“Or it’s the parents,” Mason stated.

Special Agent Euzent met his gaze. “Exactly. That’s why we clear them first. There’s been no ransom requested yet, so right now the motivation seems domination oriented. Whether it was random or premeditated will be determined. I read the mothers’ interviews. When they were asked if anyone had been hanging around Henley, or if she’d mentioned any odd encounters with adults, they both said no.”

“We could still get a ransom note,” Ava interjected.

Euzent paused and smiled. “I pray that is the case here.” His smile vanished as he shifted back to business. “If it was premeditated, our guy has to have a place to keep her. Someplace that won’t draw attention. A basement, a barn, an abandoned outbuilding. Even bathroom facilities have to be considered by the kidnapper. Trust me, he’s thought about this. Henley may have simply been in the right place at the right time for him, or he picked her specifically.”

“He’s a predator is what you’re saying,” said Ava.

“I believe so,” answered Euzent. “I know I haven’t given you much to work with, but I’ll add more to my profile as the facts come in.” He nudged his glasses, suddenly looking ten years older as he lowered his gaze. “I’ll be here nonstop until we find her,” he said quietly as he closed the file.

The agents took that as a signal to leave. Mason followed Ava out of the room.

“I’m headed back to the house,” she said as they moved down the hall. “Are you?”

“Yes.”

She stopped midstride and turned to face him, her blue eyes serious. “If you know of any family dynamics I need to be aware of, I’d like to hear about them. So far I’ve seen a united front from all three parents, but my past experience tells me that appearances can be deceiving.”

Mason fought back a smile. For someone not investigating, she definitely had some questions. “I think you’ll find Robin and Lucas are what they appear to be. I don’t know Lilian that well, but Robin has always said they have an understanding.”

“An understanding?” Her nose crinkled, and Mason noticed she had freckles. Not a lot, but a few across the nose and cheeks.

“They get along. They really do. They have a mutual respect for each other and care about Henley. I don’t know what else to tell you. There’s no psychotic bitch hiding anywhere. I don’t know Lilian’s past, but I’m sure it’s being pulled apart as we speak.”

Ava glanced at her watch. “Lucas Fairbanks is being interviewed right now. They must be using a side room here somewhere. I warned the family they’d be doing a lot of talking to the police, and that most of it would be repetitive.”

“I told them the same thing,” answered Mason. He glanced out the doors, a movement catching his eye. “Holy crap. The media has found the command center.” Two Clackamas County deputies were putting up crime scene tape to hold the camera crews back from the building and corral them into a tidy spot. Another deputy stood directly in front of the double doors, guarding it, his hands on his hips, shaking his head. Mason understood how he felt.

“Two satellite trucks already,” muttered Ava. “I wonder how many are at the house.”

Mason shoved his hat on his head. “Good point. Let’s go see if they need any help.”

A cell phone sounded, and Agent McLane reached into a jacket pocket, a different pocket than the one that held the previous vibrating cell phone.

Work pocket, personal pocket. Mason had given up the personal phone a few years ago. Jake was the only person outside of work that he communicated with, and that was limited to a few texts. He didn’t feel it was any abuse of his work phone.

“Special Agent McLane.”

Mason watched her face. Her eyebrow twitched once as she listened, and she kept her calm gaze on the growing media crowd.

“I’m on my way now. I’ll be there in less than five.” She ended the call and gave Mason a half smile. “Sounds like there’s a bit of a to-do going on back at the house. The mothers are yelling at each other, and the deputy assigned to sit in front of the house says that the media outside can hear it.”

Mason pressed his lips together. He’d just preached to Agent McLane about how in sync the two women were.

Sounded like their tempers were in sync, too.

7

9 HOURS MISSING

The deputy shooed the reporters away from the driveway entrance as Ava pulled up. The reporters stepped back, turned their eagle-eyed cameras her way, and bent over, peering to get a good look inside her vehicle. Ava wished for privacy glass. How long would it take for them to identify her as FBI? She watched the reporters pull the same routine on Callahan as his vehicle pulled in behind her.

The deputy had been correct. When Ava stepped out of her sedan at the top of the Fairbankses’ long driveway, she heard yelling inside the home. When she’d left the home a few hours ago, the only car visible had been a patrol unit parked in front of the house. The Fairbankses’ vehicles were parked inside their three-car garage, and Lilian had left her vehicle at her condo. Now there were the patrol unit, a television satellite truck, news vans, and other media vehicles all squeezed onto the formerly quiet street. The sun had set, and the streetlight in front of the home lit up the small crowd of reporters and cameras.

The more media coverage for Henley, the better. But when the media got bored or felt the need to outdo each other, Ava had seen them get pushy or overstep their boundaries. Focus on the missing child, she wanted to lecture them, don’t sensationalize every factor.