Sophie assessed the Honda Ridgeline extended cab, noting the extra chrome and silver paint designs on the side and memorizing the license plate. The informant seated inside was young, a Caucasian of average height and doughy build, with pale skin that didn’t look like it had seen much of the Hawaii sun. He wore a billed hat emblazoned with Xbox, and he didn’t get out of his truck.

She approached, going with their usual routine of her out in front and Jake as backup. The dogs barked loudly in the Jeep, lending to a feeling of authenticity that they were a resident couple.

“Hello. Are you Sandy?” the young man asked.

Sophie had given him her false identity name of Sandy Mason, and she nodded. “Yes. I’m Sandy, and this is my boyfriend, Jack.”

The informant’s gaze darted nervously around the park, coming back to rest on Jake’s superior biceps with a look of apprehension. “I go by Cypher.”

Sophie suppressed a smile at the moniker. “Well, as I told you in my text, Jack’s cousin, Julie Weathersby, is missing. She was camping around the island, and supposed to meet up with us in Hilo at the end of her trip. That was over a week ago. Her parents are worried. I saw your poster at the store and thought we’d reach out since the police don’t seem to have any leads.”

“Sandy’s got it right.” It wasn’t strictly necessary for Jake to wrap a possessive arm around Sophie’s waist, but she let it stay there for the moment as he went on. “Julie is super responsible. She wouldn’t just run off.” He took out his phone, and scrolled to her photo. “Here is what she looks like. In case you have seen her, or even the missing person report that was filed.”

Cypher took the phone, looked at the photo, and nodded. “Yeah. I added her to the database, and speculated she disappeared from this part of the island based on her last known location, which was in Volcanoes National Park.”

“What database?” Sophie’s attention was pricked, but she softened her voice as Cypher quickly handed the phone back in response to her tone. “Can we sit down in your truck and get comfortable so we can talk privately?”

He nodded reluctantly and got out to open the driver’s side seat of his extended cab for her. Jake got into the passenger side, and they all settled themselves.

Cypher took out a laptop, and Sophie’s interest piqued further. “I think there might be a kidnapper at work,” the young man said. “Only he doesn’t give back the victims.”

Sophie’s brows drew together. “What makes you think so?”

“Many of the people that disappear have assets. They aren’t rich, necessarily, but a lot of the victims actually have some means.” Cypher’s eyes flicked over Jake. “For instance, I’m guessing you and your cousin aren’t poor.”

“We get by.” Jake frowned. “But my aunt and uncle would have said something if they had gotten a ransom demand.”

“The interesting thing about these demands is that they seem to be unfulfilled.” Cypher was studying his laptop. “The families pay the modest ransoms, but the missing are never returned. I’m tracking the concerns, and I’ve taken it on myself to warn people.”

A tingle of alertness lifted the hairs on Sophie’s arms. There was a shine of perspiration above Cypher’s lip. The young man was nervous, hiding something.

She didn’t dare look at Jake. A secondary predator role of taking money from family members might fit his profile perfectly.

Cypher was setting them up. He was checking them out as a target of extortion money, and he’d decided they weren’t good candidates. Now he was warning them away.

Sophie reached over and clutched Jake’s arm in mock distress. “This is just so much to take in. I think we should really go to the police with this news.”

“Hush, darling.” Jake patted her hand. His voice was warm with supportive comfort. He was reveling in his role, and she dared not glance at him and see the humorous glint in his eyes or she’d lose her composure. “It’s not up to us to solve this, honey. We will take everything we learn back to the cops, of course, but now we have this nice young man helping us, too.”

Cypher smiled. His teeth were not brushed very often. “Yeah, quite a disturbing situation might be going on here.”

Sophie blinked her eyes, as if confused, leaning forward from the back seat. “How do you know all this?”

“I thought you would never ask.” Cypher scrolled to a website and expanded the view for them to see. “This is a missing persons posting on the Big Island bulletin board website where parents and families weigh in on the investigations.”

Sophie recognized the site as one of the ones that DAVID had cross-checked with police records. She was eager to see how his data analysis stacked up to the preliminary findings DAVID had compiled. But would he share?

She took out her own phone to pull it up, but couldn’t get any reception. She frowned at Cypher. “How are you getting any Internet out here?”

“I use a sat phone. Only way to deal with the spotty reception. Got a hotspot set up. But you can look at my laptop for now,” he said magnanimously. Sophie leaned over the young man’s shoulder to look through the rows of posts.

There were many more pictures of each missing victim than the ones she recognized from the police department database. Heartbreaking personal stories, rants about the lack of response from the police department, and a series of highlighted letters, complaining that they had been contacted for ransom, and, once paid, had never heard from the extortionist again.

“So, what’s your skin in this game?’ Jake said. “What do you get out of it?”

“I’m just a concerned citizen living in a dangerous community. Trying to help by warning victims’ families.”

“Then I’m sure you won’t mind coming down to the station in Hilo with us, and making a statement to that effect,” Sophie said, as Jake reached over and plucked the truck’s keys out of the ignition. “Being the good citizen that you are.” Sophie pointed her Glock at Cypher’s ribs. “We’re taking you in. Let’s go.”

“Sure you got him handled, babe?” Jake bounced his brows as Cypher groaned, closing his laptop.

“This young man will be driving straight to Hilo PD to make his statement. I’m sure he won’t give me a minute of trouble, babe.”

Jake’s teeth flashed in a grin as he got out of the truck, slamming the door. “I’m right behind you in the Jeep, Cypher, so don’t give my girlfriend any crap.”

Cypher banged his head on the steering wheel as Jake got into the Jeep, preparing to follow them. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you guys get in the truck.”

Sophie kept the gun on Cypher, dug into his ribs, for the forty-minute drive back to Hilo. Freitan and Wong were not back from wherever they’d gone, but the intake officer checked their permits to carry and their IDs, and they settled Cypher in the waiting area.

The minute Sophie’s gun was stowed, the young man made a run for the glass doors. Jake seemed to enjoy wrestling Cypher back inside and making him sit.

Freitan and Wong returned. “What did you chase out of the bushes?” Freitan asked.

“This young man knows all about shaking down the families of missing persons,” Jake said.

The two detectives took charge of the witness, after a brief conference with Jake and Sophie. “You should go to his residence. Search for evidence related to the victims,” Sophie urged.

“He’s lawyered up already, so it’s going to be a process.” Freitan had a vein in her neck that pulsed when she was annoyed. “His weird scam of warning people might not be enough to get a search warrant on his home.”

Sophie frowned. “Perhaps . . . his address fell somewhere and we saw it and took matters into our own hands.”

“Unscrupulous private investigators that we are,” Jake filled in.

“That would never happen around here,” Freitan swiveled her monitor so they could read Cypher’s address. She stood, and walked off toward the interview room where Wong already waited with the witness.

“Cypher” was named Paul Chernobiac, and he lived at 1140 Ocean View Terrace.

Sophie plugged the address into the GPS on her phone, grateful to have a signal. “Let’s go.” They hurried out of the building.

The day was waning. Sunset was upon them, a glorious molten red that reminded Sophie of the lava flows. She glanced at Jake as they got into the Jeep. “I hope we have time to make it out there before dark.”