Page 30 of Little Child Gone (Nikki Hunt #10)

SIXTEEN

Hennepin County Medical Center occupied several blocks in downtown Minneapolis.

Nikki parked in the garage with the easiest access to plastics on the fifth floor.

She showed her credentials to the security guards checking people into the hospital and signed in.

A volunteer offered to let the fifth-floor charge nurse know Nikki was on the way, but she declined.

Hearing the FBI wanted to talk to a person tended to color their testimony.

The massive hospital had multiple surgical suites, and Jared could be in a different department since he’d been called into emergency surgery, which gave Nikki the opportunity to talk to the nurses without risking Jared overhearing.

Nikki squeezed through the crowd on the elevator, grateful to be out of the box. Each department had security doors to enter the floor. Nikki waited a couple of minutes before someone returned to the main desk inside the department to buzz her in.

“Hi.” She showed her badge to the student volunteer. “Is Doctor Hall still in surgery?”

“I’m not sure.” He logged into his computer. “Yes, the surgical suite is still occupied. What’s this about?”

“I’m not at liberty to say,” she answered. “Is the charge nurse or another RN familiar with Doctor Hall available?”

“Not sure about that either.” He motioned for Nikki to follow him and led her into the waiting area. “Let me see who I can find.”

While she waited, Nikki checked her messages. Chen hadn’t called, but she had several emails about other cases, including requests for profiles.

“Agent Hunt?” A sandy-haired woman about Nikki’s age entered the waiting room. “I’m Melinda, the charge nurse tonight. Doctor Hall’s in surgery, but he told me we might hear from the police or FBI. Is there any news on Taylor?”

So much for the element of surprise. “Not yet. I just had some follow-up questions for Doctor Hall, but while we’re waiting, how long have you worked with him?”

“I’ve been here since I started nursing,” Melinda answered. “I’d already come to the plastics floor before Doctor Hall arrived.”

“I take it you think highly of him?” Nikki asked.

“Oh yes,” Melinda replied. “Surgeons tend to be… confident, but Doctor Hall treats everyone like we know as much as he does. It feels more like a team than any other unit I’ve worked in.”

“I’m sure that makes your job easier.”

“It does,” Melinda answered. “When the attending supports the nurses, the rest of the doctors on the floor tend to follow their lead.”

“Have you ever met Christy or any other family members?”

“Of course,” Melinda said. “Doctor Hall had a get-to-know-you party at his place the first few months he started. She’s very nice. Very much the homemaker.”

“Their home is beautiful,” Nikki said. “This might sound strange, but does Doctor Hall share anything personal with you? Issues the kids might be having at school, the usual things co-workers talk about?”

“He talked about Taylor and marching band,” Melinda said. “Going to football games and competition. Stuff they wanted for Christmas, that sort of thing.” She worried her lower lip. “I really hope Taylor’s okay. Do you think he was kidnapped?”

“I can’t really share details,” Nikki said. “We’re doing everything we can to find him.”

Melinda’s pager beeped. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to check on this patient. I’ve already called the OR to let Doctor Hall know you are here. He was finishing up, so he should be with you shortly.”

Nikki handed her a business card. “If you think of anything else.”

Melinda tucked the card into her pocket and rushed out of sight. Nikki wished she hadn’t checked in with the operating room, but she understood Melinda was just trying to help.

She went back to her email, eager to read the one that had just come in from Liam. She skimmed the short message and clicked on the attachment.

“Shit.” Nikki read the Marion County, Indiana, arrest report. Taylor had been a witness to the violence and testified that he’d seen his mother throw a beer bottle at Jared.

She heard Jared’s scrubs before he entered the room. “Agent Hunt, did you find Taylor?” He towered over her, Snoopy scrub hat still on, circles under his eyes.

“Not yet.” Nikki grabbed her bag and stood. “We need to talk about Indianapolis.”

Jared sank into the chair next to her. It was clear he knew exactly what Nikki was referring to.

“It was nothing, really.” He pulled his scrub cap off, running his hands through his thick hair.

“Christy’s had it rough most of her life.

She was a foster kid. They kicked her out when she got pregnant with Taylor, and she had to learn to survive on her own.

That sort of thing takes its toll on a person.

She fell into certain bad habits, which affected the kids. ”

“But the arrest happened less than two years ago,” Nikki reminded him. “You two had been married for several years, you’d adopted the kids and given her a good life. And Penny had come along. Things weren’t better for her?”

“Oh, of course they were,” he answered. “But she’s had a hard time forgiving herself for those early years. She stopped drinking when she was pregnant with Penny, but she fell off the wagon from time to time. That was one of those times. I should have known better.”

“What happened?”

“I’d come home from a long shift. Penny had a cold and was being a little bear.

Amelia had taken her upstairs, and the boys were playing video games loudly,” Jared said.

“I asked Christy what was going on, why she was so upset. It just went downhill from there. I tried to calm her down and she threw her beer bottle at me.” He touched the scar on his right cheek.

“One of those perfect throws you’d never be able to repeat.

I wouldn’t have called the police, but Taylor saw it happen.

He called 9-1-1. I told the police it was an accident, begged them not to take her to jail.

But they had to, and it was pretty obvious who was the aggressor. ”

“The arrest report says she pleaded guilty and had to go through anger management and alcohol abuse classes,” Nikki said. “How did that affect her relationship with the older kids?”

“Taylor has never really seen her the same way after that night.” Jared sighed.

“He and I have always been close. He feels like she doesn’t appreciate me and what I did for them.

I thought things were getting better after we moved, and they seemed to for a while.

But the first big argument they got into, he decided not to come home to freak her out. He texted me, but I was in surgery.”

He wiped his teary eyes. “I love her so much. She’s a great mom. It’s just her demons.”

“Do you think something could have happened between Christy and Taylor?” Nikki said. “We know she drove around longer than she admitted to last night.”

Jared stared at her. “She did?”

Nikki nodded. “She left Menards like she said, but she drove around for an hour before she came home. Christy told me she was looking for him.”

“I was on call,” Jared said. “Amelia and Caden both said she was livid when she got home, yelling about Taylor making her wait and how that was the last time.”

“You didn’t mention that this morning.”

He stared at her. “I didn’t think it was relevant. Where are you going with this?”

“We have to consider she and Taylor could have had an argument that went badly.”

“No, no, no,” Jared said. “Christy would never hurt the kids, no matter how much she’d had to drink.”

“Has she ever gotten physical with any of the kids?” Nikki asked.

“No.” Jared’s eyes shined with intensity. “Agent Hunt, I promise you my wife would never hurt her kids. Even Taylor.”

Nikki told him about the mysterious female caller yesterday but omitted the information about the money in the shoes, for now.

“You’re kidding me,” Jared said. “That’s… Taylor would never run away. He knows Amelia would be devastated. There’s got to be more to this situation, Agent, I promise.”