Chapter 25 I Need Something Good
I NEED SOMETHING GOOD
LUCAS
He lay back next to her on the bed, his fingers threaded with the hand closest to him, letting her talk undistracted.
“I’ve got some cleanup to do, but luckily, they didn’t get through the whole house. Any leads?”
He heard the disappointment in her voice.
“I get it. Obviously, this person has some tech skills. It’s looking more and more like everything at my house is linked to the things at school, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a student.”
The lieutenant on the other end of the phone said something that upset her because she sat up, pulling her hand from his, and turned her back to him while she sat on the edge of the bed.
“When?”
He frowned, wondering what she was getting hit with now.
“No, I can come help. I’ll have access to things you won’t, as far as her background.”
Now he was concerned.
“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Thank you for calling.”
She disconnected the call and was immediately up and moving toward her bathroom. “I’m sorry, Lucas. I have to shower and go. All available officers are being called in.” She stood in the doorway. “Kennedy Dixon is missing.”
When she disconnected the call, conversation was brief.
She didn’t have much information to share because she hadn’t been fully briefed and wouldn’t be until she was on scene.
He promised to lock up behind him when he left and made her promise to update him when she could.
Since Kennedy was still a minor, her disappearance would be treated like an abduction, even if she ran away.
In those cases, if she’d been taken, the first twenty-four hours were the most critical.
The thought of the hiking trails no longer appealed, so he spent the day around the house. Nothing held his attention for very long, and the day dragged. Where the hell could Kennedy have gone? Did someone grab her? Had she finally had enough and run away?
While Kennedy should have been first on his mind, his thoughts naturally drifted to Elyxandre.
There was a serious story there about her and her ex-husband.
Not normally given to thoughts of violence, he had to admit that the man made him see red.
One well-placed punch would probably make him feel better, although he knew he’d never do it.
Probably wouldn’t.
While he puttered around the house, he thought back to the end of the week.
It had been touch and go whether the pep rally, game, and dance would happen as planned, and if someone had asked him outright, he would have been fine with canceling everything this weekend, concerned about the students’ safety.
However, the parents had been adamant that the seniors not miss out on their “rite of passage,” flooding the superintendent with complaints.
Since Sealy didn’t want any negative press, the ass had ordered things to continue.
He’d felt stretched thin Friday night after school, waiting for the other shoe to drop. However, the parade started on time, and the game was played to a 21–14 home win, with his son being named MVP.
Yesterday, he breathed an audible sigh of relief when the dance seemed to be progressing smoothly. But again, on a personal level, he’d been worried about Elyxandre and how she was handling seeing Jess with him at the game, then her run-in with her father, followed by the break-in at her home.
Now Kennedy was missing. He wasn’t sure whether the school, Elyxandre, or he could take the hit if something bad had happened.
The thought of Monday seemed extra unappealing right now.
This past week, it seemed like very little actual school work got done, and he was not looking forward to the cleanup of his email, voicemail, and getting back to his regular schedule of meetings, observations, and everything else required of him during a normal week, especially now with Kennedy missing.
He’d just sat down and turned on the baseball playoffs to try and distract himself when his phone rang. A glance told him it was Elyxandre.
“Hey. Any luck?”
“Dr. Vaughn. It’s Officer Hookstead.” Odd. She didn’t call him by his first name.
Then he realized he could hear people in the background, so she must be somewhere she didn’t feel comfortable being that familiar with him. “I’m sorry to call you at home, but I need to stop by and see you.” She paused. “It can’t wait. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
His heart raced. She was coming here? While part of him was thrilled to have her in his space again, this sounded like an official visit. That couldn’t be good. “I’ll be watching for you.”
He sat and absently watched the television screen, his thoughts a blur.
Did she have actual news, or was Kennedy still missing?
If she was safe, he would have thought Elyxandre would just tell him.
If she had news, would it be bad? He wasn’t sure what would be better to know.
If Kennedy was found dead, they’d know, but it would break his heart.
If she was still missing, there’d be hope yet that she was safe, but the not knowing would be stressful.
Close to ten minutes later, a brisk set of knocks rang out.
He turned off the television, and he crossed to open the door.
In the soft glow of the porch light, she stood there.
She looked hot and sweaty, and his brain instantly went to things he’d enjoy doing with her that would make those wisps of hair stick to her face and her skin to pinken with heat.
Elyxandre Hookstead. The woman got to him. He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t even put his finger on the moment he’d fallen for her, but somewhere, somehow, he had.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
“Walk right in anytime. No need to knock or call ahead.” He pushed open the screen door, allowing her to pass through. “I’d offer you a drink, but it looks like you’re still on duty. Soda? Water?”
She stopped behind the sofa that edged the path to the stairs and the back of the house. “Water would be great, thanks.”
He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator.
After handing it to her, he watched her crack the seal and down a large portion of it in several swallows.
Now that he looked closer, she didn’t just look hot and sweaty—she looked done in.
Even after a long day at school filled with events she attended, she’d never looked this defeated.
She was covered in streaks of dirt, and there were several deep scratches on her right hand.
She interrupted his observations. “Are you home alone?”
“Ezra’s still at the study zoo. I won’t see him until tomorrow morning. Unless I should call and have him come home?”
“No. He’s fine where he is for now. We might need to ask those kids some questions, but that’s for tomorrow.”
One glance at her face, her teeth biting into her bottom lip as she sucked it inside her mouth, was disconcerting. “I take it the news isn’t good.”
“She’s still missing.”
He moved closer and began to unstrap her vest for her.
“I still think you’re beautiful, but honestly, you look like death right now.
” Vest off, he hung it over the back of a dining room chair.
“Come sit down.” He led her to the couch.
While she sat, he knelt in front of her and began to unlace her boots.
Once they were off, he began rubbing her feet.
Moaning, she slid down further against the back of the sofa. “I feel like death, but that’s amazing. I don’t want to know how many miles I tromped through the nature preserve.”
Frowning, he continued the massage. “The one behind the school? Where the cross-country kids run?”
“Yep. They’re going to need a new place to run for the last few days of the season.”
“I’ll let the coach know in the morning.
” He moved up next to her on the couch and tucked himself into the corner.
One mighty pull put her between his legs, her back in front of him a few inches.
He carefully removed the elastic from her ponytail—she hadn’t had time to braid it before leaving that morning.
His fingers ran up the back of her neck, through her hair, along her scalp, and sifted through the strands.
Each time he reached the top of her head, he rubbed the spot where the ponytail had sat in order to ease the tension there.
“If you can’t tell me anything, I understand, but if there’s something I can do to help, let me know. ”
“The police had you on their list to notify tomorrow morning, as well as ask some questions. I offered to talk with you and follow up on what little I was able to tell them since I helped with the search and work with you at the school. I had to tell them you were with me last night, dealing with the break-in. The officers saw you there, and then they would have wanted to know where you were after that.”
“So we’ve been outed already.”
“Yep. Quint already knew because he and another patrol unit did drive-bys after the break-in. I don’t think it’s something that would become public knowledge, but it might eventually if she’s not found. It was just better to tell them before they asked you for an alibi.”
His hands stopped. “I’m a suspect.”
“No. They would have been looking to establish more of a timeline. Because of where she was last traced to, and because she disappeared while you were with me, best we can tell, they would have asked you for dance details.”
Hair and scalp tended to, he began working on her shoulders, waiting her out. She’d start talking when she was ready. He was glad she was taking the time to just relax for a few minutes.