Page 26 of Little Child Gone (Nikki Hunt #10)

Miller took the exit for Bayport, a small township within Washington County, close to St. Croix Prep Academy and the St. Croix Savanna Scientific and Natural Area, a large swath of protected land monitored by the Department of Natural Resources.

“His house borders all that protected land. Even though it’s cold, that’s a good place for a kid to hide to punish his parents.

I’ll have a deputy fly a drone over the area and see if anything pops out. ”

Nikki exited the vehicle while he sent a message to his deputy and admired the two-story modern Craftsman with white trim. Bayport was a growing area, with home prices increasing as new houses like this one popped up.

“Nice place.” Miller joined her and they headed up the cleared sidewalk. “Small lots here, though.”

“Limited space with the preserve,” Nikki said. “They shouldn’t have tried to cram so many homes around it.”

Clear Christmas lights decorated the front of the house, and a beautiful wreath hung on the front door, which opened before they’d reached the porch.

A petite woman with a stylish bob and a worried look stepped onto the porch. She looked at Sheriff Miller. “Logan got a text from his friend saying that Taylor Hall is missing. I’m hoping you found him, but I assume that’s not the case.”

“Not yet.” Miller introduced himself and Nikki. “Can we talk to Logan for a few minutes?”

“Of course.” She shook their hands. “Renee.”

Inside, the home still appeared new, with a cherry-wood floor leading from the living area to the kitchen. Windows lined the back of the house, a freestanding counter with a granite top separating the kitchen from the living area.

Logan sat in the recliner near the fireplace, looking pale and scared. His blond hair stood on end. He stared at Nikki and Miller. “You didn’t find him yet?”

Renee encouraged them to sit on the couch.

“Not yet.” Nikki sat down at the end of the couch closest to Logan. “I know you’re sick, but do you feel like answering some questions?”

Logan nodded as Renee perched on the recliner’s arm.

“When was the last time you heard from Taylor?” Nikki asked.

“Lunch yesterday,” Logan answered. “My schedule is different than his, so lunch is the last time we see each other before school ends.”

“How did he seem?” Miller asked.

Logan shrugged. “Normal, I guess.”

“What did you two talk about?”

“Usual stuff,” he said. “Band practice, mostly.”

“Did he mention his work shift after school?” Miller asked.

“Yesterday? I don’t think so, but I know he hated his mom picking him up after work. He’s not old enough for to drive yet, and she won’t let friends pick him up or drive him a few blocks to work,” Logan said. “At least he can walk from school to Menards.”

“It’s not that easy for a parent,” Renee said.

“You might be the best driver in the world. It’s everyone else you have to worry about.

The only reason I let you ride with older friends is because of my work schedule.

” She looked at Nikki. “I’m an accountant and mostly work from home.

Logan’s dad lives out of state and my parents are two hours away.

I trust his friends, but I still worry every single day. ”

“Me too,” Miller said. “All three of mine are old enough to drive. Sometimes I lie awake at night, thinking about all of the senseless car accidents I’ve responded to.”

“I can’t imagine,” Renee said. “Christy is protective, that’s all.”

Nikki could tell by Logan’s expression he didn’t quite agree. “What does Taylor say about the situation?”

“He says she likes drama.” Logan looked sheepish. “That if she doesn’t have any in her life, she’ll create it.”

“What sort of drama?” Nikki asked. “Things seem pretty normal at their place.”

“He doesn’t talk about being a little kid much,” Logan answered.

“I know before his dad came into the picture, Christy had lived in few different tiny apartments in downtown Indianapolis. She worked all the time and Taylor watched his sister. Jared changed their lives, but Taylor thinks she doesn’t really appreciate it. ”

“Sounds like she and Taylor butt heads a lot,” Nikki observed.

“He’s at that age,” Renee said. “Logan and I would certainly argue more if it weren’t just the two of us.”

“Do you know what caused the fight between Taylor and Adrian Lynch?”

Logan’s face reddened. “Adrian’s a dick. Sorry, Mom.”

Renee sighed. “That’s fine, but they need to know what Adrian actually did, honey.”

“He asked Amelia out, and she said she wasn’t allowed to date. He said his sister found a pregnancy test in the bathroom after Amelia left, like she was the only other girl in the school.”

Renee’s lips pinched together in anger. “That poor girl. She’s so sweet and quiet.”

“I’m glad to hear Logan’s version lines up with what Adrian told me,” Nikki said. “Taylor didn’t get in trouble for the fight and suspension?”

“His mom was pretty upset and wanted to ground him, but his dad said no. He stood up for his sister. He shouldn’t have hit Adrian, but the week suspension was enough. Taylor said his mom was pissed off at his dad for that.”

“Taylor’s close with him, isn’t he?” Nikki asked.

“Yeah,” Logan said. “He’s Taylor’s hero.”

“A knight in shining armor.” Renee locked eyes with Nikki.

“Mom.”

“Don’t ‘Mom’ me.”

This was the first negative thing they’d heard about Jared from anyone. “Why don’t you like Jared?”

“It’s not that I don’t like him,” Renee said. “He just seems… controlling.”

“That’s because you are anti-men,” Logan said.

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not true. His father and I were young and didn’t stay together. We get along just fine, always have. I’m just busy.”

“Is there any particular reason you think Jared’s controlling?” Miller asked.

Renee hesitated, running her hand through her short hair. “I don’t want to make Christy look bad.”

“We’re not here to judge,” Nikki assured her. “We just need the truth.”

“At the final band competition in early November, I noticed Christy drinking. I didn’t say anything to anyone because it’s their business, but I watched them the next couple of hours. He just seemed… shitty to her.”

“She was drinking at the competition, Mom,” Logan said.

“And there’s a reason why she drinks,” Renee said. “We don’t know what that is, and we aren’t going to judge. I don’t think her husband should either, much less grip her arm the way he did.”

“So she wouldn’t fall down.”

Renee ignored her son. “The competition was at our stadium, so a lot of the parents volunteered for concessions and things like that. Jared and I worked concessions together in the morning. He made several comments about Christy not being able to work concessions because she stressed over counting money back and would get disoriented. He laughed when he said all of this, but I’ve only spoken to him a few times, and I didn’t like hearing him disparage his wife like that.

That’s why I started paying more attention that day.

I remember thinking I might drink too if I had to deal with him. ”

“Doctor Hall is really cool,” Logan said. “Taylor says Christy has mood swings. You just don’t like the idea of answering to anyone.”

Renee glared at her son. “That’s not true. I answer to your father about your life all the time. He doesn’t talk to me like I need to be in a remedial classroom, though.”

“Logan, is there any chance Taylor could be hiding somewhere, maybe teaching his mom a lesson?”

“I don’t know,” Logan answered. “He talked about getting her back sometimes, but his life’s pretty good in general.”

“I think it’s safe to say that Taylor still has a grudge against his mom,” Miller said after they’d left.

“Agreed.” Nikki scanned her messages from Liam. “Still no sign of Taylor in Indianapolis. Liam is in contact with public transportation officials and the TSA. They have a BOLO with Taylor’s photo on it.”

“What about his old friends or a teacher he might trust?” Miller asked.

“Kendall’s going through the list. We aren’t coming up with anything so far,” Nikki said. “Adrian Lynch can prove he was at Culver’s when Taylor actually left school because of the receipt.”

“But we don’t know how long he was there,” Miller said. “I’ll see about getting CCTV from them, too.” He glanced at her. “I need to get K9s and searchers around the wildlife preserve near Logan’s. You want to split up?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Nikki said. “I can go back to the Halls’ house and look at Taylor’s room, see if anything stands out. I’d also like to stop at Menards and talk to his manager, make sure we’re not missing anything.”

“We know he cut school early,” Miller said. “He headed east, so he could have been taking a longer route to Menards, through the soccer fields and into those woods. It’s been searched, but I’m going to have a K9 go through. Taylor could have been hanging out and ran into someone up to no good.”

“It does sound like the Halls shelter the kids somewhat,” Nikki said. “I guess it’s possible he was gullible. But that’s so rare.”

Miller called Reynolds as they neared the sheriff’s station and asked him about getting CCTV from Culver’s. “You’re kidding me. Yeah, we’re splitting up. Nikki’s heading over there.” He ended the call. “Guess what?”

“Someone lied to us?”

He snorted. “Am I that obvious?”

“I know how to read people,” she said. “But yes, that was pretty obvious. What’s up?”

“Christy Hall lied. Stillwater PD pulled all the closed-circuit video in the neighborhood, including the one at the intersection a few blocks from the Halls’ house. She came home ninety minutes later than she claimed.”