From a Single Seed: A Novel Page 4

  Jack shrugged. “I’m tired,” he said. “Not sleeping much these past few days.”

  The three of them sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until the chief came back with a styrofoam cup of hot coffee.

  “Black okay?”

  Jack glanced at his wife before answering. “Sure,” he said. Jack cupped his coffee apparently absorbing the warmth, but didn’t drink it. The chief settled into his chair.

  JACK HATED black coffee, preferring it with a splash of cream. He wasn’t really much of a coffee drinker, but he was so emotionally wrung that he knew needed some form of chemical alteration. He didn’t know if the coffee would make him feel better, but he doubted he could feel worse, so it was worth a shot.

  The chief leaned forward, clasped his hands, and put his forearms on his desk. “We went through a lot of what’s on the laptop last night,” he said, making eye contact with Jack. “We’ll probably want to go back further at some point, but we read a bunch of the most recent stuff.”

  “Was there anything helpful?” Olivia said.

  The chief turned his gaze to Olivia. “Yes. It was set up to stay logged into her Facebook account unless she logged it out. And she didn’t.”

  “And?”

  “Shannon did a lot of messaging with her friends on Facebook, but the last time she posted anything on her page was Friday night at around 8:45 p.m. when she posted a picture of herself with two other girls. We also put in a subpoena for cell phone records with AT&T yesterday morning. The records came in from that last night.”

  “What do they tell you?”

  “The last call Shannon took on her cell was at 8:47 p.m. on Friday. She talked to Keenan Brody for eight minutes and twelve seconds.”

  “Who is this guy?” Olivia was shaking her head convulsively.

  “We think they were having an intimate relationship.”

  “What’s that mean? They were having sex?” Olivia said.

  “It’s possible from what we’ve learned so far.”

  “I’m sure you’re mistaken,” Olivia said. “She’s never even mentioned him to me.”

  “Maybe she wasn’t serious about him.”

  “My daughter wouldn’t have casual sex. That’s not the way I raised her.”

  “I’m sorry ma’am, I didn’t mean to imply anything about your daughter’s morals. It’s just that when kids go away to college, sometimes they like to experiment, try things their parents wouldn’t approve of.”

  “So, what do you think happened to our daughter?” Jack said.

  “From everything we’ve learned, she’s been off the grid since Friday night at about nine o’clock. For someone like her, someone that’s always connected to her friends electronically, that’s a big deal.”

  Jack didn’t want to say it, but he needed to know. “You think she’s dead, don’t you?”

  “I’m not going to lie to you,” the chief said. “It’s a possibility. But usually when someone dies, there’s a body.”

  “So do you think maybe she was abducted?” It sounded strange to hear hopefulness attached to Olivia’s question.

  “That’s what we’re wondering,” the chief said. “Is it possible this is a kidnapping? I mean, I assume you’re well off, since your daughter goes to Masterson. Any reason your family would be a target?”

  “I’m a general surgeon,” Jack said. “I make a good living, but I don’t think of us as kidnapping targets.”

  “Do you have any enemies? Any reason someone would use your daughter to get back at you?”

  “I’ve lost patients, even been sued for malpractice and been cleared, but that’s not unusual these days.”

  “Have there ever been threats against you or your family?”

  “Of course not,” Jack said before he realized it wasn’t exactly true. He thought of the Mendez family. They had lost their son to infection after Jack had operated on a burst appendix. Jack didn’t carry any guilt because he knew that Antonio’s death had not been his fault. It was the fault of an extremely rare complication and also the parents’ delay in bringing the boy to the emergency room. But Jorge Mendez had been in pain over the loss of his eldest son, and that pain had turned to anger. He had left a threatening message on Jack’s voicemail at work after the judge had dismissed his lawsuit against Jack and his malpractice insurance company. Jack hadn’t even bothered to report the threat to the police because he assumed that Jorge was just venting his anger. Jorge had needed time to work through his grief, not a criminal record. He wouldn’t have taken revenge, would he? No, it was too long ago. It wasn’t even worth mentioning.

  “I’M SORRY to have to ask this, but...” the chief took a deep breath before continuing, “is there any reason that Shannon would want to run away?” Dustin was glad the chief had asked the question so he didn’t have to.

  Sure enough, Olivia turned her evil eye on the chief. “That’s ridiculous,” she said.

  “I have to ask,” the chief said.

  “I don’t think that’s likely,” Jack said.

  “What are you going to do to find my daughter, other than ask insulting questions, that is?” Olivia said.

  “Well, at this point, this is still a missing person investigation––” the chief said.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Olivia said.

  “––but, we’re going to treat it like an abduction slash potential homicide.”

  “We want to hire a private investigator,” Olivia said. “We talked about it last night.”

  “It’s not that we don’t trust you,” Jack said. “We just want to do everything we can to find our daughter.”

  “I understand. Like I told you before, we don’t have the resources to traipse around the country interviewing college students, and we’ll be happy to follow up on any lead that your investigator brings us.”

  “What are you going to do next?”

  “Dustin’s going out to interview the Brody kid tonight. He lives about two hours away. On Thursday, the Vermont Fusion Center will do a location trace of Shannon’s cell to see if they can locate where she was when she made her last call. They’re on skeleton staff for the holiday.”

  “We want you to keep us in the loop,” Olivia said.

  “Of course. How much longer will you be staying in town?” the chief said.

  “Until you find my daughter,” Olivia said.

  “At least through the end of the week,” Jack said. “I cancelled my OR schedule for a while, but at some point I need to go back to California, or I’ll risk destroying my practice.”

  The chief nodded. “We’ll keep looking for answers. I’m sorry I haven’t had much for you so far.”

  When they were gone, the chief closed his office door. “It’s Christmas Eve. I forgot about that when I promised you’d head out to Lyndonville tonight. You have plans?”

  “It’s okay. My ex has the kids tonight. I don’t get them back until tomorrow afternoon.”

  “That’s good. Someone needs to talk to Keenan Brody. He may be the key to this whole thing. I didn’t want to say anything in front of the parents, but we both know that most homicides in Vermont involve domestic violence.”

  Dustin nodded. “It’s supposed to snow tonight. I should probably get on the road as soon as I finish going through all the texts and emails between Keenan and Shannon. I want to be prepared for this interview.”

  “That’s good. If the weather turns south, don’t hesitate to get a motel room tonight. Just keep it cheap. You know we have big budget issues.”

  “Should I call the kid first?”

  “No, let’s not give him a chance to rehearse his answers or lawyer up before you can take a stab at him.”

  Dustin wandered the toy aisle at Kinney Drugs. He’d forgotten to pack a lunch that morning, so he’d had to go out for food when his stomach started panging. The cheapest and easiest thing was always McDonald’s. When he pulled into the parking lot, he remembered that he still hadn’t done his Christmas shoppin
g. Shit. Only four more shopping hours until Christmas.

  He’d been planning a trip up to the big mall in Burlington on Sunday, but he’d been called in to track down Shannon Dawson and ended up staying until long after the mall was closed. Then, with the investigation heating up, there hadn’t been time on Monday. He’d been considering getting the kids a Wii. It was a little more than his budget would allow, but that’s what credit cards were for. He’d pay it off eventually. If he ever got up to the mall. Maybe the prices would be cheaper after Christmas.

  He picked up a Tonka truck. Quinn had one just like it at his old house. Joanne’s house, he mentally corrected. There weren’t many toys at his new place, just things the kids had left behind when they packed up to go home. A naked Barbie doll he’d found tangled up in Sienna’s blankets. Some happy meal toys.

  Dustin looked at his watch. He didn’t have time to wander around town looking for a better toy selection. At least the drug store had an entire aisle devoted to toys. He got a cart from the front entrance and piled in cheap plastic toys, starting with the Tonka truck. He smiled when he found a section with Barbie outfits. He even remembered wrapping paper and tape before he headed to the checkout.

  After the second time he felt the car drifting while going thirty-five miles per hour, Dustin wished he had taken his ten-year-old Explorer rather than the department’s Chevy Impala. You just can’t beat four-wheel drive in a snow storm. Route 2 from Montpelier to St. Johnsbury had not been plowed despite the six inches of snow that had accumulated. The storm had come on fast and furious, and this less traveled road was not a priority for the highway crews. Dustin reduced his speed and plodded along at twenty-five miles per hour. His shoulders were tense from gripping the wheel, so he tried to force himself to relax. When he got to St. Johnsbury, he pulled into a diner. He needed a break and a chance to regroup before the interview.

  “We’re just closing,” the waitress said. “We close early on Christmas Eve.” She was slightly pudgy with a warm smile and strangely perfect teeth. Dustin was disappointed he wouldn’t get a chance to chat with her.

  “That’s okay,” he said. “I understand.”

  He continued up the road and spotted a McDonald’s near the interstate. Apparently, the golden arches didn’t give its employees as much time off during the holidays.

  For the second time that day, he ordered a coffee and a chicken sandwich. There were a few other people in the restaurant, probably people traveling for the holiday. He hoped that Keenan Brody would be home on Christmas Eve. If not, he’d try again in the morning. Failing that, it wouldn’t be the first time he wasted a trip trying to get a candid interview. He quickly ate his sandwich and took the coffee to go.

  Interstate 91 was in good shape. It was a welcome change from the earlier part of the trip. Dustin tucked in behind a massive snowplow and had a stress-free trip north until he reached the Lyndonville exit. When he got off the interstate, it was back to slow going. Fortunately, he didn’t have much farther to travel. The GPS took him to the Brody home about ten minutes later. The trip had taken almost four hours.

  Even though it was dark, Dustin could tell that the family lived pretty far off the beaten path. The house was well lit, but he couldn’t see lights from any other nearby houses. The building was a white two story with a front porch that spanned the facade. As was customary in these parts, half of the front porch was stacked with firewood. A barn with weathered vertical siding appeared to be tilting away from the wind.

  It struck him. This kid must be a hick. What was a California girl doing dating a hick? Something didn’t add up. He parked in front of the barn, next to a Subaru station wagon that sported rust holes on the wheel wells. It only had an inch or so of snow accumulation. At least that meant someone was probably home.

  As he walked up the front steps, he could see through the large-paned windows into the living room. A sparkling Christmas tree dominated the scene, but there was nobody in the room

  When he knocked firmly on the door, dogs barked in response. He waited until a smiling, middle-aged woman answered the door. Three dogs were at her heels.

  “Merry Christmas,” she said. Her expression turned to puzzled when she didn’t recognize him.

  “Merry Christmas,” Dustin responded. “Sorry to interrupt, ma’am. My name is Officer Shores. I’m from the Middleton Falls Police Department. Are you Keenan’s mother?”

  “That’s right. I’m Cassie Brody.”

  Dustin wrote her name on his notepad before looking up. “I need to speak with Keenan.”

  “It’s about that missing girl, isn’t it? Have you found her?”

  “Yes ma’am and no ma’am. Is Keenan here?”

  “Of course. Come in, officer.”

  Dustin followed her into a large hallway that also served as a mudroom. There were hooks along both walls with winter coats in abundance. The floor was lined with boots of various sizes. A quiver of hockey sticks leaned in one corner next to a dented bookcase stacked with hockey skates. Dustin could feel the heat from a wood stove coming from the left side of the hall. In contrast, a cold draft seemed to be coming from the right. The unmistakable aroma of roast turkey mostly masked the odor of well-used athletic gear. Mostly. The dogs sniffed Dustin thoroughly before losing interest and heading back toward the turkey. He noticed that one of the dogs had three legs and another was missing half an ear.

  “Can I take your coat?” Cassie Brody was still smiling.

  “No thanks, I need the stuff in my pockets.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she said, her smile drooping.

  She returned a minute later with a well-built young man in a T-shirt and jeans. A slender middle-aged man with wire-rimmed glasses followed them.

  “Good evening, officer.” The man extended his hand. “I’m Greg Brody, Keenan’s father. I assume you’re not here with good news.”

  “No news, sir, but I need to speak with your son. From everything we’ve determined, he was the last one to see Shannon Dawson last Friday.”

  “Of course, Keenan will do everything he can to help. Right, Keenan?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Would it be possible for me to speak with Keenan alone? He’s over eighteen, right?”

  “He’s nineteen. But we’d like to hear what you have to say.”

  “Some of my questions may be... a little personal in nature. It would be better if we speak alone.”

  “Our son doesn’t have secrets from us, officer. We’d like to be a part of this.”

  “Why don’t we leave that up to Keenan?” Dustin said, looking in Keenan’s direction.

  “They can stay.” Keenan shrugged.

  Dustin could hear voices in the back of the house. He wondered how many people were there eating dinner.

  “Is there somewhere private we can talk?” Dustin said.

  “Sure, let’s go into my office.” Greg led them to a room on the cold side of the house. Once they were inside, he shut the door and the air was instantly colder. Dustin was glad that he’d kept his coat. Greg pulled two chairs over in front of a small sofa. Dustin took a hard chair as he’d been trained to do in case he needed to get up quickly. He pulled a digital recorder out of his pocket and tapped the Record button before placing it in his lap. Greg took the other chair. Keenan sat on the sofa with his mother.

  “We’ve gotten copies of Shannon’s phone records. She hasn’t used her phone since last Friday night. It appears that Keenan here was the last person to speak with her by phone. I’d like to know what was said.” Dustin looked at Keenan. The kid looked pale.

  “She’s dead,” Keenan said. His expression went completely slack.

  “How do you know that, son?” Dustin said.

  “I just do.” Keenan was slowly shaking his head, staring as if he were somewhere else, remembering something that happened.

  “Did you kill her?” Dustin said softly.

  “What?” Greg Brody was out of his seat. “Don’t answer that, Kee
nan.”

  “What?” Keenan blinked before alarm registered on his face. He turned toward Dustin. “No, I didn’t kill her. I... I really liked her.”

  “Then, how do you know she’s dead?”

  There was a long pause before Keenan answered. “You just said she hasn’t used her phone since Friday. She’s always on her phone.”

  “That was our impression from her phone records.”

  “She wouldn’t go anywhere without her phone.”

  “Is there something else you want to tell me about Friday?”

  “Like what?”

  “Were you with Shannon that night?”

  “No. She went out with her friends.”

  “But you said you ran into her at a party.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Okay. Let’s start with the phone conversation at 8:47 pm. What was that about?”

  “I called her.”

  “I know that much. What did you talk about?”

  “She was at a party at a dorm.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “She must have told me.”

  “Why did you call?”

  “I was hoping to see her that night, but she had other plans.”

  “What else was said?”

  “She said she had something to tell me, and that it couldn’t wait until after break.”

  “What was it?”

  “I don’t know. She said she had to tell me in person.”

  “Anything else?”

  “That was pretty much it.”

  “You were on the phone for more than eight minutes, you had to have talked about something else.”

  “Not really. I was hanging out in my dorm watching TV with my roommate. I kept watching TV, and she kept doing whatever she was doing with her friends.”

  “And what were they doing?”

  “It sounded like they were having a party.”

  Dustin noticed that, despite the chilly temperature of the room, Keenan was showing sweat rings in the armpits of his T-shirt.

  “Okay. So, how did you run into Shannon?”

  “I decided to stop by the party.”