“It proves Dougie is alive. Rainie is in the background of the photo. Lying down. Eyes closed. I know, I’m looking at the photo right now.”

Kimberly pressed the phone closer to her head, her other hand flattened against her ear to block the background noise. Her father’s voice was low, not at all like him. She could feel his anxiety in the flat tones, the heaviness of his despair.

A police cruiser arrived, tooting its horn as it muscled its way through the crowd. Kimberly had a glimpse of a man sitting in the back, hunched shoulders, scruffy cheeks, a blue flannel shirt.

“Hal Jenkins is here,” she informed Quincy. “Give me fifteen minutes, I’ll call you back.”

“You’re still wearing the GPS transmitter?” her father asked abruptly.

Kimberly frowned. “Yeah. Why?”

“I want you to promise me you won’t take it off.”

“You’re scaring me, Dad.”

“I’m trying to. We haven’t paid the subject one red cent. But if he did kidnap Detective Grove-”

“He just scored seven grand.”

“It’s something to think about,” her father said.

Then Hal Jenkins was getting out of the police cruiser, Shelly was waving her over, and Kimberly had to shut her phone, feeling even worse about the day ahead.

Wednesday, 11:35 a.m. PST

HAL JENKINS WASN ’T A FRIENDLY GUY. And clearly, he had issues with Sheriff Atkins.

“Touch my place, I won’t tell you a damn thing,” he said by way of greeting.

“Now, Hal, a promise is a promise.”

“Bullshit, I want that in writing.”

Shelly yawned, gave Hal a droll look, then issued a negligent shrug. “Well, Hal, if that will make you happy…” She waved Deputy Mitchell over. He produced a spiral notepad and pen. Shelly made a big show of writing, I, Sheriff Shelly Atkins, do solemnly promise not to search the premises owned by one Hal Jenkins, of Tillamook County, in the understanding that he will cooperate fully in disclosing what he knows about missing persons Lorraine Conner, Douglas Jones, and Detective Alane Grove. Shelly signed it with great flourish.

Hal scowled at her. “Who’s Alane Grove?”

Shelly paused for the first time. “Why don’t you first tell me what you know about Rainie Conner and Dougie Jones?” she said.

“Wait a minute. Was that the girl who showed up at the pay phone? The one with the duffel bag? I thought she moved like a cop!” And then, eyes going a little wild, “Well, shit, you’re not pinning that on me, are you? I don’t know nothing ’bout her. Saw her, thought it was strange to carry a duffel bag into a superstore, and then boom, she was gone and I was on my merry way.”

“Why were you at the pay phones, Hal?”

“I like my privacy.”

“So you’re using a public phone?”

“Hey, we all got our little, what do you call them, fetishes.”

Shelly chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked like she was contemplating slugging her informant. “So you were at the phone.”

“Yep.”

“Made a call?”

“Maybe.”

“Remember, Hal, we have grounds to pull the records.”

Hal appeared crestfallen again.

“Yeah, these missing people,” Shelly said dryly, “they’re really fucking with your life.”

“Don’t swear. You’re a lady. Ladies shouldn’t swear.”

“Why, Hal, you’re making me positively googly-eyed. Tell me about your phone call.”

“The phone call doesn’t matter,” Hal said abruptly, seeming to have reached some sort of conclusion with himself. “What matters is that I dropped my quarter.”

“You dropped your quarter?”

“Yep. And when I reached down to pick it up, I saw what was taped to the bottom of the phone.”

“Talk a little faster, Hal. We don’t exactly got all day.”

Hal had enough of talking, however. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a battered white envelope. He held it in front of him, dangling it like a prize. “I’ll give you my note if you’ll give me yours.”

Shelly immediately handed over her signed pledge not to search Hal’s farm. Hal handed her the discolored envelope.

“This it?” Shelly asked.

“That’s it. Trust me, I didn’t mess with it or change anything. Like I said, this whole kidnapping thing is not my cup of tea.”

“But you read it?”

“’Course. Still think I should get a reward. Crimestoppers. The Sheriff’s Department. I’m doing a good thing here.”

“Cuff him,” Shelly instructed Deputy Mitchell.

“What?” Hal asked.

“Take him in, get him processed,” Shelly ordered Mitchell. “We’ll see how his story checks out.”

“This is no way to treat a Good Samaritan!” Hal cried.

“Oh, it gets better, Hal. There’s some fine folks right now, already arriving to search your farm.”

“But you promised!”

“Ah, Hal,” Shelly said kindly. “ I’m not the one searching your property. The DA is.”

Hal tried to make a run for it. Deputy Mitchell grabbed his cuffed hands and stuffed him in the backseat of the cruiser.

“You bitch!” Hal was screaming.

“Shhh,” Mitchell said, pointing up at the sky. “Smile at the pretty people, Hal. You’re on Candid Camera. ”