He sat there, thinking. “I’m certain he was in all the classes we have together. He didn’t so much as ask to leave to go to the bathroom, and we share a lot of classes together, so we usually take the same paths to the next one. When I have study hall, he’s in econ, and I have theatre when he’s in English. The only other class we don’t have together is last period.”
So it didn’t sound like Ryker snatched Lucas from anywhere. Was it possible that the two disappearances were unrelated? That really would be too much of a coincidence.
“Thanks, Ezra. We’ll find your dad. Hopefully, this is all just a misunderstanding, and he’s squirreled away in a meeting we didn’t know about.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Can you handle going back to class without breaking down? What about practice?”
“Gotta admit, my concentration won’t be good, but I’m guessing it’s better if I go to class than sit around up here. Coach gave us today off for the win on Friday, so normally, I’d study in the library until Dad’s ready to leave.”
“Continue as you normally would, then.”
“Right. Don’t want to alert anyone if they’re watching that you’re on to them.”
This kid. He really was way too smart.
She stood, as did Ezra. “We’ll find him,” she promised.
“I know you will. Besides, knowing him, if he’s stuck somewhere, he won’t quit until he gets back to us. He knows a good thing when he sees it.”
With a weak smile, he picked up his bag and exited her office, heading to his last class of the day.
NARROWING THE SUSPECT POOL
ELYXANDRE
Once Ezra left her office,she pocketed her phone and headed out toward the nature preserve. The small wooded area was actually part of a state park that butted up against school grounds. In return for keeping the trails free of litter, the state granted the school permission to use the trails for cross-country practice, the life sciences classes to study and track the flora and fauna, and to use the camping facilities for their summer programs for two weeks directly after school let out. It was a great deal for the students.
However, that also meant that the close proximity had some negative impacts as well. Some students felt that they had the right to use the preserve for their own personal gains, and each week, tickets were issued to students found drinking, using drugs, and engaging in other illegal activities while inside the park. She had to journey out there at least once a day, midday, to round up students reported to be out there, and every time there was a sporting event. Pretty soon, she was going to recommend that they station staff or hire security to stand along the treeline to discourage visitors.
When she reached the north entrance, she saw Quint talking to Crash and Squirrel from Station 7 as they pored over a map on the hood of a squad car. He must have seen her out of the corner of his eye because he looked up and over at her when she was about twenty feet away.
“E, Station 7 is loaning us some of their firefighters on a rotating basis for search purposes.” He eyed her closely. “Something going on we should know about?” he asked.
“Yeah. Lucas Vaughn is missing now too.”
All three sets of eyes stared her down.
It wasn’t difficult to guess what they were thinking. “No, I don’t think he ran off with or because of Kennedy.”
“You think he’s been taken too?”
“He left the building just before ten o’clock for a meeting he had on his calendar with Superintendent Sealy. At one thirty, the superintendent called, pissed off because Lucas never showed for their one o’clock meeting.”
The two firefighters exchanged a look. “Doesn’t take a lot to put a date in a calendar incorrectly on purpose,” Squirrel said.
“No, it doesn’t. But I know Lucas, and he wouldn’t kidnap a teenage girl. He’s got a son who’s a senior here, and a squeaky-clean track record. It’s just not in him to do something like this. Besides, he’s got his cell phone and his school radio with him, or at least to the best of our knowledge. If you were trying to flee, you wouldn’t take those with you when they could lead law enforcement right to you.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time a predator made stupid mistakes,” Crash said.
“I’m telling you, Lucas is not your kidnapper. However, I get it. You don’t know him like I do.”
Quint snorted, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “God, I hope not,” he murmured.
“Don’t be an ass, Quint,” she hissed.
“He can’t help it,” Crash said. “It’s in his DNA.”
