“Not willingly. And, yes, that’s why I’m… afraid.” Brandt didn’t look down, didn’t stare out the window. He’d settled his gaze on Candace now, and he wanted help.

“Okay,” she said, her tone no longer tinged with anger. “Tell us everything and start with why you think they might be together.”

“It all started when my brother got drunk one night and passed out. Patrick Hoffman was there to pick him up, dust him off and steer him, so he said, in the right direction-to those wacko kids who adore Doug.”

“Those wacko kids?” I said. “Your brother considered them his friends.”

“Yeah, but Doug fed them all sorts of hype about global warming, saving the rain forest, treating animals ethically, things like that.” Brandt’s face reddened. “Don’t get me wrong. Those issues are important, but-”

“Yeah, they’re important,” Candace said. “But you’re saying Douglas Lieber might have had something to do with that protest the night Evan was arrested?”

“Something to do with it? He planned it. Evan told me so the other night-after we had that argument. We got our acts together and went to his room to talk. He was pretty upset because now Doug is saying he isn’t about to pay Evan’s tuition.”

“And yet he’d gotten Evan in trouble in the first place,” I said half to myself. “Was Lieber friends with Patrick Hoffman?”

“I don’t know about friends, but they knew each other,” Brandt said. “I’ve told you Doug was behind the protest, but how will it help you find Evan? Because I want to make sure he’s okay.”

“Because you think Hoffman came to town?” I said.

“Right. Or maybe he’s disappeared for another reason. I mean, our father had awful highs and lows. Sometimes he wouldn’t get out of bed when he was on summer break from the college. Maybe Evan is depressed enough to do something worse than stay in bed.”

“You’re talking about suicide, huh?” Candace said.

Brandt nodded solemnly.

“Suicidal people are sometimes drawn to water,” Candace said. “We have one officer who runs rescues on the lake. We could send him out to check around the shores and the docks.”

“No,” I said. “My gut tells me Evan’s not suicidal. He wants the police to find the killer, wants to see that happen. You said you tried to reach him?”

“Like a hundred times. Voice mail over and over.” Brandt closed his eyes for a second, took a deep breath. “Something is wrong.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “Kara might know where he is. She’s been looking for information she can get from any source for her book.”

“Her book?” Brandt said.

“Never mind,” I said, unsure exactly what she’d told Brandt. “She programmed her number into my phone. Let me call her.”

I grabbed my phone off the end table. But I got voice mail, too.

“Text her,” Candace said.

“You think I know how to do that?” I said impatiently.

Candace took my phone, brought up a screen and used the tiny keyboard to type in the words phone home. When she was done, Candace said, “Now let’s hope she calls and that she knows where Evan is.”

“He likes to drive around,” Brandt said. “His rental is one of those tiny cars, a white Ford. He’s probably traveled the roads around here, and-”

“Your father’s place. Could he have gone there?” Candace said, her eyes alive with excitement.

“We did go there the other day-but I made sure we didn’t cross the crime-scene tape,” Brandt said.

“How much you wanna bet that’s where he is?” Candace said.

But before he could answer, my phone rang. Guess text messages work better than regular calls, because Kara’s caller ID came up. I started to ask her about Evan, but she interrupted me.

The fact that she was whispering was my first clue that something wasn’t right. I had to ask her to speak up.

“I was just texting you when I got yours. That guy is here at the professor’s farm. We looked in the window and Evan recognized Hoffman. You need to send the police.”

“So Evan’s with you,” I said, looking at Brandt and nodding.

His features relaxed, and he smiled.

“The police need to come without sirens, or Hoffman will run. That’s why I was afraid to call 911,” she said. “Hurry or he might leave.”

“You and Evan need to get out of there. Now,” I said.

“We’re leaving,” she said and disconnected.

My heart was beating a mile a minute as I explained everything to Candace and Brandt. Candace called Baca immediately and then went to the closet and came out with her holster. She strapped it on and put her gun in place.

“You two stay here with Tom.” She held out her hand. “I’ll need your keys-and Kara’s phone number.”

I showed her the number in my phone’s address book, and she must have committed it to memory because she simply repeated it. We went to the kitchen, and I grabbed my keys off the hook. “Maybe you’re blocked in,” I said.

But when we looked in the driveway I saw that Tom had parked his Prius alongside my van, and I didn’t see Brandt’s car, so he must have parked in the road.

Candace left, and now the worrying began for me as well as for Brandt.

“She’s good,” I said. “And Chief Baca’s good. They’ll catch this man. Then maybe we can understand why he killed your father and Rufus, because I’m convinced now that he did.”

“I might have an explanation.” It was Tom. He’d come into the living room and held his hand out to Brandt in greeting. They shook hands.

“What are you talking about?” I said.

Tom held up several sheets of paper with printing on them. “This explains why Professor Lieber did what he did.”

“Professor Lieber?” I whispered.

But Tom glanced at Brandt and got a sheepish look on his face.

Bet he wishes he didn’t blurt that out, I thought. But Lieber? Why Lieber?

Tom glanced toward the kitchen. “Where’s Candace? I should give this information to her.”

“She’s gone,” I said. “Kara called and said she and Evan went to the farmhouse, that they spotted Patrick Hoffman there. She and Baca and probably the entire Mercy police force are on the way over there.”

“Kara went to that farm?” Tom said. “I told her she had to wait until the crime scene was released by the police, told her that she could get in trouble.”

“My brother is with her,” Brandt said. “Tell me what Doug has to do with my father’s death.”

Tom stared hard at Brandt for what seemed like an eternity. “You’ll find out anyway. A microchip that I am assuming your father implanted in a cat led me to information stored on the Internet. The two professors were working together to create VanLieber Raw Pet Food. I’ve got formulas, expenses, everything right here.” Tom held up the printouts again.

Brandt looked dumbfounded. “Doug and my father? Working together?”

“That’s right,” Tom said. “But the money for this business plan seemed to have dried up, and from what I can tell, Professor Lieber had put up a pretty penny.”

“He killed my father over money? Is that what you’re saying?” All the color had drained from Brandt’s face.

Neither Tom nor I said anything for several seconds.

Finally I spoke. “We can’t be sure of that. What about your mother? She’s with Lieber now, right?” I looked at Tom. “Shouldn’t we warn her?”

“I’m switching from geek mode to cop mode. Lieber doesn’t know he’s a suspect. We don’t want to set him off.” Tom looked at Brandt. “Can you call your mother, play it cool, ask her what she and Doug are doing? Where they are?”

Brandt nodded and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. His hand was shaking when he tapped a few digits. When he said, “Mom?” his voice wavered.

I could hear her every strident word. “What’s wrong, Brandt? I can tell you’re upset.”

“I’m fine,” he said, sounding calmer now. “I was just checking in. What are you and Doug up to?”

This time I couldn’t hear her.