Page 16 of Bone Echo

They ate in silence. It was necessary to force down the first bite or two but then his appetite perked up and the rest went down easy. The coffee really hit the spot.

When he’d finished, Audra said, “Go. Get started. I’ll be there as soon as I clean up.”

He gave her a tight nod and headed deeper into the house. The need to make a quick walk through downstairs had him checking the front door and all the windows. Then he bounded up the stairs. The moment he entered Ella’s room his entire being howled in agony even before he turned on the light.

The room smelled like her. Felt like her. From the lilac color on the walls to the posters clustered there. The girl did love rock music. And not the new stuff either. The classic stuff that her old man enjoyed. Her bed barely had a wrinkle in it, confirming that she hadn’t slept there last night. Her favorite stuffed bear and monkey lay against the pillows.

He crossed to the desk she’d fallen in love with at a junk sale their first summer in Maine. She’d painted it and the matching chair a pale shade of pink. He pulled out the chair and sat down. The laptop had no access password. Thank God. He went straight to the social media platform he’d heard her mention most. He checked all her posts for the past several months. Checked the direct messages received and sent. Just the usual stuff. Lots of pics of her and Brian and the Mustang. A smile tugged at his lips. She did love that car.

His cell rang sending his heart into his throat. He checked the screen.Peterson. “You got something new?” He held his breath. Dread welling inside him so fast he couldn’t have taken a breath if he’d wanted to.

“The lab rushed the bloodwork on the Satterfield kid. They found that date-rape drug Rohypnol. The lab tech said the dose must have been a big one to show up at the level it did so many hours later. It’s a miracle it didn’t kill him. Most dosages at that level do.”

The hot chocolate.

Son of a bitch.

“Thanks, Peterson. Anything else?”

“Nothing yet, chief.”

“I want to hear anything and everything that comes in ASAP,” Kurt reminded him. “I want those patrol units checking in every hour.” What he really wanted was to be out there. But right now he might be able to do more by looking for whatever the hell he had missed about his daughter’s life.

“You got it,” Peterson assured him.

The call ended and Kurt stared at the screensaver image of Ella and Brian.Please let her be okay.

He went through a year’s worth of posts on each platform. He had to admit that his girl was careful. She didn’t interact with creeps or strangers. She kept a close lid on her privacy which was really good. Well, except for it kept him from learning anything she may have been dealing with or concerned about.

Damn it.

Something about the news from Peterson nagged at him. He pulled up another tab and went to his email account. As promised, the video from the Village Stop was there. Kurt viewed it again, his heart squeezing as he watched his daughter help her friend. Had being Brian’s friend gotten her into trouble or was it Lawler and something Kurt didn’t see just yet that set all this in motion?

“Tell me what I can do.” Audra said from the door. “I don’t want to intrude but I do want to help.”

Kurt turned to her, even managed a smile. “You would never be an intrusion.” He closed the laptop. “I guess we’ll take it top to bottom and side to side. Look at anything and everything.”

Audra nodded. “How about I have a look in the dresser. Check her more intimate apparel and such.”

He chuckled sadly. “I would appreciate that.”

While Audra started with all the drawers in that old white dresser that had already been in the house when they bought it, Kurt went for the nightstand next to the bed. Pens, notepad, tissues, Chapstick. All the usual clutter. He flipped through the notepads before moving on. He checked under the pillows and covers, then the mattress. On his knees he checked underneath the bed and the nightstand.

He moved back to the desk and checked the two drawers there as well as under everything atop the desk and beneath it. Lots of notes about school and things she wanted to order for her car but nothing relevant to the current situation. A reminder that he needed to repair the passenger door handle.

First thing when this was over he would take care of all the things he’d ignored.

Then he moved on to the framed photos and posters on the wall. He looked behind each one. The tape she’d used to secure the posters to the wall would no longer adhere so he added more. Nothing but wall behind any of those. Then the light fixture and finally the floor register. Though he was fairly confident there were no loose boards in the floor, he checked those too. Every single one. Nada.

“Done,” Audra announced. “You would be proud. Your daughter is very modest with her intimate wear.”

Kurt offered Audra a weak smile. “Good to know I guess.” He pointed to the bifold doors he’d added to the closet since the original door had been missing. Just another of those thingsthat hadn’t been in the listing photos when he bought the place. “That leaves the closet.”

“It doesn’t look that big,” Audra pointed out. “I’ll leave you to it and I’ll make us some hot tea.”

“Thanks.” He would have argued that he preferred another cup of coffee but he was already on the edge and maybe she noticed. Another heavy shot of caffeine might not be the right way to go.

One rock band or the other’s logo was plastered over most of Ella’s tees. A few were plain. Lots of hoodies and sweaters. Weather in Maine was vastly different from that of southern California. Tanks and thin tees didn’t cut it in the winters here. He checked in all pockets. Inside all shoes and boots. No secret notes. No hidden items.

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