“I know. And I shouldn’t have yelled at her.” She turned red eyes toward Ava. “But why wasn’t this the first thing she told the police this morning? Why did she let someone like that into Henley’s life?”

“She obviously thought there was nothing to it,” Ava stated. “Have you told the police about every single encounter you’ve had over the last few years?”

Robin slammed the fridge door, turning toward Ava. “I’ve never cheated on my husband. Ever!”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean did you tell them about anyone in your life you’ve parted with on a sour note? Even the little things.” She watched two lines appear between Robin’s brows as she thought. “See? It’s not so easy. An encounter that might seem trivial to you might have been devastating to another person, angering them—whether the slight was real or imagined. You never know how people think.”

Ava saw a flash of movement behind Robin, in the hallway. Jake was listening. She hadn’t said anything that should alarm the kid. In fact, he also needed to hear this.

“It’s impossible to know everything, let alone pass it on to the FBI,” Robin said. “You could mean someone I accidentally cut off with my car. But this was someone she dated. Why didn’t she tell them before now?” Robin’s eyes pleaded with Ava.

Ava infused her gaze with as much sympathy as possible. “It’s still the first day. Be glad the information came out as early as it did.”

“But what if there’s more? What if she’s not telling everything?”

“Her daughter is missing. Don’t you think she’s doing everything she can to help?”

Robin stared back for a long second. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’m starting to wonder if I know Lilian as well as I believed I did.” She teared up. “Poor Henley. She must be terrified. I can’t stop thinking about what she could be going through. I’m never going to sleep tonight.” Her voice trailed off.

Jake stepped silently into the kitchen. He hesitated. With the instinct of a mother, Robin spun around, his name on her lips.

The teen looked miserable. His face was puffy and his hair was a disaster. Ava hadn’t seen much of him all day. He seemed to prefer to stay in his room. She admired his bravery for stepping out into the center of the drama. She studied him carefully, knowing teens needed special attention in this sort of case. His sister was missing; his parents were distracted. He was lost in the background while everything was focused on his sister. But he ached, too. He needed to express his feelings out loud before he cracked.

Ava kicked herself for overlooking him.

“Jake,” she said, pulling out a stool at the kitchen breakfast bar. “Sit,” she ordered kindly. Now was as good a time as any. She wondered if his mother’s presence would help him open up or make him censor his feelings. The teen slunk over to the stool and sat, his head down, one finger tracing a pattern in the granite counter. Ava looked at Robin and held her gaze, jerking her chin at the teen. He needs to talk.

“You heard me tell your mother that we need to know about any odd encounters, right?” Ava asked. The teen nodded, his gaze still on the countertop.

Ava licked her lips. Teens were foreign to her. She tried to remember how she’d handled her sister and her moodiness as a teen. Jayne had been all about the drama. Ava had been the peacekeeper and the one to draw her sister out of her black moods. Considering the constant ups and downs of her sister’s personality, Ava should have an honorary doctorate in Teen Therapy.

“Has something come to mind? You talked with one of the agents this afternoon, right? Have you thought of something since then?” Ava wasn’t certain who’d interviewed Jake.

“No.”

Ava waited. There was a reason Jake had ventured into the kitchen. Was he trying to protect his mom from Ava’s direct questions? She glanced at Robin and raised a brow.

The frown lines were still between Robin’s brows. “Jake, honey,” she started. “You’ve only been back in town a few days. Who’ve you talked to?”

He lifted his head, meeting his mom’s gaze. “Just the guys. You know, Eric, Jack, Lincoln. The usual. And McKenzie.”

“Are they all back from college for Christmas?” Robin asked. She glanced at Ava. “McKenzie and Jake dated a bit last summer, but it never was exclusive, right, Jake?”

Jake shrugged. “We’re friends. She’s really upset about Henley. They’re all worried.” His voice cracked.

“Have you seen any of them since you got into town?” Ava asked. She was certain an agent had already gone over this with Jake, but the investigator in her wouldn’t be quiet.

“No. Not yet. I was going to see Eric and Lincoln this weekend. Hang out somewhere. But that’s on hold.”

“You got in Wednesday, correct?” Ava asked. “Where have you gone since you’ve been home? Tell me every stop, no matter how unimportant it seems. 7-Eleven or Barnes & Noble. Nothing is too small.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “You think someone I know did this?” Terror crossed his face. Robin rushed to comfort him, hugging his shoulders. She laid her cheek on his head.

“No honey, they’re simply looking under every rock. Something one of them saw might be the key to bringing Henley home. Think hard. Don’t hold anything back.”

“Jeez.” The teen blinked hard.