Page 28 of Little Child Gone (Nikki Hunt #10)

FIFTEEN

Nikki took a few moments to clear her head before going into Menards. Why had Christy lied to them? Nikki’s gut told her that Christy hadn’t done anything to her son, but this certainly wasn’t going to help her case.

“No problem,” Nikki said. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”

“Follow me to the manager’s office.” Livingston led her past the customer service counter, through a narrow corridor to a large but cluttered office. “We all share this room, so I apologize for the mess.”

Nikki took the seat across from the desk while Livingston sat behind it.

He sank against the back of the chair and sighed.

“My shift starts at ten a.m. By the time I got in, the sheriff’s deputies had already received all the security videos.

” He shook his head. “At first, I thought the entire thing was ridiculous. I didn’t realize he wasn’t at home the entire time. ”

“I’m curious why you or another manager didn’t call his parents when Taylor didn’t show up for work?” Nikki asked.

Livingston’s dark eyebrows knitted together. “I did. I spoke to a woman yesterday evening who said Taylor was sick. She called herself his mother.”

Yet another lie Christy had told. “What’s the number you have for Christy Hall?”

Livingston unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts. “Since we all share this office, I keep my employee contacts in my phone. Here it is.”

Nikki scribbled the numbers he rattled off into her notes.

That wasn’t the same number Christy had given them for her contact information.

Could it be a burner phone? Maybe Taylor had actually just gone to a friend’s to lie low for whatever reason.

Neena and Amelia had both seemed truthful about not having heard from Taylor, so who had pretended to be Christy?

Or had Christy just flat-out lied about all of it?

“Since Taylor is a minor, I know the hiring process is a little different. Have you met both his parents?”

“Just his dad. He’s the one who brought him for the interview. Nice guy. Didn’t hover, went and shopped during the interview.”

“Taylor’s last actual work day was last week, then,” Nikki confirmed. “Did he seem any different that day? Worried? Nervous?”

“Not that I noticed, but he’s a quiet kid. Great with customers, polite to co-workers, but not a big talker.”

“Is there any co-worker he was friendly with?” Nikki asked.

Livingston shook his head. “I texted all of my employees that work with Taylor after I came in this morning. No one knows anything, and no one had noticed anything.”

“Did he ever receive any visitors?” Nikki asked.

“I really couldn’t tell you that,” he said. “They come and go like customers. We don’t really keep track as long as people do their jobs the right way.”

“How long do you keep security videos?” Nikki hoped they hadn’t already erased last week’s.

It was a long shot, but if Taylor kept secrets from his parents, especially a girlfriend or some other friend they wouldn’t approve of, visiting at work was the best way to avoid getting caught by his parents.

“Thirty days,” Livingston answered. “I thought you guys had everything you needed?”

“We likely do,” Nikki admitted. “But I’d like to have my partner go through last week’s videos and see if we can pick up anything unusual. He’s really good at spotting little details like that.”

Livingston rubbed his bald head, nodding. “It will be a few hours. Can I email it?”

“Yes, of course.” Nikki gave him Liam’s email address at the Bureau as well as her business card with all of her numbers. “Please call if you or anyone else remembers anything else.”

She stood to leave. “One more thing. Do you know if Taylor changed his parents’ contact information since he started?”

“That I can answer,” Livingston said. “He gave me this number a couple of weeks ago, said his mom had a new one.”

Once she was back in her warm Jeep, Nikki called the number Taylor had given his manager. An automated voice said the number didn’t accept unknown callers. Nikki swore and called Liam.

“Wilson, buried under paperwork.”

“Listen, I need you to run a number for me and see if it’s a VoIP number.

” In other words, an internet phone number.

VoIP was the acronym for the official name.

“I don’t have my laptop.” She gave him the number.

The FBI had software to trace internet numbers, but a savvy user also knew how to use encryption to protect themselves.

“It is, routed through the UK, which means nothing. Why?”

Nikki told him about Taylor changing his mother’s contact information at work.

“That sounds like something was planned,” Liam said. “I’ll call public transport in Indianapolis back and ask them to keep checking, but Taylor hasn’t shown up at the airport, train station or bus.”

“A woman answered the phone yesterday and told Livingston that Taylor was out sick,” Nikki reminded him. “Either Christy is lying, or the situation isn’t at all what we think.”

“You should ask for all of Menards’ security videos from last week,” Liam said. “If he is with this mysterious woman—assuming she exists—maybe she came in and talked to him, especially if they were planning to run.”

“I’m glad you said that, because Livingston will be emailing you those very videos this afternoon.” She maneuvered her way through Menards’ parking lot. “I’m heading back to the Halls’ house. Update Garcia for me, please.”

Thanks to the mid-day lunch rush, it took Nikki nearly twenty minutes to get to the Halls’ house.

She pulled into the driveway, surprised to see one of the garage doors open and a stall empty.

A steel-colored Chevy Suburban remained in the other stall.

According to the background check Liam had run, Jared drove a black Tahoe.

Perhaps he’d decided to drive around and look for Taylor. Hopefully Christy hadn’t gone with him.

Christy answered the door, eyes glassier than when Nikki and Miller had left earlier. She’d clearly been crying—her eyes were rimmed red, and her face bright pink. “Did you find him?”

“No, not yet,” Nikki said. “I did have some follow-up questions, and I’d like to look at Taylor’s room, like we discussed.”

“Why?” Christy asked.

“It really helps me understand the missing person better, especially teenagers. Kind of helps me step in their shoes a little bit.”

Christy opened the door and motioned for Nikki to come in.

“Did Jared decide to look for Taylor?”

“He was called into an emergency surgery,” Christy said. “He’s the attending on call, and the other surgeon is on vacation.”

“I’m sure that’s rough,” Nikki said. “Hopefully he will be home before long.”

“He left about forty-five minutes ago,” Christy said. “The surgery is four to five hours, so he said not to expect him until later tonight.” She set her phone on the counter, messing with the buttons on the side. “I’m paranoid I will have the ringer off and Taylor will call.”

“Are Amelia and Caden here with you and Penny?”

Christy nodded. “They’re keeping her occupied.” She stood in front of the refrigerator. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No thanks.” While Christy’s back was turned, Nikki texted Liam and asked him to call the number Livingston had given them. If Christy had procured the internet number, her phone should notify her of the call depending on its setting.

Nikki sat down at the counter they’d occupied earlier, watching Christy intently. “I do have some follow-up questions after talking to people at school.”

Christy nodded. “I assumed you would.”

“Really?” Nikki quickly read Liam’s text. The call had gone to the same message about unknown callers, and Christy’s phone hadn’t made any noise.

Christy leaned against the marble. “Look, I made a lot of mistakes before Jared. Taylor holds things against me, even though it has been just over eight years since I met Jared. We got married soon after we met.”

“What sort of things?”

“I wasn’t abusive,” Christy said. “But I worked multiple jobs and made bad choices. Taylor and Amelia spent a lot of time by themselves when they were little.” Her lower lip trembled. “I’ve spent the last eight years trying to make up for it.”

“I’m not judging you by any means,” Nikki assured her. “I just need to know the truth.”

“We’ve told you that,” Christy said. “I don’t understand what you’re asking.”

Menards had confirmed that Christy’s Suburban was parked near the front of the store last night for about twenty minutes, which matched what she’d told them.

Taylor hadn’t appeared on the footage. “Christy, I know you didn’t come home when you said last night.

Traffic cameras showed you coming home over an hour later than you told us. ”

“I drove around looking for him,” Christy said. “And then I decided if he wanted to pull this stunt again, he could text Jared like he did before.”

“Before?” Nikki asked. “This was after an argument the two of you had?”

“It was a few months ago,” Christy said.

“I’d spent all day asking Taylor to do his damned chores while Jared was at work.

He just kept ignoring me, so I told him he was going to be grounded if he didn’t do his chores.

He got mad and we argued. I told him not to leave the house, but he did it anyway.

I spent hours worried sick, walking around the neighborhood, looking for Taylor.

Finally, Jared called and said he’d texted that he was staying the night at Logan’s.

Taylor didn’t give a damn about my worrying. ”

“I understand why you’d be upset,” Nikki said. “Teenagers are tough.”

“I was certain he did the same thing yesterday,” she said. “If I’d called the police, he might be here right now.”

“Is there anyone else you can think he might turn to?”

“I gave you everyone’s name I could think of,” Christy answered. “And I just don’t believe he’d put his siblings through it this long.”