Page 31 of Little Child Gone

“He is,” she agreed. “He learned Spanish really quickly after Jared offered to teach him. The move from Indianapolis was hardest on him.”

“Greenwood,” Jared corrected her. “It’s a suburb of Indianapolis. I hated to move the kids from school, but HCMC offered me more money as an attending, and they allow me to have office hours to work on cosmetic procedures.” He shrugged. “I love working in the ER. I deal with all sorts of facial injuries, flexor sheath injuries in the hand, skin grafts. You get the picture.”

“But the cosmetic stuff pays better?” Nikki assumed.

“Just a little bit, and when you have four kids, every dollar matters.”

“Four?” Nikki asked.

“Penny is three,” Christy said. “For the first time in my life, I’m able to be a stay-at-home mom. She’s with Amelia and Caden.”

“You worked before she was born?” Nikki asked.

“I did, but not at the bar. Jared got me an administrative job at county. We were together all the time.”

“How did the older kids feel about the move?” Miller asked.

“Caden was fine with it,” Christy said. “He’s that kind of kid. Amelia was sad, but she understood and was excited for a change of scenery. Taylor wasn’t happy at first, but he’s a Twins fan, so he came around by the time we moved.”

“No resentment about it?” Miller asked.

“Not that he really showed,” Jared answered. “The only issue we’ve had—other than his and Christy’s battles—was a fight at school. Taylor stood up to some kid who’d been bullying his sister. I don’t have a problem with that, even if he did get suspended for a week.”

“I do.” Christy flushed. “Violence isn’t the answer.”

“Of course it isn’t.” Jared gave Nikki and Miller a look that made it clear he was only humoring his wife.

“You mentioned battles between the two of you,” Nikki addressed Christy. “I have to ask, did they ever turn physical?”

“I would never hurt my children. Taylor hasn’t forgiven me for his early childhood being so chaotic.”

“He’s also at the age where he thinks he knows everything.”

“He doesn’t talk to you the same way?” Nikki asked Jared.

“I don’t have the past with him that Christy does,” Jared said. “And I think it’s easier to be mean to flesh and blood sometimes.”

“What do you mean, past?” Miller asked.

“It was still rough after Amelia was born for a few years,” Christy said. “I couldn’t always afford a babysitter and relied on Taylor too much.” She covered her face with her hands. “It’s all my fault. I’ve failed him from the beginning. I should have gone into Menards and talked to the manager instead of leaving and going to bed.”

Miller asked for a list of friends and contacts in Indianapolis Taylor may have reached out to. Jared handed him a folded paper he’d taken out of his pocket. “I went ahead and wrote that down for you. I’ve also put Neena and Logan’s information. They’ll be at band practice.”

“Do you mind if I look at Taylor’s room?” Nikki asked. “It helps me get a feel for someone.”

“Of course,” Jared said. “The kids are upstairs. Should we call them down so you can talk to them before you head upstairs?”

“Please do. Do all three know what’s going on?”

Jared retrieved his iPhone from his scrub pocket again and started texting. “Penny just knows Taylor’s not here, but we told her he had to go to school early. One of us will distract her while you talk to Caden and Amelia. He hasn’t called either one of them,” Jared added. “That’s what scares the hell out of me. Even if he was so mad at his mom that he decided not to keep me in the loop, he wouldn’t put his siblings through this. Kids are headed downstairs.”

Amelia led the way, her dark curls framing her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. Caden followed, holding little Penny’s hands. She was blond like her father, but Jared’s son Caden looked a lot more like Amelia than his dad.

Penny ran to her father, and Jared scooped her up, snuggling her neck.

“Why are all these people here?” she asked him. “Where’s Taylor?”

“He’s not here right now, sweet pea.” Jared motioned for the older kids to sit at the table across from the counter. “Amelia, Caden, this is Sheriff Miller and FBI Agent Nikki Hunt.”

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