“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he convinced the younger kids to do some dirty work for him and it possibly went bad.”
Sam swallowed hard as she considered the many ways dirty work could go bad. “How so?”
“Could be anything with him. He’s the ultimate con man.”
“We’re talking about a kid here, right?”
“Yeah, but he’s not your average fifteen-year-old. I’m not a mental health professional and can’t make an official diagnosis, but in my opinion, he has sociopathic tendencies.”
Her anxiety increased with every new piece of information. “What’s the deal with the father?”
“He’s a slippery sucker. Manages to get himself out of most jams thanks to his equally sleazy attorney. Do you know Roland Dunning?”
“I’ve had the displeasure.” He’d represented disgraced former Deputy Chief Conklin, who’d sat on evidence that would’ve solved her father’s shooting years earlier while Conklin pretended to be a friend to their family.
“Yeah, well, he’s really good at getting Mayfield off on slam-dunk charges. A few things have stuck, though, which is why he’s in the parole system. There’re warrants out for both him and his son since they’ve fallen off the radar and missed check-ins.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me that might be helpful in finding Brecken?”
“If I had something that would lead to him, he’d be in my custody. That kid has no business running the streets looking for more trouble.”
“Any chance you can send me a photo of him as well as a list of his usual haunts and known associates? I know you’re probably checking them all, but maybe we could, too. Who knows what might pop?”
“Sure, I’ll send it to your email.”
Sam recited the address. “This has been enormously helpful. Thank you so much.”
“Wish I could do more. If you pick up a scent, make sure to let me know.”
“I’ll keep you posted.” She closed her phone and glanced at Nick, who looked up from his BlackBerry. “That was productive.”
“Sounds like it.”
“And also terrifying. If Ethan was hanging out with that kid, then he could be in some big trouble.”
“Let’s hope he kept his wits about him if he got in over his head. He’s a smart, savvy kid. Remember at Christmas when he had all the toys put together before I could even find a screwdriver?”
“Yeah, that was funny. He showed up all the dads.”
“He had that Swiss Army knife thing that he got for his birthday, the one with all the tools on it.”
“He wanted that so badly. Tracy and Mike gave him a thousand warnings about using it only for good and said it could never go to school with him.” Sam smiled at the memory of Ethan using his gadget to conquer Christmas. “Tracy said she frisks him every day on the way out the door to make sure he’s not going to school with a weapon.”
“Wherever he is, he probably has it with him.”
“That’s true. God, I hope he does.”
When someone knocked on the door, she called for them to come in.
Dr. Trulo poked his head inside. “Is this a good time?”
Sam waved him in. “Always a good time to see you, friend.”
He stepped inside and closed the door. “Mr. President.”
Nick stood to shake hands with Trulo. “Good to see you, Doc.”
“I saw the motorcade outside and suspected we had a VIP visitor.”
