Page 12 of Bone Echo

“You didn’t take your car when you left your house after arguing with your folks?” In his earlier statement Kurt’s impression was that he’d left the house. In his car, presumably.

“The keys were in the house and I was too pissed to go back in and get them so I called Ella. She picked me up out at the road.” He shook his head. “I didn’t want them to know where I went so they would worry.” Sobs burst from him. “The last things I said to them were mean and hurtful. And now they’re dead.”

They needed cell phone records for Brian’s and Ella’s phones.

The sobs grew louder and Kurt reached out, gave the kid’s arm a squeeze. “No matter what you said, I am certain Lloyd and Kathleen knew you were just angry.” He paused a moment, struggled to maintain his own composure. “I know this is difficult, Brian, but right now I need your help. Who were you and Ella watching?”

The kid sucked in a long breath. “Dr. Lawler.”

Kurt made a face. Thought of the man he’d spoken with in Audra’s office. “Ella thinks Lawler is watching her?”

Brian jerked his head up and down. “She doesn’t like himat all. He’s weird. Really weird. You just don’t know. He watches her. Even I’ve seen him. When he first came to the school last year, he seemed okay. But it’s like this year he has this fixation on Ella.”

Kurt digested what he’d heard so far, then asked the next troubling question. “Did he find out the two of you were watching him last night?”

“Yeah.” Brian scrubbed at the tears on his cheeks with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. “He caught us.”

A new quake of surprise shook Kurt. He had spoken to Lawler this morning. He never mentioned seeing Brian much less Ella last night. Was he trying to protect the kids from trouble as well? Not exactly the proper move for a school staff member. “You’re sure he caught you?”

“We went in his house. There was a window in the back that wasn’t locked.”

Kurt held back the what-the-hell-were-you-thinking and reminder that he’d just confessed to breaking and entering. He clamped his jaws together a little harder and let the kid talk.

“We were just looking around. Ella has this idea that she knows him from somewhere. She said the other day that she remembered something and she needed to be sure. So we werelike looking at his pictures mostly. Suddenly his car pulled into the driveway. We tried to get out before he came in but we weren’t fast enough.”

Son of a bitch. “What did Lawler say?”

“He wasn’t mad like we thought he’d be but he demanded to know what we were doing. Ella was really pissed by then so she told him.”

“What was his reaction?” Kurt could see Ella doing exactly that. More images floated in his head. The blood in her car…the necklace she always wore in Brian’s. That necklace with the angel charm was the last gift Ella’s mother had given her before she was murdered.

“He acted surprised,” Brian went on. “Then he insisted we needed to “sort” it out. So he made hot chocolate and questioned us some more. He kept apologizing to Ella and saying that he couldn’t believe she thought such things.” Brian shook his head. “It was way creepy in my opinion. He kept saying she couldn’t possibly know him.” He shrugged. “Like I said, it was weird. Hundred percent.”

“Do you remember what time the two of you left his house?”

“It was after midnight. I knew if I got caught coming in I was dead.” His face paled and he swallowed hard. “Anyway, Ella dropped me off and I crashed. I wasn’t feeling so good. My head was spinning and my body felt uncoordinated or something. Ella was supposed to text me when she got home.”

“Did she?”

The shrug made another appearance. “Falling into the bed is the last thing I remember. This morning I was so hungover from whatever kicked my butt that I didn’t even think to check. I figured I’d see her at school, but she didn’t come. I thought maybe she got in big trouble with you.”

Kurt pushed upward, placed his hands on his hips. Didn’t want to go into his harsh words with Ella. The regret sat like anelephant on his chest. “I spoke with Dr. Lawler this morning and he never mentioned seeing the two of you last night.”

A puzzled frown claimed Brian’s face. Another shrug punctuated it. “He probably doesn’t want anyone to know what Ella believes. I mean, she is seriously creeped out by this guy. Ask her if you don’t believe me. Lawler is lying.”

Kurt nodded. Desperately wished he could ask Ella. “This new part of your story is interesting.” He tried to swallow the lump thickening in his throat but failed. If his damned heart would stop its twisting and pounding he might be able to breathe and to think logically. But that wasn’t happening this side of the grave. “Especially since Lawler told me how you were having trouble and that you and Ella had a public disagreement at school last week.”

“What?” Brian shook his head, his face already red from crying darkened to a deeper shade. “That’s a lie. Ella and I never argue. Ever. We disagree sometimes but we don’t argue about it. And I sure never talked to that weirdo about anything.”

“He says you told your troubles to your friends,” Kurt countered.

“I swear,” Brian insisted, “he’s lying. I don’t talk to anyone about my private stuff except Ella. She’s the only person I trust that way.”

“Well then,” Kurt said, struggling to keep his own emotions at bay, “you have a bigger problem, Brian. We found Ella’s cell phone and necklace in your car and there was blood on both. And her Mustang was found on the side of the road just a few miles from your house. The driver’s side door was open, and there was blood on the driver’s seat. How do you suppose all that happened?”

Brian Satterfield’s jaw hung slack and what appeared to be terror lit in his eyes. “That can’t be right.”

“Your folks,” Kurt said, leaning toward him, his fury building uncontrollably now, “were butchered like hogs. Your pajamas have blood on them. Your car has my daughter’s bloody belongings in it. My daughter,” his voice grew louder with each word, “is missing. Now what the fuck did you do, Brian?”

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