Page 34 of The Killer You Know

No basement.

No sign of anyone roped up in his closets, so we thank him and take off.

“Just seeing that mess makes me think twice about eating out,” I say as we land back in the truck.

“True,” Jack says as we make our way back onto the road. “But in his defense, there’s no health inspector stopping by to make sure he’s not going to poison himself by way of questionable kitchen practices.”

“So we came up empty.” I sigh as Buddy crops up between us, hopeful for another treat.

“We still have the security footage,” Jack points out while fishing some doggie biscuits out of my glove compartment and giving a handful to the cute pooch. “And I’ll run Derek’s name and see if he has any storage facilities he might have access to. The second I saw it was a townhouse, I knew he didn’t have her here.”

I nod. “If I had to guess, Brittney is somewhere secluded, somewhere where she can scream her head off and no one will know. Unless, of course, she’s dead.”

Jack growls at the thought. “If another week goes by, she most likely will be.”

We head back to Pine Ridge Falls listening to Buddy snore in the back seat.

“We’ll talk to Alicia Adams tomorrow,” he says once we crest Whispering Woods. “She’s a teacher now at my old stomping grounds.”

“Just like Nessa,” I point out. “Maybe we’ll get a two-fer.”

“Maybe we’ll get a killer,” he says with a note of dejection in his voice as if maybe we won’t.

Someone out there knows something.

It just so happens, it’s not us.

22

Special Agent Jack Stone

We met with Nikki for breakfast at Bea’s Diner this morning.

Jet hadn’t begun his shift just yet, and for that reason alone, I enjoyed every bite of those soft, fluffy pancakes.

Since Fallon and I were heading out to my old stomping grounds, Nikki offered to take Buddy to the forensics lab with her. Fallon quickly agreed, seeing that a dog on a high school campus would cause a mob scene. I have a feeling she’s right.

As we pull into Aspen Heights High, the memories flood back with every turn of the wheel. This place was a backdrop for my better youthful years, or year to be exact, seeing that I just spent one here. But what a magical year it was.

I shake my head at the place before we jump out of the truck. The scent of the pines surrounds us like a welcome embrace. And the scent of the football field, the faint scent of books, it all takes me back in an instant.

It’s almost three-thirty and classes have already been dismissed for the day.

“There’s no place like home,” Fallon says as she comes around to my side. “This place is immaculate.” She shields the sun from her eyes with her hand as she inspects the grounds.

Aspen Heights High sits like a testament to traditional and modern educational architecture, which blend seamlessly together. The main building is a grand structure, comprised mostly of red brick, and it stands proudly at the heart of the campus. Several newer buildings surround it with expansive glass facades that reflect the sky and scream the fact they’re firmly planted in the twenty-first century.

“It’s nice,” I say before pointing to the newer construction. “Those weren’t around when I was here. But I hear they house state-of-the-art facilities.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

We head out of the parking lot and onto the grounds.

The campus is sprawling with meticulously maintained green lawns that stretch between buildings, offering students and staff alike spaces to gather, relax, or study under the shade of rambling oaks. We did a little more than relax back then, but I’m keeping my lips sealed regarding the many malfeasances of my youth.

Concrete pathways crisscross before us, leading to destinations all across campus, from the science labs to the art studio that overlooks the courtyard.

In the heart of campus sits the quad, where we find students lounging on benches, tossing frisbees, and huddled over textbooks.

---