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“It does.”

Laurel looks at me as if that’s the first genuinely questionable thing I’ve said.

Lorna walks off, pleased with herself.

Laurel finally picks up her fork and eats one bite of potato.

Progress.

“What brought you back to town?” I ask after she’s swallowed it.

Her fork pauses in midair. “My sister.”

“Maggie,” I supply. Her eyes snap to mine, suspicious. “Ben mentioned her too,” I explain.

Laurel studies me for a moment, gauging my trustworthiness.

Then she says, “She’s missing.”

Reflexively, my brain takes over, automatically sorting through what matters first. Missing how? Since when? Last seen where? With whom? Who benefits? Who controls the information?

Underneath that comes something more emotional.

Ben’s sister. Ben’s family.

I lean forward. “How long has she been gone?”

“Several days.”

“Police involved?”

Her laugh is small and humorless. “According to her boyfriend, but the details are vague.”

Bad.

Very bad.

I keep my voice even. “Elaborate.”

She looks at me for a long moment. “You’re very comfortable giving instructions.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because vague situations kill people.”

She acknowledges the truth of that with a small nod and lowers her fork. “Her boyfriend says he spoke to the police. But he hasn’t given me a case number. His parents don’t know who’s handling it. I asked. No one seems to have anything concrete.”

“Boyfriend’s name?”

“Tom White.”

I write it down.

Laurel’s gaze drops to my notebook. “You just carry that around?”

“Yes. Last known location?”