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Detective Blackburn returned five minutes later, his lips pressed together and a strange expression on his face that she couldn’t read.

“Sanjay?” Tempest could barely get out any words with how constricted her throat felt. “Is he—”

“No word on your friend’s whereabouts. Sorry to worry you. We’ve reviewed Mrs. Hudson’s security video from last night much more carefully. To see if we missed anything.”

“When we were trapped in the escape room?”

“Not just when you were trapped inside. Nobody else went into or out of that house all day and night . Even if someone had a grappling hook for that back wall and went in from the back or sides of the house, the camera would have seen and picked up that movement. Nobody.”

“But that’s impossible,” said Tempest. “I know we thought it seemed impossible at the time, but I really thought a closer look at the footage would reveal more.”

“So did I.”

“Someone had to have placed Lucas’s body in the living room. We were all with one another the whole time while trapped in the escape game, and Sanjay and Milton were together the whole time. What about Lucas’s cell phone?”

Blackburn pressed his hands to his eyes. “Dead end. It never left that house.”

“Neither did Lucas’s body.” Lucas’s body had been in the house the whole time. “How did he get onto the floor last night?” Tempest asked. “Why the deception?”

“Tempest.” The detective crossed his arms and gave her a stern, fatherly look. “I know you think this type of impossibility is your line of work, but you need to leave this to us. When we’re done here in a minute, don’t go off investigating—”

“You can’t just reveal that you know Sanjay is either in danger or the killer and expect me to do nothing.” She crossed the small room, but Blackburn stepped in front of her.

“We don’t know what’s going on yet.” He was so close to her that she could smell the coffee on his breath. His tone was firm, but not unkind. “Someone, or multiple someones, is purposefully muddying the investigation. There’s a chance Sanjay is still in danger. If he’s not involved in the deception himself.”

“You can’t really think—”

“And you’re too close to this to see all the possibilities.”

“Are we done?” Tempest headed for the door.

“Don’t you want to hear about the magic trunk?” He stepped aside, giving Tempest a wide berth to leave.

Blackburn’s words had the intended effect. Tempest froze with her hand on the doorknob. She didn’t open the interrogation room’s door.

“Sanjay’s magic trunk?” she asked without turning around.

“The very one.”

“No.” Tempest shook her head as she turned to face Blackburn. “We looked inside already.”

“Like you said, it has false bottoms.”

“Don’t you think we already checked inside?” she snarled. “Lucas Cruz’s body wasn’t hiding inside the trunk.”

“Well then. It looks like your friend’s steamer trunk really is magic. Because that’s exactly where his body was hidden.”