encrypted phone dimmed as

king ten years of her life in

eaked as Richard and Brenda wa

glance, turning the front doork

r clicked shu

Richard yelled from the porch.

ase down the concrete path an

lled away f

Leo on her

" Leo said, answeri

ogy database for my mater

Leo said. "Names,

va replied. "Brenda let it slip dur

id. "I will crack every regi

nd leaned aga

Brenda dropped a coffee cu

ing the counter edge. "Five million dol

ccount," Richard scoffed, buttering

inding her real blo

said. "She will crawl back

he refrigerator, exami

on a bus station bench

rd said, waving his knif

e hospital penthouse was sil

ay motionless under

ood in a rigid li

is arms crossed, staring

g," the chief neurologist said in

look away fro

e family had chased shad

three private jets to

tests, and every singl

swung open with

hurried in, holding a t

nk comparison. We found... we f

d toward him in

t said, thrusting the tablet into Julian's hands. "

gle name typed on the qu

very resource,"

ld answer, the bedside c

ged forward, gr

he screen smoothed into

thered eyeli

shaping a single, h

s froze in

k, his voice cutti

an ordered. "We pick up

ab dropped Ava outside th

renda and Megan stood hold

om her phone and p

d into Queens,"

eyeing Ava's wo

, sister?" Megan called out

d sheet from her purse,

t came back from Donovan's

egan laughed, readi

poorest rural county in t

rotting in a charity bed fo

ed. "Seven dirt-poor bachelors

at, shaking her head. "I told y

ked past their shoulders, an

n room, a middle-aged man st

ker overalls and

vy calfskin briefcase r

ss, the brass hardware

s head, wringing h

man said softly. "Our family

ket and handed her a cr

cture had Ava's exact jaw

photograph

want to know about

r on a slip of notepad pape

best to my grand

e photograph into her co

Megan on the sidewalk with

uzzed insid

nd opened the encry

ncial situation looks ordinary, maybe poor. But the query path was

Queens midday sun an

screen and sent

. Send me