Page 34 of Little Child Gone

“We don’t have secrets,” Amelia said.

Christy returned carrying a large, pink Stanley cup. “I’m sorry for getting up like that.” She sipped from her cup. “I just needed a minute. All of this is just too much.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nikki assured her. “There’s no playbook on how to handle this. We need everyone’s part of the story to make a complete picture.”

“Did the kids tell you anything to help find Taylor?” Christy asked.

“Nothing you don’t already know,” Nikki answered. “They both agree he wouldn’t leave them and talked about how he’d be headed to band practice right now. Do you usually drive him?”

“Some days,” Christy answered. “Some days Jared takes him because it fits his schedule.”

“He never rides with a friend?” Miller asked. “Does he have his school permit yet?” In Minnesota, kids had to be sixteen to drive on their own, even with a school permit.

“He’s still fourteen,” Christy said. “And I wouldn’t let him ride with a friend who just had a permit. He takes the bus unless Jared is able to take him.”

“What about band practice?” Nikki asked. “I think marching band practices in the morning and evening sometimes, right? Did he ever ride home with a friend?”

“Logan,” Christy said. “His mom gave Taylor a ride home a few times. But I usually picked him up. Why?”

“We need to know anyone he may have trusted enough to get into a vehicle,” Miller said. “They just need to be eliminated as suspects.” He checked his watch. “School starts at 8:35 a.m. What time does band practice start?”

“7:15,” Christy answered.

“Any chance we could come back and look at Taylor’s room?” Miller asked. “It’s important for us to understand his mindset but given the time constraint, I think band practice is our next stop, especially since his closest friends are in the band. If anyone will know something, it’s going to be them.”

“What about us?” Christy said. “Are we just supposed to wait by the phone?”

“I’ll make sure to have a deputy come by and update you in the next couple of hours if we aren’t back.” Miller reminded Christy that every available resource was being used just as Jared returned with a dressed Penny, her tangled hair wet and combed, the sweet scent of Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo surrounding her.

“What’s going on?” Jared asked.

“As I told your wife, we’ve got deputies searching along with Stillwater PD, and they will be knocking on doors in the area. I’d like to get to the high school with Agent Hunt before band practice ends so we can catch the kids at once,” Miller said. “We’ll also start calling people on the list you gave us, and a deputy will be here to check in.”

“Most cases like this end up with the kid coming home, right?” Jared asked. “He’s probably holed up somewhere, punishing us.”

“Do you think he’d do that to both of you?” Nikki asked. “Since he called you when he did this before?”

Christy drank from her cup before answering. “He might.”

“Did the two of you argue over something I don’t know about?” Jared asked, concern lacing his tone.

Christy stared at her husband. “No. It was his usual smart mouth and not doing what I told him to, that’s all. Words were not exchanged beyond that. Did you take my side before?”

“Excuse me?”

“When he told you and not me, did you tell him that wasn’t right?”

“Of course, and I told him if it happened again and he texted, I was coming to get him.” Jared looked sheepish. “You’re right. He probably wouldn’t text me this time.” He took a deep breath. “That’s all this is. He’s okay.”

Christy closed her eyes and took another drink. “From your lips to God’s ears.”

ELEVEN

Before they left for the high school, Miller asked Nikki if she could have someone on her team contact Taylor’s Indianapolis friends as well as the surrounding airports and public transportation. She called Liam while Miller called his chief deputy for an update on the ground search for Taylor Hall.

“We’re not sure what we’re dealing with yet,” Nikki told her partner as she paced around Miller’s big vehicle. “The family’s insistent he wouldn’t run away.”

“They’re usually the last ones to know,” Liam said.

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