“I don’t want to know how much this is costing you.” But she did want her car back, and if he was willing to pay for it…she was going to pad his Christmas gift.
“You think I care about how much it costs?”
She leaned her elbows on the table. “Fine. I guess I’ll just owe you one forever.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll cash in at some point.” Preston gave her a soft smile.
Jax settled by Kenna, and Maizie came out of the RV with her laptop and a blanket. Kenna glanced at the young woman. “Did Zeyla get you a connection into Ellayna’s phone?”
Maizie nodded. “She was heading back here, but I told her the police need the phone.” The young woman made a face. “She wasn’t happy, but she’s meeting with Ryson.”
“The techs missed it at the house,” Kenna said. “If they even searched it all that thoroughly.”
Jax said, “They probably looked to see if Crystal and the kids packed a bag, so they could decide the family just left town, and that’s the most they’ll do unless there are signs of foul play.”
Kenna leaned against him. “Maizie, did Zeyla tell you where the phone was?”
“Under Ellayna’s bed, like it slid there.”
Kenna glanced between Jax and Maizie. “That could indicate there was a struggle. She might’ve been grabbed and dropped it, or she knew there was danger and shoved it under the bed, hoping no one would find it.”
Maizie looked at her computer screen and typed on the keyboard. “The phone has everything you’d expect your average teen would have. Social media accounts, streaming entertainment apps, all the things you’d think a twelve-year-old might not be ready for. Also, there are no family restrictions or time limits on her device, so maybe we want to talk to Crystal about adding those when we find them.”
“Good idea,” Jax said. “Kids shouldn’t have unlimited access to media until they know how to regulate themselves. The dopamine hit is too addictive, and there’s far too much risk of seeing or hearing something they’re not ready for.”
Maizie looked at him. “I actually added it to my phone because I never had access to social media or entertainment before now. I don’t know how to use it in a healthy way either, even though I’m an adult. Stairns set time limits, and if I need more time at night to watch something, I have to send a request.” She grinned. “He’s pretty funny about it. He said I should do the same for him.”
Kenna loved that the two of them related to each other like family. “Even old dogs need to learn new tricks. Like how to use different apps on their phone.”
Maizie grinned. “I taught him how to send me a video of Cabot. Now he does it every day.”
She smiled. “I’d love to see them.”
“No problem. As far as Ellayna goes, I’ve got texts in her messages and in the apps she uses. No emails with anyone, just spam, but that’s not surprising for a kid.”
Kenna smirked and heard Jax chuckle quietly beside her.
“Huh.” Maizie stilled. “She was talking to someone, making a plan for when to meet. Or connect. I think it was a phone call.”
“The podcaster?”
Maizie said, “Maybe. She has his name saved in her contacts as Rich Waters.”
“The name of the guy on the podcast is Steven, right?” Preston asked. “At least, the name he uses for it.”
Kenna nodded. “So far, all we’ve been able to ascertain is that it’s an alias he uses for it. There’s no other way to trace him. Except for this name. But maybe that is fake as well. Ellayna might have made it up.”
Aside from the federal government opening a case, which would be difficult to justify when he didn’t seem to have committed a crime, all they could prove was that he was just a horrible person who interviewed children for ratings.
She’d decided that no matter how gentle he was with Ellayna during the interview, he still shouldn’t have done it.
Without probable cause, no one could get a warrant to compel whoever was behind any of the podcasting apps to give up his personal information.
It might not even lead anywhere.
“Now we have the number he was using to communicate with her,” Maizie said.
Kenna touched her hands together in front of her. “Please tell me it’s not a burner phone. Please, please, please.”
