“My business partner and best friend. I’ve known him since grade school.

We’re…” Nixon pushed his hair back off his forehead and slumped in the chair.

“We’re having a dispute over money. I… recently accused him of skimming the books.

He denies it, of course, but… money is missing, and he’s…

Jude has a gambling problem. I told him I planne d to hire a forensic accountant or investigator or whatever they’re called.

I told him I’d file a lawsuit if I found out he was lying. ”

Jordyn lifted her head, and my brows kissed my hairline. That wasn’t nothing. That hit the nail on the head. “What’s Jude’s last name?”

“Marigold.”

I motioned for Jordyn to resume taking notes and stop gawking.

“And what is it you guys do?”

“We run a tech startup company called NexGen. We built it from the ground up after graduating from university. We do well for ourselves. The business has grown astronomically in the past ten years.”

“Have you talked to Jude since Tuesday?”

“Yes. Several times. On the phone. I haven’t been to the office, so he’s taken over my clients for the time being.”

“He’s helping despite you threatening a lawsuit?”

“Of course he is. He’s my best friend. I only said that out of anger.

He knows I won’t go through with it, but money is missing, and…

he’s had problems for years. He needs help.

I don’t hate him, and I don’t want to kill our friendship over an addiction he has no control over, but I also don’t want him to ruin us. ”

“Did you mention Crow’s abduction?”

Nixon hesitated and shook his head. “No. I was too afraid. The note… It said no police. What if word got out? I… I asked my secretary if Jude had been acting unusual. She said no.”

“You suspected he might be involved?”

Nixon scrubbed his face. “For a fraction of a second. No more. It can’t be Jude. It makes no sense. He wouldn’t do this, no matter how angry he was. We’ve had disagreements before. Christ, he has kids of his own. A wife.” Nixon shook his head with adamancy. “No, I can’t see it. It’s impossible. ”

“Nothing is impossible.”

“What about the nanny?” Jordyn asked. “You stated she was recently fired. Do we know why?”

Nixon heaved a weary sigh. “No. Genie just… They didn’t get along, I guess. I don’t know.”

“Did your wife smear her name so she couldn’t get another job?

Accuse her of something unforgivable? File a complaint with a…

nanny corporation? Is that a thing?” Jordyn asked me, but I shrugged.

Aslan and I had debated all kinds of potential childcare avenues for when we had to return to work but had yet to decide.

Nixon seemed horrified at the suggestion.

“Are you accusing Clementine? My god, she’s…

No. I can’t… Christ, she’s barely twenty and the sweetest thing you’ve ever met.

There’s no way she could do something like that?

” He motioned to the note. “That’s vile.

That’s psychotic. She’s a good girl, starting her second year of university in September.

She came highly recommended by a client.

I can’t…” More head shaking. “There’s no way. Not Clem.”

“Calm down, Mr. Davis. We have a duty to ask questions and explore all options,” I said. “How would you describe your relationship with your parents and in-laws? Are they in your life? Do they see your children often?”

Nixon looked more and more like a child in the principal’s office who didn’t know why he was getting the third degree.

“I… My parents are… We… I get along with them fine. They see the kids often. Dad isn’t a fan of Genie, but it’s not hostile or anything. Mom’s indifferent. Quiet.”

“And your in-laws?”

Nixon squirmed. “They don’t love me, but that’s normal, isn’t it? We’re civil adults. We make it work. They love our kids. Are you suggesting Crow’s grandparents would kidnap their own grandson and leave us a… a… whatever that is?” He motioned to the note.

“I’m not suggesting anything. We are looking at all angles, remember? The only thing I can tell you with absolute certainty right now, Mr. Davis, is the person who took Crow is someone you know. Someone close to you or your wife.”

“This makes no sense.” He tore a hand through his hair again, making it a bigger mess than it already was. “I don’t understand. We’re good people. We pay our taxes. We volunteer. We’re a part of the community. We don’t always attend church, but we haven’t wronged anyone.”

My partner and I had a silent conversation before I addressed Nixon.

“This is what we’re going to do. We’re going to collect Sparrow and head back to your house.

I want to chat with you and your wife together.

We’re going to brainstorm and make a list of all the friends and relatives you’ve been in contact with in the past six months, and we’ll go from there. Who all knows Crow is missing?”

“No one. We were too afraid to say anything.”

“Okay. Leave it with us.”

“Will you find my son?” Nixon’s voice was choked with emotion and laced with a tiny thread of hope.

It was a question we got all the time and one we could never answer fairly.

I yearned to give the parents of missing children hope, but I had no right.

Sadly, there was never a guarantee in my line of work, and it was a sad fact I’d learned at the ripe age of six years old. Some kids never came home.

“We’ll do our best.”