"What was she like?"
“She was kind. Always doing something for someone else. Very giving. She always went out of her way to make sure people were well-fed and were comfortable in the house. She was energetic and laughed a lot, and boy, did she love your father. But on the days where her worry took over, she could be quite cold and distant. It was really sad to see, because as warm and vivacious as she could be when she was okay, her anxiety could get the best of her on days when she thought Kendricks might be lurking about.
"Did that happen a lot?" asked Tommy.
“He showed up a lot… there are photographs that your father keeps locked in his office that show a family gathering where you can see Kendricks lurking in the background. He sent her letters. Every single day. Jack had to start intercepting them because they upset her so badly. Then when Catherine started to ignore him entirely, not even so much as a leave me alone, he got really upset. Started coming out to the house, begging her to leave with him.”
Blake's face looked surprised.
"Were you two friends?"
"Yes, I looked up to her when I was younger. I loved her like my own sister.”
"Why didn't he tell us?"
"He honestly was trying to protect you. It took him years to come to grips with her death, and in some ways, he still hasn’t come to terms with it… and you all were so young. He knew he'd have to tell you someday, but he had to wait until you all were old enough to understand. He was most worried as to how Tristan was going to take it."
"She didn't take it well."
"She actually took it better than I thought she would. She found out the hard way. Frank and I tried to get him to open up, but he was beside himself. It wasn’t our place to tell you."
A lull in the conversation presented itself, and Bridgette capitalized.
"Let's do something. Shane get the board games out. I'm in the mood to kick some butt."
"You're not gonna win!" said Shane, smiling as he went to the cabinet to pull down the games.
“Get the Monopoly! She sucks at that game!” Shane yelled.
“Anything but the Operation!” Liam added.
“Oww… I’m great at that game,” Bridgette said, pretending to pout.
* * *
"Sarge, I think we found something," the female investigator said to DiNolfo as they walked swiftly down the hallway, Jack trailing on their heels. "We were dusting for prints, and we found several unique fingerprints throughout the house." DiNolfo looked alarmed. She replied, "Show me."
The investigator went into Tristan's room and showed how on most of the surfaces the fingerprint pattern was the same. They believed this to be Tristan's fingerprint because it touched all the surfaces in the room. However, on the windowsill, there is a unique fingerprint, one they hadn't seen any of the other bedrooms. "It was here on the windowsill. It looks like the person entered through the window. We found identical prints on the doorknob to Jack's bedroom, and also on the access door to the third floor. We tried opening the door, but it is locked."
DiNolfo remained still for a moment, contemplating her next move. "Jack, we need the key to the third floor." With some hesitation, Jack agreed reluctantly, "Hold on, I'll get the key." Jack went back into his study to fetch the key, but when he looked on the wall behind his desk, it wasn't there. Panicking inside, Jack was absolutely dumbfounded.
Where the hell is the key?!
His children knew not to touch it.
"What's keeping you, Jack?" asked DiNolfo as she entered the study behind him. "The key... It was right here. It’s gone..." DiNolfo stared at Jack with a raised eyebrow as if she didn't believe him. "Hernandez!" DiNolfo yelled for one of the other investigators.
"Yes?"
"Kick that door down. Now."
Eddie Hernandez walked quickly down the hallway and up to the third floor, intent upon bringing down the door.
Chapter Thirteen
In Darkness
October 8, 1997
Before Dawn
Location Unknown
The darkness was overwhelming as Tristan opened her eyes. With little idea as to where she was, she scratched her head in confusion. The left side of her face hurt, and her right leg lay limp and badly injured. After some jostling, she was able to get to her feet, although she couldn’t bear much weight on her right ankle. Still unable to see anything, she stretched her arms out, seeing if she could feel anything before her. Tristan’s hands were scraped with splintering wood. Her hands moved quickly across the rough surface, desperate to find a door knob or a latch, but she found none. Panic intensifying with each passing moment, Tristan moved faster, her hands becoming raw from the splintering wood. Finally she found a loose board in the wall. She started to bang her hands rapidly against the wall, it gave way slightly, releasing a metallic sound from the other side. She recognized the sound immediately. A shed door with a lock on it. She didn’t know where she was, or how she got there, but she knew if she kicked hard enough, she could break down the door.
She began kicking at the door with her good leg, eventually resorting to pushing her full weight against the door. Suddenly, someone was banging on the outside with brute force. “Keep it down in there!” said a hoarse voice from the other side. “Let me out!” Tristan yelled. “Shut the hell up!” At the top of her lungs Tristan screamed, “Help!” From the other side of the door, Tristan could hear keys jingling and the metallic clang of a lock coming undone. Tristan decided. This was her chance. As soon as the door opened she would run for it and never look back. She braced herself, ready to bolt. Slowly the door creaked open, and before she had a chance to run, she was staring down the barrel of a Winchester rifle.
Chapter Fourteen
The Missing Suspect
Morrow Manor
Fox Hollow, PA
October 9, 1997
Jenna DiNolfo stomped down the main staircase in the Morrow house, agitation clear in her stance. She had waited impatiently for Hernandez to take down the door. Upon his fourth forceful kick, the door creaked open, but the officers were sorely disappointed in what they found. As DiNolfo looked around the third floor she was finally convinced that Jack Morrow had nothing to do with Catherine’s death or Tristan’s disappearance. While she let Eddie continue searching for prints, she headed back to her squad car, eager to catch up on her work. Poor guy is still trying to come to terms with his wife’s death.
She had to continue to try to get in touch with Bernard Kendricks, wherever he may be, Earl and Amos had some explaining to do, and she wanted to try to speak with some of Tristan's friends from school to see if they knew anything. She wanted to get a jump start on the search and she decided she would start at the school. It was a weekday after all, Kendricks should be arriving about now to the school to teach his first class of the day.
* * *
Car E5 sat hidden in the brush just beyond the southbound entrance of Cavegat Pass, approximately a mile from the Morrow Manor as the sun came up. Earl and Amos sat talking quietly in between sips of hot coffee.
"I'm telling you... She knows something..."
"I don't think she's that smart to figure it out."
"You don't? I do... She's already got the case files. It's not going to take much to figure out. She's been snooping around, all because that stupid Morrow girl decided to run away. I bet you she thinks that there is some connection..."
"Well she can't pin the latest nonsense on us."
"This whole thing smells of Kendricks. You seen him lately?"
“No, he's ducking me. He still owes me money." Amos shook his head as he let out a laugh in disbelief.
"So what are we going to do?"
"We have to get a hold of that case file, before she has the chance to read the whole thing."
* * *
Jenna's patrol car came to a stop outside the massive Steeplechase Academy, and she pulled into the gravel parking lot and made her way up the marble staircase that led to the school's entrance. She de
cided she would stop inside the administration office first. She approached the desk where a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes was sitting with a smile on her face.
"How can I help you, Officer?"
"I need to speak with Bernard Kendricks, is he here?"
"Oh, no... He was out yesterday, too. He called yesterday saying he was sick with the flu."
From behind the desk, a door creaked open and Principal Maynard walked out with a disgruntled look on his face. He faced Jenna, and she could tell that her presence alone was making his day so much worse. The young receptionist waved, catching the Principal's attention.
"Sergeant DiNolfo is here to see Bernard."
The principal let out a sigh.
"Come into my office, will you?" Principal Maynard said, signaling for DiNolfo to follow him. She followed behind him, and took a seat in his spacious office that overlooked the parking lot.
Before the principal began to speak, DiNolfo asked, "Will Bernard be joining us?" Principal Maynard scratched his head, unsure of what to say.
"Bernard is not here. He called yesterday at 2:00 in the morning saying he was sick with the flu, and wouldn't be in for a while. He didn't sound sick though. In fact, I heard screaming in the background. I do hope he is alright."
DiNolfo had whipped out her notebook, and wrote verbatim what the principal had to say.
"Who calls out with the flu at 2:00 in the morning? Anyway, so he didn't show up that day and shortly after classes had started, Jack Morrow came storming in here looking for his daughter. He destroyed the door to 219, and startled a bunch of children. He said he seen Mr. Kendricks on his property just after discovering that Tristan was missing."
"Have you noticed anything odd about Mr. Kendricks?"
"Odd? Well he always was a pretty peculiar fellow..."
"How so?"
"He can be a bit reclusive, and he has no filter for niceties or sarcasm. A bit of a grammar fiend, too..."
"Okay, but nothing that raised a red flag?”
“No... I mean he had a troubled past, but he got himself straightened out, put himself through college. I was happy to give him a job. He didn’t have a record. We check every year. This behavior isn't like him."
“Have you tried him at home?”
“Yes. It’s been cleared out.”
“I’m sure there is a perfectly good explanation.”
“I agree… and the last time I checked, innocent men do not run from the police.”
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
"Thank you for your time, Sir. Could you show me the classroom?"
"Yes, I just ask that you don't touch anything until you have procured a warrant. We want to support the police however we can in the investigation. We want Tristan returned safe and sound. But until more information is found out about our teacher, we don't want his constitutional rights to be violated. "
"Of course. Understood and thank you for your cooperation."
Pain in the ass!
Principal Maynard led Sergeant DiNolfo to room 219, where the door was ripped completely off the hinges. Damn Jack. She glanced around the room and it appeared Kendricks had left in a hurry, as his jacket and date book were still laying on the desk. The desks were all formed in neat lines, and nothing looked out of order.
"I assume classes are being held elsewhere?"
"Yes. Room 418 with a substitute teacher."
"Great. This room is off limits. I will be getting a warrant."
Principal Maynard nodded in understanding, as DiNolfo left the room and headed back out to her squad car. She had some time to kill before school let out, so she decided to head into town for a bite to eat.
DiNolfo walked into Monte's Cafe in Elkhart as the clock on the wall read 1:17. She knew Cole would not be here yet, but she was hungry and had some time to kill. From what she gathered from several family members, Cole and Tristan were close. One even mentioned that Tristan confided heavily in Cole. DiNolfo hoped she had told Cole something, anything about what was going on.
Joe Piedmonte came to the front counter when he heard the bell over the door ring. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you..." Joe said, the usual warmth removed from his voice. She could tell that he knew that she was here on official business.
"What can I get you? It’s on me."
"Well that depends... What's good?"
Joe feigned shock as a broad smile came across his face.
"It's all good!" Jenna returned his smile, there was something about Joe that always managed to warm her mood.
"Surprise me, then. I'll just be sitting right over there," said Jenna, pointing to a booth near the front windows. As she settled into the booth, she pulled the Morrow file out of her bag and began perusing where she left off. She had marked off sections that she planned to come back to later. She had marked off Bernard Kendricks’ testimony, the transcription from Moira's 911 call, and she especially marked off the officer's case notes transcribed by Amos Cope himself. With so little help, she wondered when she was supposed to get through the file when she was busy trying to sift through facts of this case, and find a missing teenage girl.
Twenty minutes later, Jenna's order was up, and as the waitress, Maxine went to grab the tray, Joe told her to go take her break, as he took the tray over to Jenna's booth.
"Voila. Meatball sandwich topped with marinara and mozzarella, a side of fries, and freshly brewed, sweetened iced tea."
"That looks amazing, I don't know if I can finish it, but I am definitely going to try!"
Jenna took half of the sandwich and put it on a paper plate in front of Joe, and she began to dig into her meal.
"So I know you're here to ask me about Tristan, and I'll help where I can."
"I appreciate it greatly. I am also going to need to talk to your son. I understand they were quite close."
"Nicolo will probably not admit this to you, but he is quite smitten with the girl. When he found out she was missing, he was really broken up about it. He started canvassing the area, trying to find out who might know where she might have gone or who might have taken her. When she didn't show up to school the next day, he assumed that Tristan got into an argument with her father and he allowed her to stay home that day."
"Just curious, but why would he assume that?"
"Cole told me that he and Tristan were looking at a scrap book the night before, it was my daughter's birthday, and she found a news article in the scrap book that talked about her mother's death. I guess Jack hadn't told her yet. I have to say, I can't really blame him. My son was in complete shock when he found out the next day that Tristan was gone."
"Are you and Jack friends?"
"Yes. Our families go way back."
"How did that happen?"
"School. Plus his family has been eating here since we opened our doors."
"Tell me about Jack."
"He's a good guy. Got a raw deal if you ask me with his wife. I felt terrible when the news about Catherine came out. Without Jack, I wouldn't have a family."
"Oh?"
"When that bridge went out, in '81, my kids were trapped underneath in a car. Jack is the one that saved them. Moved debris and snow and everything to get to them, and he kept them safe in his house over the Christmas holiday until the pass was cleared. Missing wife and all... he kept my kids safe. To me, that shows tremendous moral fiber. My wife died in that accident."
Jenna reached out for Joe’s hand.
“I’m sorry Joe.”
After a moment of silence, the questioning continued.
"Do you have any idea where Tristan might be?"
"No. But I will tell you this. Keep Amos and Earl off the case if you can. They are as corrupt as they come."
"Don't you worry, I have my eyes on them. Tell me about Bernard Kendricks..."
"I don't trust him."
"Why?"
"I think he is too hard on the kids, and from what I've heard, he pays inappropriate attenti
on to some of the female students at school."
The bell over the entrance door rung again, as Cole Piedmonte walked through the door with a miserable look upon his face. Joe Piedmonte whistled at him from his seat, effectively catching his son's attention.
"C'mere son..." Cole came to his father's side, staring at DiNolfo nervously.
"Sergeant DiNolfo has some questions for you about Tristan. Give her your cooperation." Joe stood up from the bench and allowed his son to sit down. Jenna smiled warmly at Cole, trying to make him more relaxed.
Shadow Dancer (The Shadow Series Book 1) Page 17