Mark turned into the Stones’ drive and pulled around to the back just as Sheriff Stone came around the corner of the house with Lizi on her leash. He climbed out and released Gem from the rear seat harness. When traveling short distances in town, it was his preferred method of transporting her. Besides, she liked to look out the window.
“Did you get dog duty?” he asked.
The sheriff laughed. “More like mop duty, but don’t tell Dani I said that. Lizi is a sweet dog—makes me wish we had one again. How’d the interview with Kyle Peterson go?”
“He wasn’t there, but I talked with his grandfather, and I found Toby.”
“Good. Let’s go inside and tell Alex what you learned.”
The four women turned as they entered through the back door. Alex handed Mark the sketch pad. “Dani drew these—I think her memory is starting to return. Look through them and see if you can identify anyone, then tell me what you learned from Kyle.”
He nodded and flipped through the drawings. He’d seen prints of her drawings at her studio in Montana, and the sketches reminded him just how good Dani was. Both drawings of her parents were perfect, but was she drawing them from a deep memory or the photos she’d seen at Mae’s? “Not saying her memory isn’t returning, but Dani saw the crime board, and there are photos of Neva and Bobby on it.”
“I’d forgotten that,” Alex said.
“May I see Neva’s again?” Mae asked and studied the sketches he handed her. She looked up with a smile. “I’d say memory—see this mole?” She pointed to a mole just above her daughter’s lip on the right. “It’s not in the photo on the crime board. Neva had the mole removed a year before that photo was taken.”
Mark bumped fists with Mae, something they’d done for years when one acknowledged the other was right about something. He looked through the other sketches and frowned. He turned to Dani. “Is this Ben?”
Alex answered for her. “She hasn’t seen Ben since she returned—the drawing is of someone from her memory, but it looks like Ben to me. What did you get out of Kyle?”
“Nothing. He wasn’t there. But I talked to Mr. Peterson and Toby Mitchell.”
“You found Toby? Where’s he been?”
Mark glanced at Mae and Dani. “Do you want to talk about this here or your dad’s office?”
“Now just wait a minute,” Mae said before Alex could answer. “I want to hear what you have to say. After all, I tracked Danielle down, and it’s my crime board you’re using down at your office.”
Mark ducked his head to hide the grin that spread across his face. But Mae had a point.