by Stacy Green
“A neighbor called CPS after hearing fighting from the house on numerous occasions. I was sent to investigate and found eleven-year-old Justin and his seventeen-year-old brother, Todd, who was in charge while the parents worked.” I still remembered the stale smell of the house, the way Justin’s small form shrank away whenever my attention turned to him. I stood up and walked to the small window. Below, the breakdancers were still going strong.
“The brothers had been fighting, and what at first seemed like normal sibling issues, especially with latchkey kids, quickly turned suspicious. Justin was withdrawn and secretive, but he was prone to outbursts. He also had bruises he wouldn’t account for.” I should have pushed the issue. I was young and naïve, and my instincts weren’t enough to get him removed from his home. Irrationally focused on being new and shiny and full of determination to change lives, I’d ignored my base instincts–instincts honed from years of watching my sister’s strange behavior and never knowing what it all meant. Until it was much too late.
I pushed on. “I suggested follow-up visits and interviewing the parents more thoroughly, but my superior nixed it. Not enough evidence and a backload of cases. Two weeks later, Justin Beckett molested and beat a ten-year-old girl to death.”
“I remember reading because he was far too young to be tried as an adult,” Kelly said, “Justin was remanded to a youth psychiatric facility to serve his sentence.”
I nodded. “He was given extensive treatment. I visited him several times in those first couple of years, and even though psychologists were hesitant to fit him into the accepted pedophile mold, I still saw the same darkness smoldering in his eyes.” I gnawed at a hangnail and looked away from Kelly’s sad eyes. “And then the state released him last year, without making him register as a sex offender. The family and I petitioned the court to keep him in the psychiatric facility, but no one listened. You know the decisions I made after that happened.” I rubbed my temples. “What’s the chatter?”
“There’s a neighborhood-wide search in progress.” Kelly chewed her fingernails, which were already down to the nub. “Police are questioning all the parents and teachers, plus bus drivers and anyone else with access to the kids. And it gets better. You mentioned his half-brother Todd? He went on to become a cop.”
I last saw Todd when our petition went before the judge. He wore his dress uniform and refused to look at me. He’d been seventeen when Justin committed his crime, an angry teenager who couldn’t stand his stepmother and hated me on sight. “So?”
“He’s the detective in charge. Kailey Richardson’s disappearance is in his jurisdiction.”
“You’re kidding me. Why hasn’t he recused himself for conflict of interest?”
Kelly raised her eyebrow. “No idea yet. I’m trying to find out how he’s handling his brother because he’s got to consider him a suspect. From everything I’ve been able to find out about Detective Todd Beckett, he’s by the book. We’ll see how it goes when little brother is back on the seat.”
“Nothing on the scanner?”
“No. But I’ve got a call in to a friend at the Philly PD about it. Hopefully I’ll hear something soon.”
I tried to think my way around this. “What do we know about Justin’s current life?”
“He works at Jiffy Lube within walking distance of his place. I’ve been doing the pedo-crawl on the various creep chat rooms, and so far I can’t find any illicit online activity. He does have a driver’s license.” Kelly tucked her legs beneath her and sat cross legged in a position that made my back ache from just looking.
“So I need to get into his car and his apartment.”
“Not yet,” Kelly said. “Police are all over the area, so you’d be busted. And unless Todd’s completely blind to what his brother is capable of, he’ll do that. Or see to it that someone else does.”
She was right. “What about other registered offenders in the area? You know, since Justin gets to go without that label.”
“Two in an eight-block radius,” Kelly said. “One for statutory of his consenting girlfriend, and the other exposed himself to a group of teens.”
“And Justin.” My chin dropped to my chest, my shoulders sagging until the muscles ached. I hated being right about this. There were no special cases when it came to pedophiles. The state of Pennsylvania had failed Kailey Richardson. Guess I had, too.
“I need to find out if Justin’s been skulking around Kailey,” I said. “You said the older kids realized she wasn’t with them about halfway home? So it’s likely the police are focusing their search around the school right now. Hopefully that’s where Todd is. I’ll head over to Kailey’s apartment, see what I can find out. See what Justin’s up to.”
“Your best bet is to talk to the mother,” Kelly said. “You’re a private investigator. See if you can get her to accept your help.”
The breakdancers were still going strong when I left Kelly’s, the rhythm of their heavily synthesized music bleating into my skull and providing me with inappropriate exit music. I didn’t understand the song they were playing, but its spirit was positive and upbeat–a far cry from the dark pit my mind was in.
A chilly, late-October wind nipped at my skin, and I hastily buttoned up my coat. Kelly’s place was a decent walk from my parking spot, and I wished I’d worn long sleeves. My stomach grumbled, the lunch from hours earlier threatening to reappear. Was Todd running interference for his brother?
4
Philadelphia’s ever-changing neighborhoods whipped by as I drove. Irish pubs and Italian eateries blended with sports bars and blue-collar businesses until I reached the Richardson’s apartment building in Poplar, a working class suburb.
Three police cars lined up in front of the three-story complex. Several uniformed officers milled around the sidewalks and at the intersections. Neighbors peeked from their windows, home from work and probably wondering what the police were doing hanging around in the darkness of the evening.
I went back over the information Kelly gave me. The mother’s name was Jenna, a single mom and a nurse. Came off a shift at two. Kailey should have been home due to an early dismissal, but there was no sign of her. Mom called the older neighborhood kids Kailey walked home with, and they said she wasn’t with them. She hadn’t even left school with them–a fact they didn’t notice until they were halfway home.
This is why I couldn’t be a parent: I’d seen too much, and I didn’t trust anyone. Not even older kids. Especially not older kids. Even if they had the best intentions, they were too easily distracted, their maturity not fully developed enough to understand the consequences of taking their eyes off the younger child. Kids are self-centered by nature. It’s a biological trait some never grow out of.
I hopped out of the car and headed up the sidewalk. The cherries of one of the police cars rhythmically flashed, the red light piercing the night sky like a frantic pulse. Keeping my head down, I pulled my private investigator’s license out of my purse and steadied my nerves. This wouldn’t be the first case I’d barged in on without permission, but the personal stakes were definitely higher.
The uniform guarding the door looked like he’d just walked out of the academy. He shuffled nervously as I approached, glancing everywhere but directly into my eyes. Good to know I could still turn heads. Thirty-three had been a tough birthday, with fresh wrinkles and gray hairs popping up almost overnight. Add that to my mother’s constant digs about my malfunctioning biological clock, and I sometimes felt like I should be applying for assisted living. If I didn’t genuinely care for my stepfather, I’d stop speaking to the woman.
“You live here, ma’am?” The officer rolled his shoulders back and stuck out his chin, but his cracking voice betrayed him.
“No, I’m here to speak with Jenna Richardson.” I held up my license. “A friend of the family called me.”
The rookie’s hand fluttered to his shoulder mic. “I didn’t know you were coming, and I’m not supposed to let non-residents in. I’d better–”
I didn’t let him finish. “You’re wasting time. I’m a trained counselor with ten years’ experience in CPS. I can help find that little girl before her abductor does something terrible.”
“It’s only been a few hours. We don’t yet know she’s been abducted. She may have wandered off.”
I sidled up to the nervous uniform and lowered my voice to a conspiratorial tone. “Your superiors are no doubt busy as hell. Are you really going to bother them over a visit from a private investigator who was called in to help, just because I’m not on your list?”
“Let me see your license again.”
I obeyed and waited in silence. Rookie finally nodded. “Ten minutes is all I can give you.”
The Richardsons lived on the second floor in a corner two-bedroom apartment. Another uniform answered my knock, and I assured him the officer downstairs had cleared me. “I’ve only got ten minutes.” I brushed past him.
Jenna Richardson sat alone in what appeared to be the main living space. I made my way over to the small woman who reminded me of a china doll I once had. Pale remnants of a summer tan lingered on her skin. I knelt next to her curled form in the recliner.
“Jenna, my name is Lucy Kendall. I’m a private investigator.”
She gazed at me with vacant eyes, clutching a cellphone to her chest so tightly I saw white knuckles against the pink of her scrubs.
“Have you found my daughter?” Her voice cracked.
I held out my license. “No, not yet, I’m sorry. I used to work with CPS, and I’m a private investigator now. I heard about Kailey’s disappearance, and I want to help.”
Her eyes were bloodshot, like she’d just gone a round with a prize fighter. “I can’t afford a private investigator.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m taking the case pro bono, if you’ll have me.”
Jenna’s pale lips pinched together. “And then you’ll saddle me with a bill?”
“Absolutely not.” I took her hand in the hopes she’d understand how much I wanted to help. “I just want to find Kailey.”
Jenna gazed back at me. Fine lines dotted the corners of her eyes. She liked to laugh, probably spent a lot of time doing just that with her little girl. “People keep asking me if Kailey was angry with me, if we got along, if I think she’d run away.” Tears bubbled in Jenna’s eyes. “The answer is no! She’s a happy little girl. I have to work a lot, but she loves her babysitter. And we get along!”
“I’m sure you do.” I sat down next to Jenna, giving her plenty of space. “That’s why I’m here. I’d like to know your thoughts on who might have done this. Where is Kailey’s babysitter?”
“She lives on the first floor.” Jenna wiped her red eyes. “Kailey usually stays with her after school until I get home. She’s retired, misses her grandkids. We’ve never had an issue.”
“What’s her name?”
“Ellen Troyer. She’s wonderful.”
I made a note to have Kelly get as much information on the babysitter as possible. “That’s good to hear. Tell me about Kailey’s friends–the ones she walked home with. How old are they?”
“Eleven. Fifth graders.”
“And they treat her well?”
“As well as older kids treat the little ones. I know they sometimes got irritated with her tagging along, but Kailey never mentioned them being mean. The oldest girl, Bridget, lives in the next apartment building. I’ve known her mother for a couple of years. They’re good people too.” Jenna nodded her head as if she were trying to convince herself.
The worst ones often come from the best people. “What about other neighbors? Has Kailey mentioned anyone new in her life lately?”
“The police asked me all this.” Jenna hugged her small waist. Her gaze flickered past me to the clutch of pictures on the wall. They all looked to be of Kailey in various stages of her young life. Jenna stared at them as if she hoped one of the pictures would flash to life and Kailey would magically appear. “I don’t understand why you’re asking me again.”
“I’m just getting a feel for her life,” I said, keeping my tone calm and soothing.
“We know everyone in the building.” Jenna continued to stare at the pictures. “Kailey’s never complained about anyone. And no, she hasn’t mentioned anyone new.”
“What about people outside the building?”
“The kids she walks with live down the block and in the other building in the complex, like I said. Other than that, we don’t know anyone else in the area.”
I kept my voice soft. “What about online friends? Does Kailey have any social networking accounts?”
Jenna shook her head. “We just have my laptop, and she isn’t allowed to go online unless I’m supervising.”
“Does Kailey have an email address she uses for anything?”
A tired smile broke through Jenna’s tears. “Littlebug05. It’s a generic account at Google. She just uses it for the educational games I approve.”
I smiled back. “Good to know. Would you be willing to share her password so I can have my technical gal check things out?”
Shadows overrode her smile. “Why? There’s nothing to find.”
I nodded. “It’s just to double-check any communications she might have had. Sometimes kids don’t realize they’re being tracked by people who can hurt them. I’m sure the police will ask for your laptop and exhaust their resources, but I’d like to do my own checking, if you’ll allow it.” I showed her my license again and handed her my card. “Here’s my information so you can do any checking you’d like about me.”
Jenna clutched the card, running a neatly manicured nail over the plain, black lettering. “The password is ‘pinkydo’. She loves pink. She wore her new pink shoes this morning.” Jenna choked back a cry.
I opened the Internet browser on my phone, noting Jenna’s wireless connection for Kelly, and the picture I’d already cued up popped onto the screen. “Do you know this man?”
Jenna took the phone and peered at it through her watery eyes. “That’s the kid who lives across the street. Is he a suspect?”
“Everyone in the area will be checked out.” I chewed on my lower lip, wondering if the shitstorm I was about to unleash was worth the additional pain to Jenna Richardson. My gaze landed on a picture of a bespectacled little girl with two front teeth missing and a big ponytail. Somewhere, that little girl who loved pink was trapped, already subjected to immense horror even if her captor hadn’t assaulted her.
“This boy,” I said, “is Justin Beckett. Do you recognize the name?”
The hovering uniform sucked in a breath and left the room. My minutes were numbered.
“It sounds familiar,” Jenna said.
“A long time ago, he did some not very nice things. And I want to make sure he’s not bothered Kailey. Has she ever mentioned the man across the street?” I tapped the picture on the phone. “He’s a handsome kid. Black hair, green eyes, lanky. Kind of reminds me of one of the kids from the latest boy band. Did Kailey ever mention that?”
“No. Not that I can remember. She didn’t really talk about boys much. She likes drawing. And Barbies.” Jenna’s shaking hands went to her mouth, and a raw sounding sob shook her entire body. “My baby girl. This morning she was so excited for school. I bought her new shoes last night. Pink, sparkly shoes. Did I already say that? She loved them so much. She wore them for the first time today.”
Jenna sobbed harder. I swallowed the guilt brewing and leaned forward, tasting my own salty tears. I laid my hand on Jenna’s knee. The woman jerked as if the touch stung her. I quickly pulled away. “I swear to you, I will find your daughter. I won’t stop looking until I do.”
“That’s not your job, Lucy Kendall.” Detective Todd Beckett’s voice pierced the room. I stood up to face the detective.
I quickly did the math; Todd was around twenty-seven now. Likely a rookie detective. Physically, he hadn’t changed much. He’d been a gawky, angry teenager then, and now was an awkward and
apparently crabby adult. His acne was gone, but a few pockmarks were scattered over one cheek. He wasn’t unattractive, just decidedly plain. The only thing unique about him was his mustache. It made him look like an aging adult film star, and I longed to offer to shave it off for him. Now, instead of being mad at the world like he’d been as a teenager, he exuded the weary ambivalence caused from witnessing too much of the dark side of human nature.
I felt his pain.
“It’s been a long time.” I offered him a reserved smile. “Last time, I believe you spit on me.”
“I was a snot-nosed teenager.” His voice was deeper than I expected. It had a sultry quality that really didn’t belong with his average face. “And you’d helped lock up my little brother.”
“We both know what he did, Todd.”
“Is it true?” Jenna stood, arms crossed as if they could keep her from falling apart. “Is there a sex offender living across the street that we didn’t know about? Are you related to him? I want another detective!”
Todd sighed. “Because his crimes occurred when he was a child, he was released without status. But I promise you, we are doing our due diligence and making sure he isn’t involved, and my partner is handling speaking with my brother. Kailey is our first priority, and there will be no conflict of interest.” His gaze landed on me. I expected seething hate. Instead I saw worry and resignation.
“Lucy, can I speak with you privately?”
I nodded, my gaze on Jenna. “Call me anytime. I promise you I won’t stop looking until we find out what happened.”
I followed Todd’s stiff shoulders into the hallway. He marched ahead and didn’t speak until we descended to the first floor.
He whirled on me. “I should call your boss and have your ass for this. And throw you into jail for interfering.”
“If I were still with CPS, I’d say you should. But I’m a private investigator now.”
“That’s right.” His sneer reeked of satisfaction. “You had some sort of breakdown and left the department.”
“Sorry to rain on your parade, but no breakdown.” At least not at work. In the confines of my apartment, yes. Your brother’s release was the last straw. “I just got sick of the system failing kids one after another and decided I could do more as a PI. Which is why I’m here.”