A month later, Matthew Ross and his mother left town for good. After all these years, they'd never returned.

From all the news stories Emily Blair had ever seen, whenever a child went missing, the parents would search for years—sometimes decades-never giving up hope.

According to the investigation, the Ross family had always been close. Arguments were rare. Matthew's mother had spent years working in various factories, and Matthew took on part-time jobs while he was in college, sending any spare money home. During vacations, his younger brother and sister worked too, using their earnings to help pay for their older brother's tuition.

They were, by all accounts, a loving, tight-knit family.

So after Brandon and Helen—the younger siblings-went missing, how could Matthew and his mother have given up the search after just one month? And then, as adults, simply vanished themselves? The timing was just too convenient.

Emily's gut told her something was off.

Tristan Davis leaned in. "You think there's more to it, too?"

Emily nodded, humming her agreement.

She glanced down at the names: Brandon Ross and Helen Ross.

"My instinct says the real issue lies with those two," Emily said.

"How can I help?" Tristan asked.

Emily pulled out her phone. "No need for now. Let's dig a little deeper."

She dialed Allison. The call connected quickly. "Ms. Blair?"

"Have you checked Matthew Ross's bank records?"

Allison's tone was careful. “Already did. No suspicious activity—no large deposits, no major withdrawals. Same goes for his mother."

"Okay. That's all I needed."

"Anything else, Ms. Blair?"

"No, take the rest of the night off."

"Yes, ma'am."

After hanging up, Emily turned to Tristan. "There's an international facial recognition database, right?"

“There is,” Tristan arched an eyebrow. "You want to use it to find Brandon and Helen?"

Emily nodded. "They disappeared right after graduating, and Matthew only looked for them for a month before giving up. It's suspicious."

“I just can't believe two grown adults could simply vanish without a trace. And the year they graduated, it wasn't even hard to find work-college grads were still in demand. For both of them to drop off the map? My guess is they had another plan.” She gestured to the documents about Matthew's overseas scholarship and his alma mater abroad. “Focus on international universities, especially the one Matthew attended."

Tristan's eyes narrowed. "You think they staged their own disappearance?" “Yes,” Emily said. “Maybe they've already changed their names and identities.” Tristan nodded, catching on. "Got it. I'll take care of it.”

Emily started putting the files away, looking up at him. "How long will it take?"

Tristan let out a short laugh and reached over to ruffle her hair, unbothered by her glare. “Don't underestimate me. I'll have results for you by tomorrow."

Emily batted his hand away. "Since I'm asking for your help, I should offer something in return."

"Name it. What do you want from me?"

A glint sparked in Tristan's eyes. “Really? I can ask for anything?"