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head, an irritated look on her face.
    “Look,” she said, “I told Detective Goodman that Marty was a good kid. They weren’t seeing each other anymore. They dated on and off for years, and when they finally broke up it was amicable. He came over here the day before yesterday.”
    Grace had read the name in the report. “We’ve been looking for him. Why didn’t you let us know?”
    “I did. I called it in to Detective Goodman,” Catherine said. “Left a message on the machine. I guess he was in the hospital already. Probably my hospital, too, but no one told me.”
    “Where was Marty?” Paul asked.
    “He and some buddies went over to Sun Lakes on the other side of the mountains, where there’s still some summer weather. They had no cell, no Internet. Marty had no idea Lisa was missing. He’s as devastated as I am.”
    The sound of a car door slammed and footsteps made their way to the door.
    As if on cue, it was Marty.
    “He’s here right now. Talk to him.”
    Catherine got up and opened the door. A handsome young man with dark hair and biceps that indicated daily curls embraced her. Lisa’s mother and former boyfriend hugged.
    “Police,” Catherine said.
    “Good,” the young man said, finally loosening his embrace as they walked across the living room to the kitchen.
    Grace looked at Paul. The hug was a little strange—not the embrace of the heartbroken, but something else.
    Marty Keillor slid into a seat. He was taller than Paul. His legs barely fit under the table. He wore a tight black V-neck T-shirt and dark washed Wranglers. On his snowshoe-sized feet were brand-new Carhartt boots.
    The detectives introduced themselves to the former boyfriend.
    The young man leaned across the table, his face full of concern.
    “Where is she?” Marty asked.
    “That’s what we want to know,” Paul said. “We thought maybe you could tell us something. Did you know we were looking for you?”
    He shook his head. “How could I? There’s no cell service. I got the other cop’s messages, when we came over the pass. I came right over here. Didn’t I, Catherine?”
    Catherine? Whatever happened to Ms. Lancaster? Grace thought.
    “Can anyone verify where you were when she went missing?” she asked.
    “Yeah, like about fifty people. Huge party at Sun Lakes,” he said.
    “Can you provide us with names, numbers, for any of the fifty, specifically?”
    Catherine spoke up. “I don’t like where this is going,” she said. “I can see that you’re trying to blame Marty for something here. That’s ludicrous.”
    “Maybe. But it is routine, Ms. Lancaster,” Grace said.
    Marty glanced over at Catherine, then back at the detectives. “No problem. I get it. Missing girl—boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, gets dibs on being a person of interest.”
    “If you have to investigate Marty, do it fast,” Catherine said, patting him on the arm. “He’s got nothing to do with this. He’s my support system and he’s a good one. I want you to find out who took Lisa. Please. Find out who took her and bring her home.”
    Grace could feel the mother’s pain. Despite the odd vibes she was getting of something going on between the mother and former boyfriend, there could be no denying that Catherine Lancaster was in tremendous pain.
    “We’re going to do our best,” Grace said.
    “But to be fair, there isn’t much to go on,” Paul said.
    “I’m sorry your detective got injured, but you better hope that his misfortune didn’t put my Lisa in greater danger. You better hope that big-time.”
    The detectives handed over their business cards, promised open lines of communication, and took a list of names and cell numbers from Marty.
    Detective Goodman had interviewed campus police at PLU—which yielded nothing. He made a note of a meeting with Naomi Carlyle, the girl who had likely been the last person to talk to Lisa before she’d disappeared.
    “Let’s go see Naomi,” Grace said.
    “Yeah,” Paul answered, as they got