I clicked my fingers. “There was also your mother. She went missing, too.”
They all went still.
“That was a long time ago,” Mitch said. He’d appointed himself spokesperson.
Noted.
“Yes, it was. Fortunately, we never give up on a missing person until they’re found. One way or another.” I glanced around the table. “I’ll need to go over that case file, too, while I’m here.”
I turned to Charlie. “So, Charlie, can you walk me through what happened with Doug?”
“Look, Constable Delaney,” Mitch said.
“Sapphire. Please.”
“Sapphire.” He said it like my name annoyed him. “We’ve already filed a detailed report with Charlie’s employer and told the police everything. It’s gut-wrenching for all of us to keep revisiting it. Plus, we all have jobs to do, so if that’s all?—”
“Well, no. Actually, it’s far from all. We still need to find your father.”
“Or what’s left of him,” Mitch said.
The comment was so cold, I genuinely believed he had no idea where Frank was. But there wasn’t a scrap of grief in it either. No love would be lost there if Frank turned up dead.
Boots stomped across the back verandah. I knew who that would be.
My stomach clenched.
Kayden Branson strode into the room. Freshly changed. Wet hair slicked back. He smelled good. Damn it. Why did I even notice that?
His gaze moved around the table and landed on mine.
I dragged my eyes away, hating how hard that was. When I glanced back, Cassidy was watching her brother, then me, then her brother again, with the deliberate attention of a woman who’d just registered something she wasn’t supposed to. She didn’t say anything, just picked up her coffee and drank, a small smile playing on her lips.
Whatever she’d seen, she’d figured out that Kayden and I had a history.
Awesome.
“You ready?” Kayden asked.
“Ready for what?” I forced my voice back to chirpy.
“Eastern outstation. You wanted to go, didn’t you?”
“I do.” I gathered my notebook and stood. “Oh, and while we’re out there, you can take me to where Doug Walker’s boot was found.”
Kayden scrunched his nose. Damn it, he’d always looked cute when he did that. He still did. “What for?”
“Because they’re evidence in Doug’s disappearance. Bob should’ve sent someone out to collect them earlier.” I kept my smile pleasant. “Might as well do that while we’re out and about, don’t you think?”
The table went very quiet.
I scanned the people at the table. “Who found Frank’s horse?”
“I did,” Mitch said.
“Ahh, good.” My gaze landed on him. “I’ll need you to show me where Frank’s horse was found. We can do that, too.”
“Kayden can show you. He knows the billabong location.” Mitch nodded, but his teeth were clenched so tightly his jaw muscle twitched.
