“Do you have the phone number?” Sam asked.
He handed her a slip of paper.
“Please let Dispatch know our team will be in touch with the Cambras and add Tomas to the BOLO. Get a photo from the parents and work out relocating them so Crime Scene can process their house.”
Gonzo left the room to see to her orders.
Sam handed her phone to her sister. “Let’s give them a call, Tracy. Put it on speaker.”
As Tracy punched in the number, Sam noticed her sister’s hands were shaking. Seeing the usually unflappable Tracy so undone was unsettling to Sam, who’d turned to Tracy for reassurance her entire life.
A man answered the phone with a tentative “Hello?”
“Mr. Cambra, this is Tracy Hogan, Ethan’s mom. We’re trying to find him and heard you’d reported Tomas missing, too.”
“Yes, he’s been gone since this afternoon and isn’t answering his phone, which seems to be off.” His voice wavering with emotion. “We can’t see his location.”
“Same with Ethan. I’m here with Lieutenant Holland from the MPD. She’s my sister and is helping us.”
“Mr. Cambra,” Sam said, “when was the last time you heard from or had contact with Tomas?”
“It was around four thirty. I checked his location and saw he was on the Metro going to the Wharf. The next time I checked, around five forty-five, his location was unavailable, and he didn’t reply to calls or texts. We waited a couple of hours before we called the police. We’re very concerned. This isn’t like him at all.”
“We’ve put out a be-on-the-lookout alert for Ethan and are adding Tomas, too. Do you know the other boy they were with? Ethan’s parents said his name is Brecken.”
“I don’t know him, and my wife doesn’t either. We haven’t heard his name before.”
“Do any of you have the names and numbers of other kids who go to school with Ethan and Tomas who might know Brecken?”
“We can reach out to the parents we know,” Mr. Cambra said.
“Call us back if you find out anything about him or hear from Tomas,” Sam said. “One of my colleagues will be contacting you to get a recent photo of Tomas. It would help if you could send it over quickly.”
“We will.”
“Does he have a debit or credit card on him?” Sam asked.
“A debit card,” Mrs. Cambra said.
“I’ll need that account info ASAP so we can check for activity.”
“We’ll get that to you.”
“Thank you. I hate to say this, but we’re also going to need to relocate you so Crime Scene detectives can process your home and devices.”
“You think we’re involved in his disappearance?” he asked, incredulous.
“As we’ve said to the Hogans, there could be information in your home that might help us find the boys. This is standard procedure. Do you have somewhere you can go?”
“My wife’s sister lives close by. We can go there.”
“Please text me her address and phone number so I can reach you.”
“How can we leave our phones when our son is missing?” the mom asked tearfully. “What if he calls?”
“The detectives will take any calls that come in while the phones are in our custody.”
“Very well.”
