From a Single Seed: A Novel

by Teri Ames

  “We found Shannon’s keys in Brody’s dorm room and his prints near the headlight switch of her car as well as several places on the passenger side.”

  Olivia’s eyes opened wide. “Oh my God! And you think that’s not enough evidence?”

  “He says she was drunk, so he took her keys and drove her car back to the dorm for her.”

  “And you believe him?” Olivia said.

  “Not really.” The chief frowned.

  “Then why haven’t you arrested him?”

  “Forgive me, but we don’t even have a body.”

  “That’s because he did something to her.”

  The chief nodded. “Possibly.”

  “So, arrest him,” Olivia said with more force this time.

  “The state’s attorney said it wasn’t enough.”

  “What more do you need?”

  “A body or a confession.”

  “So he gets away with this. He takes my child from me and he gets away with it.”

  “Not necessarily. The students will start coming back to campus in a few days. It’ll be easier to track down everyone from the party. I assure you, we’ll interview everyone and get more details about what happened at that party.”

  “Do you mind if I have a crack at the boyfriend? I might be able to get him to talk,” Evan said.

  The chief glanced at Dustin, who nodded. “Go for it,” the chief said. He no longer cared how the case got solved. The private investigator was a bit of a prick, but if he could get some answers and give the Dawsons some peace, the more power to him.

  Chapter 16

  Friday, January 3, 2014

  DUSTIN HAD a list of students he wanted to interview in person. At the top of the list were Greta and Jenna, the two girls Shannon had been with the night she disappeared. Fortunately, Greta was registered for a January term class and was due back on campus.

  He made an appointment to interview her at the station the day she returned. When she arrived, he showed her to an interview room and turned on the recording devices.

  “Thanks for coming,” he said.

  “My dad told me not to.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s a lawyer. He said you should never talk to the police.”

  “Don’t you want to help us find your friend?”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “So, tell me about the last time you saw Shannon.”

  “She came over to my room after dinner on Friday night, the last day of the term.”

  “Who else was there?”

  “Jenna and Ruby.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “Just hanging out and listening to music.”

  “About what time was it?”

  “I think Shannon got there around six thirty or seven.”

  “Were you drinking?”

  “It’s against the rules to have alcohol in the dorms.”

  “What about smoking weed?”

  “That too.”

  “Look, I’m not trying to get you in trouble with the college. I just want to know exactly what we’re dealing with. Did Shannon ingest any substances while you were with her?”

  “I’m really not sure.”

  “Is it possible?”

  Greta looked around the room uncomfortably. “Sure,” she said.

  “Did you talk to Shannon about her relationships with Keenan Brody and Jake Miller?”

  “Sure.”

  “What did she have to say?”

  “Mostly that she was confused.”

  “About what?”

  “She was definitely wheeling and dealing with Keenan, but Jake was still a question mark.”

  “What exactly do you mean by wheeling and dealing?”

  “Sorry. They were in a relationship.”

  “So, why was Jake a question mark?”

  “Well, when she left for college, Jake told her he wanted to see other people. So, when she met Keenan, she decided to go for it.”

  “Sounds straight forward.”

  Greta shook her head. “Except that she actually liked Keenan. She was pretty happy with him until she went to the city for Thanksgiving. Then, she and Jake hooked up.”

  “Hooked up as in...?”

  “Had sex.” Her expression added, “Duh.”

  “Okay.”

  “She felt guilty.”

  “Hence, the poll?”

  “You know about that?”

  Dustin nodded.

  “So, she decided to tell Keenan about Jake. But she didn’t really want to because she was afraid of how Keenan would react. That might be why she had a couple of drinks.”

  “A little liquid courage?”

  Greta shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Do you know if she did in fact tell Keenan?”

  “I didn’t hear her, if that’s what you mean.”

  “But, it’s possible she told him?”

  “Sure.”

  “Likely even?”

  “She said she was going to.”

  “Did anything else happen at the dorm?”

  “Not really. We went over to Lila and Grace’s room for a while.”

  “Was there drinking in that room?”

  “I can’t be sure.”

  “Did you see anyone drinking?”

  “Not that I can recall.”

  “Okay. What time did you leave?”

  “We left to go to the party at about nine o’clock.”

  “Where was the party?”

  “Off campus.”

  “Do you know the address?”

  “I’m not sure. Somewhere on Maple Street.”

  “Was there alcohol at the party?”

  “There might have been.”

  “Look, Greta, I know you’re trying not to get anybody in trouble because of what your dad said, but I can’t find Shannon unless I get honest answers from you. What was going on at the party?”

  Greta chewed her lip. “A few people were drinking.”

  “Were you drinking?”

  “I’m going to take the fifth.”

  “Okay. How much did Shannon have to drink?”

  “I really can’t say.”

  “Was she drunk?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Greta, this is important. How drunk was she?”

  “I’m not her, so I can’t say how drunk she was.”

  “Spoken like a lawyer. Are you planning to follow in your father’s footsteps?”

  Greta shrugged. “We were just having a good time. She didn’t seem drunk to me.”

  “Did you see Keenan Brody that night?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Where?”

  “At the party.”

  “Was he there when you got there?”

  “No, he arrived after. He wanted to talk to Shannon.”

  “Did Keenan seem agitated when you met up with him?”

  “Now that you mention it, yeah.”

  “So, it’s likely Shannon had already told him about Jake by that point?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What happened when Keenan got there?”

  “He made Shannon go out on the back deck to talk.”

  “Did it look like she wanted to go?”

  “Not really.”

  “So, he forced her to go with him?”

  “You could say that.”

  “What happened while they were out there?”

  “I wasn’t out there, but I saw them through the glass door. It looked like they were arguing.”

  “Did Shannon seem intimidated?”

  “Probably. Keenan’s a big guy.”

  “And he plays hockey.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, she would have been afraid?”

  “I guess so.”

  “How were they standing?”

  “Just facing each other a few feet apart.”

  “Did they stay that way? Or did he get physical with her?”

  “You know, I think I reme
mber him grabbing her.”

  “Okay, good. What do you mean by grabbing?”

  “You know, grabbing. Like, he put his hands on her arms.”

  “Could you hear anything they said?”

  “Not really, it was noisy inside the house.”

  “But he was yelling at her?”

  “Yeah, probably. I mean, wouldn’t you yell if your girlfriend just told you she slept with another guy?”

  “Did they leave the party together?”

  “They must have.”

  “Did you see them?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Did you see Shannon again that night?”

  “I haven’t seen Shannon since I saw her on the deck. They must have left through the backyard.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I would have seen them if they left through the house.”

  “Do you think she would have gone with Keenan willingly based on what you saw?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe not.”

  “How much longer did you stay at the party?”

  “Not long. When we realized Shannon had ditched us to go with Keenan, Jenna and I caught a ride back to campus.”

  “Who with?”

  “Joe something.”

  “Do you have contact info for him?”

  “I don’t know him that well. He was getting ready to leave, so we asked him for a ride.”

  “Okay, is there anything else that happened that night?”

  “No.”

  “What about planning a trip to Maine?”

  “Maine? No, that was a joke.”

  “Did you try to call Shannon after you left the party?”

  “I wish I had, but I didn’t. I was a little salty because she left us without a ride. Now I wish I’d called her. Or that I hadn’t let her go out on the deck with Keenan.”

  “Anything else that you think would help us figure out what happened to Shannon?”

  “Not really.”

  “If you think of anything, I want you to call me. Now, I need contact information for all the girls you mentioned, and and I need a few minutes to type up a statement of everything we just talked about. Then, I want to take a drive down Maple Street so you can show me where the party was.”

  After he had dropped Greta on campus, Dustin went to see the chief. He put Greta’s statement on the desk.

  “I knew I was on the right track. Now, we have evidence of an argument with the Brody kid right before she disappeared and a witness who saw him grab her. Please tell me we have enough to charge him now.”

  The chief took a minute to read the statement.

  “This helps, but I still don’t think it’s enough.”

  “What else do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to track down as many kids from the party as you can. Get statements from them. Somebody at that party saw something. They had to have.”

  “Okay. What else?”

  “Let’s get a search warrant for the house. If the kids aren’t back yet, it may look like it did the night of the party. It’s clear there was alcohol being served to minors, and it was the last place she was seen. If you write it up right, the judge will give you a warrant. For all we know, her body is under the back deck.”

  “I guess I can do that. What specifically are we looking for?”

  “Evidence of a party. Evidence that Shannon was there. Her phone. Anything belonging to her... Her body.”

  “But I think the Brody kid used her car to move her body.”

  “You may be right. But, we don’t have any witnesses that saw him put her body in the car. While you’re at the house take lots of photos. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that house or yard is the crime scene. Actually, I think I’d like to go with you on this one.”

  EVAN HALLIDAY could tell that the local police were less than thrilled about his involvement in the case. No big surprise, and nothing he wasn’t used to it from his years in the FBI. Local cops were almost always smalltime and incompetent. And it was becoming clear they’d royally screwed up the investigation by dragging their heels in the beginning. It would be fun to solve the case under their noses and show them up.

  Evan watched hockey practice from the bleachers at the ice arena. He’d played hockey for a few years as a kid, so he was impressed with the level of play, the agility and power the team demonstrated on the ice. He had done some research before coming down to the rink and learned the Brody kid’s jersey number, but there was a mishmash of jerseys on the ice during practice, so it was hard to tell who was who. Fortunately, the team photo was on the college website, so he knew what Keenan Brody looked like. He’d track the kid down after practice.

  Keenan was one of the last to leave the locker room. He came out looking freshly showered.

  “Keenan?”

  The kid looked at him, clearly confused that he didn’t recognize the middle-aged man in a suit.

  “I’m Evan Halliday.” He held out his hand. “Shannon’s parents hired me to find her. I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”

  Keenan shook hands with apparent reluctance. “I didn’t do anything to her. The police have it all wrong.”

  “I don’t have anything to do with the police investigation. I’m just trying to help the Dawsons find their daughter. You may have information that will help us. Can we go somewhere, get a cup of coffee? Maybe some food?”

  “I suppose.”

  “It’s my treat. Where would you like to go?”

  “The Commons Cafe is the only thing open on campus right now.” Keenan gestured toward the center of campus.

  “Is it a good place to talk?”

  “Yeah, and we can walk.” Keenan glanced down. “Without destroying your loafers. The college does a good job keeping the paths around campus clear.”

  “Let’s go, then,” Evan said.

  Keenan hesitated, as if he might change his mind. Evan smiled brightly and started walking. “This way?” he said looking over his shoulder.

  Keenan nodded and followed.

  It was best to keep the conversation light for a while, try to get him comfortable. “So, how long you been playing hockey?” Evan said.

  “Since I was four.”

  “Wow. That’s young.”

  “It’s a family tradition.”

  “You’re lucky. I tried skating once in Central Park. Couldn’t sit down for a week.”

  They both laughed, though Keenan sounded more polite than genuine. “I am lucky,” Keenan said. “I know I wouldn’t have gotten into Masterson if I wasn’t a good hockey player.”

  “You getting a full ride?”

  “No, it’s against the rules for Division III, but they want me here, so I got a lot of need-based aid.”

  “Your parents helping you?”

  “Yeah, but I have an older brother at Tufts and two younger sisters in high school, so they’re stretched a little thin.”

  “Your brother play hockey too?”

  “Everybody in my family plays hockey. But my brother doesn’t play college hockey, if that’s what you mean. He’s too focused on his grades, trying to get into vet school.”

  “Good for him. What’s your dad do?”

  “He’s a large animal vet.”

  “Ah, your brother’s following in dad’s footsteps. What about you?”

  “Nope. I’m not good with gross stuff. I’m an English major.”

  Evan laughed. “What’s your mom do?”

  “She was always a stay-at-home mom, but now that us kids are older, she has a business selling medicinal herbs on the internet. She grows the stuff in the fields and even has a little greenhouse.”

  “You mean like medical marijuana?”

  “What? No. I mean like St. John’s Wort.”

  Evan chuckled. They arrived at the cafe, and Evan was glad to get out of the icy wind. It was much colder in Vermont than Connecticut.

  The cafe was more a cafeteria than a restaurant. They went thr
ough the line and Evan got coffee. Keenan got a burger and a large coke. When they got to the cashier, Evan insisted on paying.

  “I invited you, remember?” Evan knew that a college student with loans would be unlikely to turn down a free lunch.

  “Okay, if you insist.”

  They got a table in a remote corner, though it was probably unnecessary. The cafe was quiet, awaiting the return on the students the next day.

  “So, tell me about Shannon.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “What’s she like?”

  “She’s smart and pretty, with a good sense of humor, but a competitive side too.”

  “She have a lot of friends?”

  “I guess so. I don’t know. We were only dating for a couple of months.”

  “You really like her?”

  “A lot. But I don’t think it was going to last.”

  “Why not?”

  “I think I liked her more than she liked me.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Just how cool she was.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Did you have a girlfriend in high school?”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t serious, mostly because I didn’t want it to be.”

  “But you wanted to get serious with Shannon?”

  Keenan shrugged. “I don’t think it was heading that way.”

  “Tell me about the last time you saw Shannon.”

  “She called me and said she wanted to talk before we left for break. I could tell she was drinking. I’d never seen her drink before.”

  “Were you concerned?”

  “A little. Plus, I knew she was leaving to go home the next day, and I didn’t want to leave things up in the air, so I decided to go find her.”

  “So you went looking for her?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How’d you know where to find her?”

  “She said they were going to the keg party on Maple Street.”

  “So you went to the party?”

  “Yeah. And she was there with her friends.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I tried to talk to her, but she was too drunk.”

  “How do you know?”

  “It was obvious she was wasted. She was acting clumsy. She’s never clumsy. And she and her friends had this stupid idea of driving to Maine. It was crazy.”

  “Did you guys talk about anything else?”

  “Not really. It was clear she didn’t want to talk to me right then.”