Page 24 of Little Child Gone (Nikki Hunt #10)

Nikki almost told the teacher to go back in and do her job since Holly had stayed with them. “I’m almost done. Adrian, what time did you leave school yesterday?”

His jaw twitched. “Hockey practice is at three. It was done at five thirty. I was home before six p.m.”

“What did you do between the time school let out and practice?”

“Went to Culver’s with a couple of friends. Got some fries and a shake. You can check my receipts.”

“I will.” Nikki didn’t know if this kid was involved, but she didn’t like his attitude. “We’ll check Culver’s security cameras, too, and we’re looking at all the CCTV around the school and surrounding area. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yup.” Adrian’s hands were back in his pockets. “I’m telling the truth.”

“We’re done here.” Ms. Farber took Adrian’s elbow and guided him towards the math room. The door shut behind them.

“Is she a friend of the family?” Nikki asked.

“I have no idea,” Holly said. “She’s got a reputation for being difficult, though.”

Nikki checked her messages during the walk back to the principal’s office.

Chen hadn’t returned her call, but Liam had spoken to public transit and airport officials in Indianapolis, as well as requesting flight logs from all flights between Minneapolis and Indianapolis since yesterday afternoon, just in case Taylor had paid cash for a ticket.

So far, Liam hadn’t found any evidence that Taylor had gone back to his hometown.

As they neared the front office, Miller’s angry voice carried down the hall. He paced in front of the office, barking into the phone.

“What’s going on?” Holly asked the principal.

Principal Carlson flushed. “Taylor’s final period yesterday had a sub.

We didn’t realize he’d skipped until the teacher arrived this morning and looked at the sub’s notes.

” She sighed in frustration. “First time we’ve had this sub.

He’s fresh out of school, and I had a bad feeling about his attitude. ”

“Not your fault.” No point in berating the school staff, but that missing hour could change the course of the investigation. Nikki turned to Miller, who’d just ended his call. “I assume you’re having more CCTV pulled?”

Miller nodded. “I’ve got Deputy Reynolds pulling footage an hour earlier and checking the routes. I’m also having them look at older videos to verify his usual path to work. Hopefully we’ll have the information shortly.”

Nikki liked Chief Deputy Reynolds. She had worked with him on a few cases and had been impressed by his calm demeanor and focus on detail. She motioned for Miller to follow her into the hall for privacy.

“What did the band people say?” he asked.

Nikki quickly went over what she’d learned. “Adrian, the kid Taylor fought with, claims his younger sister told him Amelia threw away a pregnancy test in the school bathroom.”

“Did she see her toss it?”

“She found it in the trashcan after Amelia had left. It was”—Nikki checked her notes—“on top, so Amelia must have been the one to put it there.”

Miller rolled his eyes. “Could have been anyone, including a teacher.”

“I know,” Nikki said. “Adrian says that’s why Taylor attacked him. But it sounds like he’s got a decent alibi.”

“Except we know now that Taylor left an hour earlier than everyone thought,” Miller reminded her. “Let’s get Adrian’s schedule and see if he had any free periods.”

They went back into the office and asked for Adrian Lynch’s schedule the day before. She was disappointed to see Adrian would have been in class during the final period, but that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t involved. “And I believe Logan is absent today,” Nikki said to the principal.

“Yes.” Principal Carlson shuffled through some papers on the counter. “His mother called him out for the stomach flu.”

“What can you tell me about him?” Nikki asked.

“Logan? I haven’t had much interaction with him, but that’s a good thing. His attendance record is good. I can have his Pony Center counselor call you, though.”

Nikki had learned about the Pony Center investigating Scott’s disappearance. With such a massive student body, having personal contact with every single kid was a tough task. The school had split the student body into four alphabetical groups, with a counselor assigned to each group.

Principal Carlson typed something into the computer on the front counter.

“Logan Thompson. That’s the Black Pony Center.

” And that was the same for Scott Williams. The counselor hadn’t been able to tell them much about Scott other than he was quiet, made decent grades and didn’t share much about his life.

“Can you give me Taylor’s, too, as well as his counselor’s name?”

“Gray Pony Center,” Carlson answered. “So that’s Tara Fink.”

“Remind me how to get to the Pony Center,” Nikki said.

“It’s right here, on the other side of the building.” Carlson handed her a map. “But I’ll have Holly escort you. I’ll call and let them know you’re coming. If you’re also headed to Taylor’s, I’ll let the assistant principal in charge of the Gray Pony Center know you’re on the way.”