Page 34 of Little Child Gone (Nikki Hunt #10)

NINETEEN

Miller had already informed the principal as well as Adrian Lynch by the time Nikki arrived. Holly led her to the office. “Mrs. Farber is here as his guardian. She’s his aunt. I didn’t know that.”

“It makes sense.”

“They’re in the big meeting room just down from the principal’s office.”

Principal Carlson and Sheriff Miller sat on one side of the table, with a sour-faced Mrs. Farber and Adrian sitting across from her.

Mrs. Farber looked like she smelled something bad when Nikki entered. Adrian Lynch smirked at her. Miller must not have shown the tape yet. She looked at the sheriff.

“I haven’t shown the video yet,” he told her. “I thought I’d wait for you.”

She sat down next to him, directly across from Adrian. “I can’t wait.”

Miller unlocked his tablet, the video from Culver’s cued.

They watched in silence as Adrian Lynch emerged from Culver’s to stop Taylor Hall from coming inside.

The boys stood nose to nose, insulting each other.

Adrian shoved his index finger in Taylor’s chest, the same smirk on his face.

Taylor turned and walked away, out of frame.

It looked as though Adrian might go after him, but someone inside grabbed his arm and led him back into the restaurant.

“You told me you hadn’t seen Taylor,” Nikki reminded a now white-faced Adrian. “But this video tells a different story. It also makes me wonder if you didn’t follow him.”

“I didn’t, I swear.”

“Don’t act like a criminal.” Mrs. Farber patted his arm and glared at Nikki. “Just because he didn’t tell you about an altercation doesn’t mean he’s involved. I won’t have you railroading my nephew.”

Nikki had had her fill of arrogant women today. “We’re trying to find a missing kid that you’ve had in class. Do you have any empathy?”

The air seemed to have been sucked out of the room. Mrs. Farber didn’t respond.

“Let’s all take a breath,” the principal cut in. “Adrian, explain yourself.”

“He doesn’t have to?—”

“Yes, he does.” The principal leveled an icy stare at the teacher. “I allowed you to sit in because you’re family. Holly and I can act as guardian, and this is all being recorded. Please let Adrian do the talking.”

Nikki ignored the glowering teacher, her eyes locked with Adrian’s.

No longer the cocky popular kid, his face had gone pale, fear in his eyes.

“Look, Adrian. We know when you came back to campus. You didn’t have time to follow him.

You had practice after school. So unless you ran into him again, I don’t think you’re a suspect.

But I do think you know more than what you’ve said.

” She paused for a beat. “What did Taylor say? Did you see where he went?”

“I’m not in trouble?” he asked.

“Not if you tell me the truth now,” she promised.

Adrian took a deep breath. “He didn’t say much. I called him names, tried get him to swing. He wasn’t interested.”

“Tell me exactly what he said.”

“‘I don’t have time for your bullshit,’” Adrian said. “‘I just want to get a shake before my ride gets here.’”

Mrs. Farber finally spoke again. “That’s it? That’s all? You should have told them yesterday, Adrian. This could change things for them.”

“I thought you were on my side,” he whined.

“I am,” she said. “I’m here to make sure you aren’t taken advantage of, and you certainly weren’t. What if Taylor got in the car with a really bad person?”

“It’s all right,” Miller said. “He’s telling us now. What else did he say?”

“Nothing,” Adrian said. “Right after he turned around, a dark car stopped aways down the street. He ran toward it and got inside. They went east on Market. That’s all I know, I swear to God.”

“What kind of car?” Nikki asked.

“Chevy Malibu. Not brand new, not old. Darker color.”

“Did you see the plate?”

“I wasn’t looking, sorry.”

Miller allowed Mrs. Farber to take Adrian back to class. “Principal Carlson, could we look in Taylor’s locker?”

The principal hesitated. “Our privacy rules… we can search the lockers at any time, but searching personal possessions inside is another story. Parents can be really difficult.”

“You have the right to look in his locker,” Miller said. “We need to do it.”

Carlson sighed and called Holly Black into the office. “Take them to the freshman corridor and Taylor Hall’s locker.” She fished a key out of her desk. “This key will unlock the school-issued padlock.”

Nikki hung back to talk to Miller while they followed Holly down the hall. “Play the CCTV video again,” she said.

This time, she focused on Taylor’s shoes. “Those are the missing shoes from his closet, the ones he hid cash in. The Curry shoes.”

Miller shook his head. “What is this kid playing at? I’ll put out an APB for the vehicle with his photo, even though it’s really common. What if the shoes and money are in his locker?”

“Then I’ll rethink my theory,” Nikki said.

“Wow.” Nikki couldn’t believe the state of Taylor’s locker.

Unlike his room, the locker was stuffed full of paper, books, and food.

The size of the school meant students only had room for a half-sized locker, making the Curry shoes and Taylor’s backpack impossible to hide and possibly unable to fit.

“Teenagers are messy.”

“Not this kid.” She reminded him about Taylor’s meticulously organized room.

“More proof of his mother’s influence.” She gestured to the open locker.

“This represents the real Taylor.” Nikki studied notes stuck to the inside of the locker door.

Most were school related, but at the bottom of the whiteboard, Taylor had written the name “Bailey” along with the same August 2015 date the Smiths had disappeared, followed by a question mark.

“What the hell?” Nikki asked. “Why would Taylor know anything about the Smiths?” She didn’t recognize Bailey, but they didn’t know the male skeleton’s name or what had happened to the youngest member of the Smith family. She looked at Miller.

“Maybe the date is a coincidence,” Miller said. “We don’t even know if Bailey was the youngest one’s name. Still doesn’t explain how Taylor would have found out about a family we can’t find.”

“He doesn’t know anything about his father,” Nikki reminded him. “What if he was searching for him and stumbled onto something really bad?” Her phone dinged with a text from Liam. “Brandon Kelly wants to talk now. He’s willing to meet us at the station.”

“Who is he again?” Miller asked.

“The guy Stephanie dated the fall the Smiths disappeared. Atwood was the affair that broke her marriage, but she dated Brandon publicly.”

“Then let’s go see what he has to say.”

When they arrived at the sheriff’s station, Nikki took time to drink a bottle of water and collect her thoughts.

Brandon Kelly had been seeing Stephanie Bancroft when the Smiths had disappeared.

If she had anything to do with what happened, she might have said something to him.

Nikki had no idea if Brandon was going to be hostile or helpful, but he was likely their last chance at figuring out Stephanie’s mindset when the Smith family disappeared.

She tossed the bottle into the recycling bin and headed to the interview room, where Miller waited with Brandon Kelly.

“Thanks for coming into the sheriff’s station.” Nikki smiled at the man across from her. Brandon Kelly shifted nervously in his chair, still in his mechanic overalls. A few strands of gray stuck out amid his dark hair. He was younger than Stephanie, but his smile lines made him look older.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I can tell you,” Brandon said. “Like I said to Agent Wilson when he called, my relationship with Stephanie was just sex.”

“That’s fine.” Nikki turned to a fresh page in her notebook. “How did you get involved with her?”

Brandon sighed. “I had a DUI that year. She helped me out of it and said I didn’t have to pay her in cash.” His face reddened. “I’m not proud of it, but it was ten years ago. I was young and stupid.”

“No judgment,” Nikki said. “Did you two start dating that summer?”

“My DUI was in May, so that sounds right.”

“How long did you guys see each other?” Miller asked.

“A year, maybe.”

“This might be tough to remember, but did Stephanie ever confide anything to you that made you uncomfortable? Did she mention Ms. Smith or her children at all?”

“Yeah, she complained about her all the time. Called her racist names. I got sick of it and told her I didn’t want to hear about it.” He shifted in his chair. “I know that sounds mean, but talking is not what Stephanie and I got together for, you know?”

“Is there any one time that stands out?” Miller asked. “Was she different later in the fall? More relaxed?”

“God, I don’t know, probably not. I don’t think that woman knows how to relax. As for times that stood out, what do you mean?”

“Is there anything specific she said about Ms. Smith?” Miller clarified. “Did she make direct accusations about her?”

Brandon thought about it for a few moments.

“Well, yeah, I guess there was one time that seemed especially off the wall, even for her.” He rubbed his scruffy chin.

“She showed up at my apartment one night in July, out of her mind. She’d been drinking, so I didn’t pay a ton of attention to what she was saying.

The gist of it was that her father had added Ms. Smith to the will without telling Stephanie. ”

Nikki and Miller looked at each other, and she knew they were both thinking the same thing: when had Stephanie found out and how? “Hold on,” Nikki said. “You’re certain that she talked about her father adding Ms. Smith to the will?”

Brandon nodded. “That’s all she talked about.

I’m sitting there playing video games in my apartment when she barges in smelling like gin and ranting about her father.

I tried to tune her out at first, but when she’s angry, her voice has this piercing pitch that makes you want to crawl out of your skin. ”

“Did she say anything about doing something to the Smiths?” Miller asked. “Even if you thought it sounded ridiculous at the time, we want to know.”

“Honestly, no,” Brandon admitted. “I asked her why she’d showed up so late just to complain about that, and she got really nasty.

Took the PlayStation controller right out of my hand and threw it against the wall.

” The muscle in his jaw worked. “I had to go into my bedroom and lock the door to keep my cool. She pounded on the door for a while and screamed, but she finally left. That’s actually the last time I spoke to her. ”

“We have to ask this,” Miller said. “But where were you that weekend in August?”

Brandon looked between the two of them in confusion. “What?”

“We have to rule everyone out,” Nikki said. “I know it’s ten years ago?—”

“No, it’s fine,” Brandon said. “Just surprised me is all. I was on a family vacation on Lake Superior, up by Duluth. My grandparents had a cabin, and we all went every year.”

“That should be easy enough to confirm.” At least one thing in this case would be easy.

“Yeah, my aunt owns the cabin now. She’s the one who arranged all the reunions. I can give you her number if you want.”