Part 4 (1/2)

Trey shook his head. ”Only her dad in California. She missed him a lot, but she also blamed him for her mom being so bitter. But she said that no matter what, when she graduated on June fifth, she was moving back to L.A.”

That explained the June 5 circled on her calendar.

Patrick still didn't look satisfied. Sean said to his partner, ”What are you thinking?”

He shook his head. ”I don't know. This isn't adding up.”

Sean disagreed. He felt that he was getting a clear picture of Kirsten Benton. Her parents were split, her mom lied to her, her dad started it by having multiple affairs-he could see her running away. But what didn't make sense was her involvement in the Party Girl website. Why post naked pictures? Why post the s.e.x video with Trey? Did her disappearance have anything to do with the website, or was it something completely different?

”I really don't know where Kirsten is!” Trey insisted.

Patrick asked, ”Do you know if Kirsten ever hooked up in person with someone she'd met online?”

”No, never,” Trey said emphatically.

”Are you sure about that? Because it happens all the time, even with smart girls who should know better.”

Sean glanced at Patrick. His face was tight, and Sean knew he was thinking about Lucy. This case was getting to him-a missing high school senior was too close to what had happened to Lucy nearly seven years ago. But it was not the same, though Sean couldn't explain that to Patrick now.

Trey ran his hands through his hair. ”Last summer, I'd have said no way would she ever hook up online. Now? I never thought she'd quit softball. I don't know her anymore.”

Sean took down Trey's contact information, then gave the kid his card and his cell phone number. ”If you hear from Kirsten, call me immediately. If you remember anything else that might help, call me.”

After Trey left, Sean turned to Patrick. ”What do you think?”

But Patrick was in his own world, staring at the wall. Sean continued, ”I believe him, though I think he might know something more, even if he doesn't know it's important. We'll check back with him tomorrow after he thinks more about it.”

Patrick said, ”We need to spend more time at Kirsten's computer.”

”I'm working on breaking her pa.s.sword to the Party Girl site, and then we can dig into it.”

”We need to find out who she was talking to and if she agreed to meet him in person.” His voice vibrated with restrained anger, something Sean had rarely seen in the three years he'd known Patrick.

”That's a given. What's up? What are you thinking?”

Sean didn't like Patrick's aggravated expression. He looked more like his hard-edged military brother Jack. He didn't answer Sean's question, but said instead, ”Specifically, we should look for any communication about college and boyfriends.”

It was not so much his words as his tone. There was only one topic that could make Patrick this angry.

”You're thinking about Lucy,” Sean said.

”It was all about her excitement at going to college,” Patrick said quietly, his resentment taking a backseat. ”And a predator taking advantage of it.”

”We'll cover every possible connection,” Sean said, ”but this isn't the same situation. Kirsten has a habit of running away. It could be the same guy each time, or different guys. We'll find her and bring her home.”

”She knew better,” Patrick said.

Sean snapped his head, shocked by what Patrick had said. He couldn't have meant it. ”Don't-”

Patrick rubbed his eyes. ”Sorry. I have a headache.”

”We need to talk.” In all the time Sean had known Patrick, this was the first time he'd hinted that Lucy was even partly to blame for her kidnapping nearly seven years ago when she'd agreed to meet someone she'd been talking to online. Lucy had enough blame for herself, especially after Patrick nearly died searching for her. If she suspected that he had unresolved issues, it would shake her to the core. Sean would do anything to protect Lucy, starting with setting Patrick straight.

Patrick stood and paced the Bentons' kitchen. ”I didn't mean it like that.”

”Bulls.h.i.+t.” Sean began to seethe, knowing that Patrick was being unfair. What had happened almost seven years ago was incredibly complex and it remained a volatile issue with all of the Kincaids, but until now Sean had never thought he had to protect Lucy from her own family.

Patrick stared at Sean. The anger was back, a flash, then it disappeared.

”What were you going to say?” Sean asked, his voice low, not wanting a fight but unable to let the conversation stand.

”I need aspirin and food.”

”Patrick-”

”And another thing: don't ask Lucy to help on this case.”

”She's the one who found the Party Girl site and the video. This is right up her alley. Honestly, if we're going to move quickly, we need her expertise.”

”How do you think she feels watching s.h.i.+t like that s.e.x tape? Going to sites like Party Girl? You let her create a profile!”

”Hold it, I didn't know she'd done it until afterward, but it makes sense, and it's nothing she hasn't done before for WCF.”

”Yeah, and look where that's got her,”

”What's the problem here, Patrick?”

”Just keep Lucy out of this. I mean it.”

Sean was stunned by Patrick's anger. He'd been on edge since returning from California, leaving his typical calm, reasoned personality on the West Coast. But this venom was so uncharacteristic that Sean didn't know how to respond.

He said, ”Lucy knows what she's doing. I wouldn't ask her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with.”

”Yes, just like she knew what she was doing when she was setting up those parolees for WCF and the vigilantes?”

”Wait just a minute-”

”Like she knew what she was doing when she got herself kidnapped in front of the church? Or when she nearly died on that island?”

Sean slowly rose from the table, his hands splayed firmly on the oak top to keep them from fisting up.

”Those are different situations,” he said through clenched teeth. ”And Lucy is not to blame for either of them.”

Patrick blinked, as if he hadn't known what he'd said. ”I meant the fire.”

”You said the island.”