Page 19 of Bone Echo

She held up a hand. “You’ll also want to know that Dr. Lawler did not return home last night. Johnson took over surveillance duty at six.”

“I spoke to Johnson.” Not the news he’d wanted to hear at the changing of shifts on surveillance duty this morning. But he’d spoken to the officer on duty during the night at least three times so it was what he had expected to hear.

“Before,” Doreen went on, “you head out or whatever you’re planning,” she said, “Brian’s been asking for you this morning. Says he has something to tell you.”

She could have told him that first. The woman had her own way of getting to things.

Rather than say as much, he simply thanked her again. “One thing.” He stood. “You and Peterson do some digging and see if there are any abandoned storm shelters or other structures below or above ground that we should be looking at. I know we’re checking out whatever we encounter in the course of the search but we need to be sure we don’t miss anything.”

“On it,” she promised. “We’re watching all public transportation situations as you know and we’ve had no sightings so far.”

“Thanks, Doreen.”

As he headed for the holding cell Brian called home for now, he wondered how much sleep Doreen had gotten. Not much, he’d wager. Kurt greeted the officer on watch duty who looked ready for some sleep himself as he unlocked and opened the door. Inside the small room, Brian was pacing the floor.

“Finally,” he exclaimed, his body language dramatic in the way only teenagers could pull off.

“You remembered something else?” Kurt asked, skeptical.

“Last night I kept thinking about how upset Ella was with Lawler and I remembered that she told me over the weekendone of the reasons he creeped her out so badly was because he reminded her of some guy her mother argued with. Back at her old school, that Institute place, I think.”

A new burst of anticipation surged inside Kurt. “One of her teachers?”

Big shrug. “I don’t know for sure. But I don’t think it was a teacher. I think she would have been more sure about it if it was someone she interacted with regularly. But it was someone from back in L.A.”

Kurt nodded. Made sense. After what Audra had told him, it fell right into place with his theory. “Brian, when you got up yesterday morning and you thought the house was empty then you went on to school. Did you have to get dressed first?”

The kid’s brow furrowed then he shook his head. “No. I slept in my clothes and I felt like total crap so I just went to school with the same clothes on.”

Exactly what Kurt had expected him to say. “Thanks.”

“Ms. Grimes came by,” he said, causing Kurt to pause at the door.

“Oh yeah?” If the kid wanted him to feel guilty for going hard on him yesterday without Grimes present he could forget it.

Brian nodded. “I didn’t tell her we talked. I knew she’d make a big deal out of it so I just didn’t mention it. Ella wouldn’t want me to get you into trouble.”

His chest constricted but Kurt managed an, “Okay. Thanks.”

Kurt exited the holding cell and headed back to his office. First he stopped at Doreen’s desk. She looked up from her files. “Any luck finding an upcoming flight reservations for Lawler?”

“Nothing yet,“ she advised. “But I’m still prodding contacts.”

Kurt nodded. “Check the U.S. Customs and Border Protection system and see if his passport has been used in the past twenty-four hours. Maybe he decided to leave early and didn’t tell anyone. And get someone monitoring any incomingor outgoing flights at Bald Mountain.” If the man had already slipped out of the country…not going there yet.

“On it.” She turned to her computer.

Kurt grabbed a cup of coffee from the lounge and headed back to his office. He had a couple of calls to make and then he was hitting the road. He wanted to check in personally with a number of his officers. Another look around at the Lawler house was on his agenda as well—after he rattled the judge’s cage about that warrant.

Forcing back the new rush of emotions that threatened his composure he settled behind his desk and made the first call. It was damned early on the West Coast but his old friend would understand.

Retired Lieutenant Avery Hanes answered on the second ring. “Kurt, what’s up man. It’s three-thirty in the morning.”

Kurt took a breath and brought him up to speed. His voice quivered but he kept going until he was finished.

“Holy shit, buddy. What can I do? Name it and I’m on it. I can be on a plane today.”

“I’m sending you a pic. Guy goes by the name Dr. Josef Lawler. He’s a counselor at Ella’s high school. She mentioned that he creeped her out. Reminded her of someone from her old private school back in your territory. He claimed to have been employed at the Beverly Hills High School but the principal there has never heard of him. The vice principal who supplied his references last year when he came onboard here died shortly after giving the recommendation.”

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