Page 62 of Little Child Gone

As she neared her house, the girl’s breath came in ragged gasps. Her neighborhood, usually a haven of comfort, now seemed alien and foreboding, even though she knew the house would be empty, at least for the next thirty minutes or so. She fumbled with her keys, her hands slick with sweat, and finally managed to unlock the door. The familiar creak of the hinges greeted her, but it did little to calm her racing heart.

She dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and burst into the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. The silence of the room was deafening, broken only by the sound of her rapid breathing.

Her hands shook as she pulled the test out of her backpack, the plastic wrapper crinkling loudly in the quiet space. The instructions blurred with the tears already building in her eyes, but she forced herself to read them carefully, her mind racing with a thousand what-ifs.

As she waited for the results, the seconds stretched into an eternity. She stared at the tiled floor, her vision unfocused, and tried to steady her breathing. The test lay on the edge of the sink, its white plastic casing stark against the porcelain.

Her thoughts spiraled in a chaotic whirlpool of fear and hope. What would she do if it was positive? The future, once so bright and full of promise, now loomed before her like a dark, impenetrable fog.

Finally, the timer on her phone beeped, startling her out of her reverie. She took a deep breath and forced herself to look at the test. Two lines. Positive.

The world seemed to tilt on its axis, and she sank to the floor, her legs unable to support her. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle the sobs that threatened to escape.

In that moment, the weight of the future pressed down on her shoulders, and she felt more alone than ever before. Her mother would never believe the truth.

TWENTY-ONE

After confirming Brandon Kelly’s alibi, Nikki spent the rest of the day going over all of her notes on Taylor, the Smith family, and Rodney Atwood. Atwood murdered his stepson, Scott. Atwood had an affair with Stephanie, who really hated the Smiths. Stephanie had been in contact with Atwood since Scott’s death. Taylor was the wild card. Where did he fit in? Nikki hadn’t noticed anything strange about Stephanie’s reaction to Taylor’s name. She didn’t think Stephanie was the woman who had pretended to be his mother.

Had Taylor been searching for his biological father? Nikki felt like she was going in circles right down the drain. None of it made sense.

That night at home, after she tucked Lacey into bed, Nikki went into her office to go over the last couple of days. So far, the circumstantial evidence supported Taylor being alive, but why would he disappear without telling his siblings? What was she missing?

Her vibrating work cell pulled Nikki out of her thoughts. She didn’t recognize the number, but the caller ID read Indianapolis.

“This is Agent Hunt.”

“Agent Hunt, I’m sorry to call so late,” a female voice replied. “I called your office number, and your machine said to call this number in an emergency.”

“Yes, this is my cell phone,” Nikki replied. “You’re calling from Indiana?”

The woman cleared her throat. “Yes. My name is Kelsey Richard. I’m a family law attorney in Indianapolis. The evening news ran a segment about Christy Hall’s son Taylor. Is he still missing?”

Nikki entered the attorney’s name into the search bar. Kelsey worked for a large firm in Indianapolis specializing in domestic cases. “Unfortunately. Do you know if he’s turned up in the city?”

Liam had been tasked with staying in communication with public safety in the greater Indianapolis area. He’d enlisted an agent from the local bureau to make sure Taylor didn’t slip through the bus or train station without being seen by the police or CCTV.

“Not that I know of, but I do think there are some things you need to know. You’re aware Christy Hall was arrested for domestic battery a little over a year ago?”

“Yes,” Nikki replied. “Jared confirmed she received probation with anger management.”

“I’m sure he did.” Kelsey’s tone made Nikki sit up straighter. “How did they seem to you? Jared and Christy?”

“What exactly happened in Indianapolis?”

“Christy Hall met with me about a week after her arrest,” Kelsey said. “She told me that Jared was the abusive one. He hurt himself during that fight. Taylor heard the glass shatter and saw Jared bleeding, but he didn’t see who actually threw the glass.”

According to her online bio, Kelsey had more than twenty years’ experience in family court. “Did she seem like a battered woman to you?”

“I believed her,” Kelsey replied. “Jared controlled every aspect of their lives so well the kids weren’t even aware of what he was doing. He monitored what Christy ate, drank, her entire routine. Their bedroom was soundproof. She hid the bruises.”

Nikki thought about Christy letting Jared take control of all the conversations.

“She had to look presentable at all times,” Kelsey continued. “No loungewear. Slacks, shirt, hair curled and makeup on. She’d been working in restaurants when they met. He swept her off her feet and said she would be able to stay home and take care of her kids. She was so excited, and they were married within a few months. Christy didn’t have any family to tell her to stop and think things through.”

A predator’s favorite sort of victim, Nikki thought. “Did she have any medical record of the abuse? Or anyone to back her up?”

“No,” Kelsey replied. “Jared had the kids on his side before they were married. Christy said they were happy and didn’t carry a lot of resentment toward her until Jared showed up and started pointing out flaws. By the time they were married, Taylor had started talking about how hard things were when he was little, even though they had a lot of good memories.”

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