Page 30 of Little Child Gone

Jared rubbed her back. “I called Menards and found out he never showed up for work. We reached out to a couple of friends to make sure he hadn’t gone over there and just not told me because he skipped work.”

“Christy, did anyone from Menards call about Taylor not showing up for work?” Nikki asked.

“No,” she said. “They should have called me. That’s why I just assumed he was doing this to hurt me. I had no idea he never made it into work.” Christy pressed her hand against her mouth, fighting emotions.

“Are those the only friends’ homes he’d go to?” Miller asked.

Both Jared and Christy nodded. “His circle is small. His two best friends are in band with him. Neena and Logan haven’t heard from him since before school ended yesterday.”

Nikki noted the names. “What does he play?”

“He’s a drummer,” Christy answered. “He’s the only freshman to make the drumline for quads. Neena plays bass drum.”

“And Logan?”

“Trumpet,” Jared answered. “Kid is crazy talented. So is Taylor, but I play the drums. The trumpet mystifies me.”

Miller leaned against the counter. “You’re a blended family, correct?”

Both Halls nodded. “Jared has a son, Caden, from a previous relationship, and I had my daughter Amelia and Taylor from mine. Jared’s the only father Taylor’s known,” Christy said. “He started calling Jared ‘Dad’ right away.”

“His biological father isn’t in his life?”

Christy flushed and looked down at her lap.

“Taylor’s father left just after she had Taylor,” Jared said. “Amelia never knew hers either.”

“What happened?” Nikki asked.

Christy looked up, glaring at Nikki. “What does that matter?”

“We have to understand everything about a child’s life in these cases,” Nikki softened her tone. “I’m not judging you at all. We just need to know every little detail. Sometimes the smallest ones give us the answers. Is there a chance he might have been in touch with his father?”

“I can’t see that,” Christy said. “He hates him.” She looked up at her husband. “What do you think?”

“I tend to agree,” Jared said. “Taylor has never given me the impression he’d be interested in that.” He squeezed Christy’s shoulders again. “Go ahead, honey. This isn’t about your past, it’s about finding Taylor.”

Christy brushed the tears off her cheeks. “After Taylor’s father, Steve, left, I had no one to turn to for help,” Christy said. “I was a foster kid. They threw me out when I got pregnant. I was so young and stupid, thinking that Steve was going to save me. Taylor was five weeks old when Steve disappeared, leaving me with rent and other bills I couldn’t pay because I hadn’t gone back to work yet. I ended up working on the streets and got pregnant with Amelia. I knew I couldn’t raise two kids living like I was, so I took a job at McDonald’s and worked as many shifts as I could. By the time Amelia came, I’d moved into a tiny, two-bedroom apartment in a decent area of Indianapolis.” Christy focused on her French manicure. “I worked two jobs for a long time, but the three of us were close. It was us against the world.”

“How did the two of you meet?” Nikki asked.

“I was working at the 1933 Lounge in Indianapolis. It’s an upscale cocktail bar with fantastic tippers.” Christy leaned against Jared. “It was love at first sight for me.”

“Me, too,” Jared said. “Seven months later, we were married. Taylor and my son Caden were co-ushers and Amelia was the flower girl.”

“How long have you two been married?”

“Almost eight years.” Jared squeezed Christy’s shoulders.

“The kids all get along?”

“Oh yeah, Caden is a gentle soul,” Jared said. “His mother died from breast cancer when he was a year old. I was in residency and my hours were awful. He spent more time with sitters than me until he met Christy.” He squeezed her. “I’m so lucky they bonded.”

Christy wiped her tears. “I fell in love with him even faster. He’s mine.”

Their love for the kids warmed Nikki’s heart. “Tell us more about Taylor?”

“He’s smart,” Jared said. “Quiet.” He looked at Christy. “Introvert, don’t you think?”

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