Page 53 of My Child is Missing

“Do you know her?” asked Noah.

“She’s in my English class but I don’t know her. I’ve never talked to her. Felicia knew her. They seemed like they were friends, but then sometime earlier in the year they stopped talking. There was some kind of beef but I don’t know exactly what it was about. I think it had to do with some story-writing contest or something for English class. A couple of people asked her about it last night but she said it was nothing. ‘Stupid shit,’ she called it. Wouldn’t talk about it. I think she felt bad because Kayleigh got taken.”

“When you were at the Stacks last night, Kayleigh was the topic of conversation?”

Brody looked to Pam, who nodded for him to answer. “Well, yeah. It was a pretty big deal. A girl from our school abducted? It’s all anyone could talk about—in school and out. A lot of kids there knew her better than me. Like, people don’t usually drink at the Stacks during the week but people were so freaked out by her kidnapping. Anyway, everyone was talking about her and…what happened, especially ’cause the news keeps saying that the Woodsman took her. We all thought that was some dumb story.”

Josie stopped herself from blurting out that itwasa dumb story.

“A few people there, especially the girls, were really freaked out. One girl got so freaked out, she left. Mostly though, everyone thought it was a big joke.”

“That Kayleigh was abducted, or that the Woodsman took her?” Josie asked.

“The Woodsman thing. I mean, we all know some pervert took her. Or at least, that’s what everyone thought last night.” He tugged the edge of the sheet back up, covering his chin.

“Had you heard about the Woodsman before Kayleigh Patchett was abducted?” asked Noah.

“Yeah. A little. It was going around school, but no one really took it seriously. That’s what I’m telling you. Last night? Going into the woods? It was a joke!”

Josie said, “You and Felicia Evans went into the woods as a joke?”

“No, I mean everyone thought the story of the Woodsman was a joke. It turned into this dare or challenge or whatever. Kind of like the Murder Mountain challenge.”

The words grated over Josie’s already exposed nerves, but she tried not to show it. “You did that challenge, didn’t you?”

“No. Yes. Sort of. I did go up there to do the challenge, but it didn’t really count because it wasn’t overnight.”

“How did you get up there?” asked Noah.

“Kelleher Road,” Brody answered. “There’s an access road. It’s chained but I just parked on the road and walked up.”

Josie took out her phone and pulled up a photo of Henry Thomas. “Do you know this man?”

Brody’s face remained blank. “No. Who is he?”

“He lives near there,” Josie said. “On Herron Road. The other side of the fields. He’s had trouble with teenagers coming onto his property trying to get to the burial grounds.”

The sheet lowered to his neck. “I never saw him. I didn’t know anyone lived up there. That’s creepy.”

Noah asked, “What time did you go up there on Saturday?”

Pam frowned.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember. During the day sometime.”

“How long were you up there?” asked Josie.

“I thought you were here to talk about what happened last night,” said Pam. “Why are you asking him about Saturday?”

“Kayleigh Patchett was abducted sometime during the day on Saturday near the burial grounds,” Noah explained. “We’d like to know if Brody saw anything.”

Josie addressed Brody. “Maybe it didn’t seem like it was important then.”

“I didn’t see anything,” he said.

“If you wouldn’t mind, Mrs. Hicks, we’d like to have a look at Brody’s truck as well as his phone.”

Brody said, “That officer who met us here took my phone. My clothes, too. Said they needed to be ‘processed’ or something.”

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