They exchanged glances.
"Mr. Kessler," the taller one said, "the Langford family is offering a substantial reward for information leading to their son's location."
"I'm aware."
"If you remember anything—anything at all—that might help us..."
"I've told you everything I know."
Another exchange of glances. The shorter one made a note in his pad.
"One more question." The taller one pulled out his phone and showed me another photo: Tobias at a formal event, smiling that empty smile I remembered from the engagement party. "Have you seen this man since the wedding? Anywhere in town? At a store, a restaurant, anywhere?"
The bookstore. The hardware store. Walking down the street in my clothes.
"No," I said. "I haven't seen him."
They studied me for a long moment. I held their gaze, kept my breathing steady, gave them nothing.
"Well." The taller one stood, tucking away his notepad. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Kessler. If you remember anything..." He handed me a card. "The family is eager to bring their son home."
"I'll keep that in mind."
I walked them back to the lobby, answered a few more questions about hotel security protocols, and shook their hands. Professional. Helpful. Completely unremarkable.
They left satisfied. I had given them nothing to be suspicious about.
But I wasn't the one I was worried about.
Ronan found me in the security office an hour later.
"The Langford investigators," he said, closing the door behind him. "Third time this month."
"They're thorough."
"They're desperate." He sat down across from me, watching with that quiet attention that made him good at his job. "The family's offering half a million now. Someone will talk eventually."
"No one here knows anything."
"No." Ronan agreed. "But they keep coming back anyway."
Silence stretched between us.
"You handled them well," he said finally. "Very professional."
"That's my job."
"It is." He paused. "But you don't like them. The investigators."
"No one likes being questioned."
"It's more than that." Ronan's voice was calm, observational. Not accusatory. "Every time they come, you get... closed off. More than usual. Like you want them gone as fast as possible."
"I want everyone gone as fast as possible. That's not new."
"With other people, yes. But this case specifically—" He stopped, considering his words. "You were thorough that day. I reviewed the footage, the reports. You ran a textbook search. But whenever it comes up now, you shut down."
I met his eyes. "What are you asking, Ronan?"
