisa sniffed and wiped her eyes. "They kept calling you Sam. I just assumed..."

Sam turned to Brady and Nate and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you two?"

Nate said, "Sorry. I didn't think."

Rae lifted the bag Sam had left by the door. "Enough chit-chat. We have a little girl to find. Let's get to work."

* * *

THE FIVE OF THEM SAT at the round table. Sam pulled out a laptop, and Rae slid a folder and pen from her huge purse.

Brady nodded to Nate. "Why don't you give us the background information?"

"We already know about the mortgage fraud." Reagan nodded to Nate. "We downloaded your old stories and read a few others, so we're caught up on what Gray & Kinnison did. Tell us what happened to bring it all to light."

Nate nodded to Marisa.

"Vinnie told me about the fraud," she started. "He said—"

"Wait." Rae opened her file and flipped through it. "Vinnie is Vincent Depalo, your boyfriend. Right?"

"Fiancé," Marisa said. "Some FBI agent had cornered him and told him they were investigating G&K for fraud. He suggested Vinnie cooperate with the investigation or go down with the rest of them."

"Why him?" Brady asked.

Marisa shrugged. "Maybe because he'd made the least money off of it. I mean, he was making plenty, but not like the guys on top."

"And he was the newest person to get involved," Nate added. "And the youngest. Plus, the FBI wanted to bring down the guys on the top. They didn't care about small potatoes like Vincent Depalo." He turned to Marisa. "Not that he wasn't—"

"I know what you mean." She reached out like she might touch his hand, then pulled it back. "You're probably right."

Brady focused on her. "Do you know the name of the agent?"

"Garrison Kopp."