Jake extracted a small cache of jewelry items with a gloved hand, handing each piece to Freitan. A gold key ring, a man’s diamond wedding ring, a platinum ankle bracelet, and a thin gold chain with a small cross completed the trove. He peered into the depths of the computer’s innards. “Nothing more.”

Freitan turned and hollered for her partner. “Wong! Soldier Boy found some possible evidence.”

Wong appeared. The two conferred over the small pile of loot. “Do you think it’s enough to hold Chernobiac?” Wong asked.

“No. Unless we can tie these items to a specific victim, we still have nothing. Let’s get the two uniforms in here and really tear the place apart,” Freitan said.

So that’s what the five of them did, for the next hour. Jake lifted every cushion, emptied every cupboard, dumped out every drawer of bathroom supplies. The house was a mess when it was over, and they had not uncovered anything new.

Freitan surveyed the destruction with her hands on her hips. “I hope that girlfriend of yours has come up with a little more information on the missing persons, such as an inventory of their personal items. If not, it’s going to be a bitch to comb through all of those files looking for descriptions to match these odds and ends.”

“I’m sure Sophie could filter and collect that. Are you going to release Chernobiac?” Jake asked.

Freitan gave a brief nod, her full mouth folded into a grouchy line. “Already did. Called and had him cut loose at the twenty-four-hour point. But we will be bringing him in again, and following up on that black SUV you spotted.”

They drove back to the station in glum silence. Jake spent the time typing with his laptop on his knees, tuning up his case notes and composing a detailed email to Kendall Bix, updating his superior on the situation.

Once they reached the station, Jake headed straight back to the computer lab looking for Sophie. She was nowhere to be found. Tito, the watch officer, told him she’d taken the dogs to the park. “She said she’d just be an hour or two.”

Stranded without the Jeep, Jake called Sophie’s cell, but she didn’t pick up. Stymied, he called Bix on Oahu and simultaneously uploaded his email to his boss.

Bix was all business, as usual. “The parents have some kind of lead. They seem to think it’s legit. Someone contacted them, saying they spotted Julie with another couple outside of Volcanoes Park.”

“Yeah. That’s probably the unsavory couple who robbed her and dumped her in the jungle. The police are holding them, but they are sticking to their story that they just rolled Julie for her cash and dropped her off in a remote area. We then found her hiking gear and clothing further off the road. It doesn’t look good.” Jake told him about the results of the search in the Travelers’ Rest squatter camp. “Both of them are under arrest for robbery and in jail until they make bail, but we don’t know what else if anything they had to do with her disappearance.”

“Seems like there are a lot of fish jumping but nothing biting,” Bix said.

“And I wonder if we’re even fishing the right stream.” Jake continued the metaphor. “Sophie is pulling together some data about missing persons trends on the island. Seems to be quite a problem over here. Not just our girl, but a number of others have gone missing. As I documented in my report, we came across a young man who seems like he might have been part of a secondary layer of criminal activity related to the disappearances. But he’s working with some others we don’t have a clue about. Things are not going well at the moment.”

“Let me give you this information about the possible lead. You and Sophie can decide what to do,” Bix said.

Jake took out a pen and jotted down the name and address of the possible witness the Weathersbys had found. At least it was something more to follow up on. He ended the call and tried Sophie’s cell again.

This time she answered, but her voice was remote and chilly. “I’ll be there in an hour.”

“What am I supposed to do until then?” Jake snapped. “You have my wheels!”

“That won’t be a problem soon, as I’ve secured my own rental vehicle and a place to stay in Hilo.”

“What? That’s not necessary! We are still on the job together.” Jake tried to keep his voice even. Sophie was ditching him!

“As you are experiencing right now, it is necessary for us to both be mobile. I anticipate that this investigation will continue to take us in different directions.”

“Come back here so we can talk about this, please,” Jake said with deliberate calm, though his heart rate had spiked.

“I’ll be back when I’m finished with my business. I’m sure Freitan won’t mind your company.” Sophie ended the call.

Jake cursed.

Sophie was shutting him out and locking the door. He didn’t know why, or what to do about it.