asked.
“Brooke was there, smiling at us, then she was gone.”
“Did that upset him?”
“Not really. But I got the feeling he was trying to tell me something.”
“About Brooke?”
“Yes. And maybe about the last time he saw her, but all I got from him was the word
hide
.”
“Hide? Like he was telling her to hide?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve told you before, animals communicate differently—”
“‘According to their intelligence, vocabulary, and ability to express emotions.’” Kai quoted my explanation from over two months ago.
“Um . . . right.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about the fact that Kai had paid such close attention to what I’d said.
“But because Boris was blitzed, you couldn’t get a clear read,” he surmised.
“Sort of. What Boris showed me was clear, it just wasn’t what he meant. None of what I saw knit together. It was like having a bunch of puzzle pieces but they all went to different puzzles.”
“Welcome to Criminology 101.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“There’s something else, too.” I told Kai about my trip to Billy’s Feed and Seed and what Doc Riggins had seen.
“He didn’t know why Brooke was crying?”
“Just that she’d been on the phone. He couldn’t give me the name of the man who was watching her. I was hoping you could call and get the sales records of the people who were there at the same time as Brooke. Maybe get a name off a credit card or something?”
“Maybe. That sort of thing might mean acquiring a warrant, which I can’t ask for.”
“Someone took this girl and no one cares. Not her parents, not the cops, no one. It’s just not right, Kai.”
There was a long pause as he regarded me. “What was the name of the store?”
“Billy’s Feed and Seed.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said as he scrawled on a notepad. “By the way,” he continued, “I put in a call to a contact at the Department of Juvenile Justice. She’s supposed to look into Brooke’s case and get back to me. Until then, since you’re so gung ho about it, work on figuring out a timeline.”
“Where do I start?”
“With the last person to see Brooke. Then work backward from there. Make a note of anything significant.”
“Like what?”
“Like arguments or odd behavior. Anything out of the ordinary. The best way to figure out what happened to her is to look at what might have led to it. If we can find out what triggered her disappearance, we’ll be closer to finding her.”
“Arguments?” I told him that Brooke and her mother had argued not long before she went missing.
“Could have just been regular mother-daughter tension,” he said. “But it’s good to know, anyway.”
“Right.” I glanced away, reluctant to tell him about the other argument I’d learned about. He noticed my hesitation and I could almost feel his investigator’s brain zero in on me.
“And?”
“Brooke also had a disagreement with Ozeal.” I explained that she’d caught Brooke in the clinic.
He pinned me with his gaze. “You didn’t want to tell me. Why?”
“I don’t know. It looks bad. Like Brooke was trying to get drugs or something.”
“And you still don’t think I’m taking you seriously.”
“I do. It’s just . . .”
Kai waited for me to continue. Which was bad, because I didn’t know what to say.
After a few moments, he said, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you know.”
I nodded.
He leaned back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling. Maybe he was counting to ten or something.
“Kai?”
He finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Brooke might have been looking for drugs or she might not have. There are a hundred scenarios. I’m trying not to jump to conclusions and keep an open mind. If you want to find her, you should, too.”
“Do I smell Krispy Kreme?” Jake asked as he ambled into Kai’s office.
Without waiting for an invitation, he opened the box of doughnuts and plucked out a
“Brooke was there, smiling at us, then she was gone.”
“Did that upset him?”
“Not really. But I got the feeling he was trying to tell me something.”
“About Brooke?”
“Yes. And maybe about the last time he saw her, but all I got from him was the word
hide
.”
“Hide? Like he was telling her to hide?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve told you before, animals communicate differently—”
“‘According to their intelligence, vocabulary, and ability to express emotions.’” Kai quoted my explanation from over two months ago.
“Um . . . right.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about the fact that Kai had paid such close attention to what I’d said.
“But because Boris was blitzed, you couldn’t get a clear read,” he surmised.
“Sort of. What Boris showed me was clear, it just wasn’t what he meant. None of what I saw knit together. It was like having a bunch of puzzle pieces but they all went to different puzzles.”
“Welcome to Criminology 101.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“There’s something else, too.” I told Kai about my trip to Billy’s Feed and Seed and what Doc Riggins had seen.
“He didn’t know why Brooke was crying?”
“Just that she’d been on the phone. He couldn’t give me the name of the man who was watching her. I was hoping you could call and get the sales records of the people who were there at the same time as Brooke. Maybe get a name off a credit card or something?”
“Maybe. That sort of thing might mean acquiring a warrant, which I can’t ask for.”
“Someone took this girl and no one cares. Not her parents, not the cops, no one. It’s just not right, Kai.”
There was a long pause as he regarded me. “What was the name of the store?”
“Billy’s Feed and Seed.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said as he scrawled on a notepad. “By the way,” he continued, “I put in a call to a contact at the Department of Juvenile Justice. She’s supposed to look into Brooke’s case and get back to me. Until then, since you’re so gung ho about it, work on figuring out a timeline.”
“Where do I start?”
“With the last person to see Brooke. Then work backward from there. Make a note of anything significant.”
“Like what?”
“Like arguments or odd behavior. Anything out of the ordinary. The best way to figure out what happened to her is to look at what might have led to it. If we can find out what triggered her disappearance, we’ll be closer to finding her.”
“Arguments?” I told him that Brooke and her mother had argued not long before she went missing.
“Could have just been regular mother-daughter tension,” he said. “But it’s good to know, anyway.”
“Right.” I glanced away, reluctant to tell him about the other argument I’d learned about. He noticed my hesitation and I could almost feel his investigator’s brain zero in on me.
“And?”
“Brooke also had a disagreement with Ozeal.” I explained that she’d caught Brooke in the clinic.
He pinned me with his gaze. “You didn’t want to tell me. Why?”
“I don’t know. It looks bad. Like Brooke was trying to get drugs or something.”
“And you still don’t think I’m taking you seriously.”
“I do. It’s just . . .”
Kai waited for me to continue. Which was bad, because I didn’t know what to say.
After a few moments, he said, “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you know.”
I nodded.
He leaned back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling. Maybe he was counting to ten or something.
“Kai?”
He finally looked at me, his expression unreadable. “Brooke might have been looking for drugs or she might not have. There are a hundred scenarios. I’m trying not to jump to conclusions and keep an open mind. If you want to find her, you should, too.”
“Do I smell Krispy Kreme?” Jake asked as he ambled into Kai’s office.
Without waiting for an invitation, he opened the box of doughnuts and plucked out a
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