Chapter 11
El approached Little Pines Daycare, but she might as well have been on a distant planet.
Children’s laughter rang out behind tall wooden fences at the single-level building painted in bright colors.
She had zero experience with children or in a daycare center.
Not that she didn’t love or was afraid of children.
For years she’d worked in her church’s nursery and their summer camp.
Something that had fallen by the wayside after Victoria had gone missing.
Let it go. You need to focus, not think about the past.
Thankful this place provided weekend care and was open on a Saturday, she stepped through the vivid aqua door that Gabe held for her.
The small, welcoming lobby had calming blue walls filled with child-friendly decals.
They’d mounted a plaque hanging on the wall thanking the center for partnering with Safe Harbor.
A small desk with two chairs took up most of the space, the wall behind filled with framed certificates of excellence for this daycare.
A redheaded woman wearing a director name tag that read Bonnie Wilson sat behind the desk and looked up. Recognition dawned in her expression, and a broad smile crossed her face. She was cheery and welcoming just as Gabe had described, but nothing like the woman Kenna had said she worked for.
“Gabe!” She shot to her feet. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you.”
Gabe nodded. “I’ve mostly been visiting on weekends when Lucy doesn’t come here.”
Bonnie frowned. “I know Lucy loves to have you pick her up, but she’s not here today.”
Gabe didn’t seem to be able to find the words to go on, so El held out her credentials and introduced herself. “I’m sorry to tell you Kenna was murdered on Friday, and Lucy is missing.”
Bonnie fell back into her chair. She opened and closed her mouth. Repeated. Then shook her head and tears began to fall. “I can hardly believe that. She was the sweetest, most loving teacher and an awesome mother. Who would do this to her?”
Eager to make Bonnie feel more comfortable, El took a seat in the chair across the desk. “We were hoping you might be able to answer that.”
“Oh, well, you’re wrong there. I don’t have any idea who had anything against her.
But then I didn’t know much about her personal life.
She seemed to be stable, and she certainly wasn’t into anything illegal.
I mean, she passed her background check and all, but I guess she could’ve been doing something and has never been caught.
” Bonnie shook her head hard, her curly hair whipping around. “No. I don’t believe that. Not Kenna.”
Interesting that she went to talking about something illegal, but El could understand the thought process. “What about other staff members? Did she get along well with them?”
“Perfectly. In fact, we vote for the daycare’s head teacher every year, and they voted for her the last three years. They wouldn’t do that if she wasn’t someone special.”
Gabe sat next to El. “Did she have any issues with parents?”
“No. They all loved her, too.” Her eyebrows drew together. “What about Lucy? I hate to be blunt, but do you think she’s still alive?”
Gabe nodded. “We have nothing to suggest she isn’t, and we’re proceeding that way.”
“That said—” El paused and shifted in her chair. “—we’d like to look at any personal belongings Kenna kept here. Lucy’s too.”
“Sure.” Bonnie stood. “Follow me.”
She unlocked the door to the classrooms, and they followed her down a hallway with closed doors on each side. A window in each door and a larger one next to the doors allowed people to look inside the classrooms. Open lockers painted a vibrant red were lined up in the hallway.
Bonnie passed the younger children’s classrooms to stop outside the four-year-old room. Kenna’s name was proudly posted on a nearby bulletin board. She’d filled the remaining space with children’s colorful drawings.
Bonnie entered the childless room and went directly to a desk sitting in front of a closet door. “The children are on the playground. They’ll be outside for another fifteen minutes. It would be good if you were gone before they came in and asked questions.”
El wouldn’t be hurried through her search, but she could focus and be efficient.
She withdrew gloves from her pocket and sat down behind the desk.
She thoroughly searched every drawer, not finding anything Kenna might’ve brought from home or hidden, like her journal.
She looked at Bonnie. “Is it unusual for a teacher not to have anything personal in their workspace?”
Bonnie shook her head. “Unfortunately, turnover in teachers and aides is high. They often don’t stay long enough to bring items from home. Kenna is an exception to that, but she kept her personal life separate, so not bringing anything here makes sense.”
El understood keeping her private life private, but she did that because she wanted to hide her guilt. Did Kenna have something to hide, too? Something El needed to talk with Gabe about?
She glanced at him. Found his expression surprisingly neutral, so she turned back to Bonnie. “Did you ever see her with a journal?”
“No, but that’s not surprising either. She wouldn’t have any time in the classroom to journal while the children are here. She would’ve had to do it on her breaks or lunch, which she tried to spend with Lucy or helping out a struggling teacher.”
Gabe’s phone dinged. He grabbed it from his pocket and stared at the screen. “My brother came through with the address.”
El stood. “Let me check the closet, and we can get going on that.”
The space revealed shelves filled with construction paper, paint, crayons, and other daycare necessities. Still, El looked between and behind everything, through open boxes, continuing until she was confident Kenna hadn’t stored anything personal except a sweater.
She took the sweater off the hook and turned. “I’m assuming this belonged to her.”
“Yes.” Bonnie’s eyes creased, and her eyes glistened with tears again. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
Her emotional response raised a similar response in El, but she had to remain in control. “Could you take us to Lucy’s things?”
“Her cubby’s right down the hall.” Bonnie took a tissue from the box on the desk and mopped her face before fleeing to the hallway.
She stopped in front of a locker holding Lucy’s name in large, colorful letters.
A small section held pictures and clothing.
A larger one had hooks for coats and backpacks.
Gabe retrieved a Bluey-themed backpack from a hook.
“Oh, gosh.” Bonnie blinked a few times. “Parents often leave things behind. Not Kenna, but they were in a hurry to leave on Friday. She didn’t say why, as usual, and I didn’t ask.”
“We might as well clear everything out.” Gabe reached for the artwork, and a stack of clothing with a small blue sweater on top.
“Sounds like you don’t think Lucy will be coming back,” Bonnie said.
“Kenna wanted me to take custody.”
“She thought the world of you and so does Lucy.” Bonnie nibbled on her lip. “Since you don’t live here, I’ll disenroll Lucy, but there’ll always be a place for her here. If something changes, let me know.”
Bonnie started for the exit, and Gabe followed.
El caught up. “Did Kenna pay tuition or was it free for working here?”
“All teachers get free tuition for one child after they’ve been employed for ninety days. A perk to try to keep teachers on staff.”
“Did she ever seem to need money?”
Bonnie frowned. “Almost all of our staff need money. I wish I could afford to pay more. But she didn’t seem desperate, like asking for an advance on her paycheck or anything like that.
And Lucy never seemed to go without anything.
Kenna was always able to pay for special field trips Lucy’s class took. ”
Could mean her murder wasn’t money-related.
“Could we get a list of students along with their contact information?”
“Sorry, no can do. Privacy and all. You understand.”
“I do, and I’ll get a warrant for that information.”
“A warrant says I’ll have to provide it, but I’ll also have to tell the parents. I don’t want them to worry, so it would be wonderful if you could avoid the warrant.”
“Understood.” El really did understand and didn’t want to upset the parents or children unless necessary. “I’d like to interview your staff. Would now be a good time?”
“Actually, not really. It would be best if you could come back and talk to them during their break times so we don’t disrupt care.”
El didn’t like the answer, but she understood that as well. “Is there someone on staff who Kenna was particularly close to?”
“As I said before, she kept her personal life separate and didn’t really connect.”
“Okay.” El got out her business card for Bonnie. “I’ll let you know if I’ll be returning for those interviews or with a warrant. If you think of anything helpful, you can reach me at any number on my card.”
Bonnie turned the card over to study it before looking back up. “Can you let me know when you find Lucy and when Kenna’s funeral is scheduled?”
Gabe nodded and swallowed hard. “Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.”
Bonnie crossed her arms. “I can’t imagine having to tell the rest of the staff and parents. Oh, and the children. The poor children. It’ll be a huge blow to all of them.”
“Thanks again.” Gabe quickly pushed outside and held the door for El, then came alongside her as they walked to the car. “You buy anything she said?”
“I feel like there was some truth in there, but the question I have is, when was she putting on a show for us or telling the truth? After what you said about the staff not getting along with her, if we did come back to interview them, she might tell them what to say to us.”
“Do you think she has anything to do with Kenna’s death and Lucy’s disappearance?”