Tessa eyed the key in his hand. “Why do you keep the door locked?”
Frank put the key in his pocket. “The desktop computer in the living room is equipped with parental internet controls. My work computers are not. We’ve had kids access porn. There are websites and connections that are beyond inappropriate. They’re downright dangerous. I’m happy to say most of the kids we’ve hosted have cooperated without too much issue. They wanted to stay here. For some, this is the first place they’ve felt safe. Plus, some of the data on my computer is sensitive. My clients require privacy.”
Nancy added, “We regulate screen time for every kid in our care.”
“So you don’t fully trust them?” Logan asked.
Frank shrugged. “They’re kids. They need rules. We find it better to only trust them with decisions that can’t hurt them or anyone else in the household.”
Logan tilted his head. “Do you ease up on the rules after a kid has been here a long time?”
“No.” Frank’s jaw tightened. “Everyone follows the same rules.”
Is he a hard-ass?
“For most of these kids, our house is temporary. Most go back to their parents.” She frowned.
The front door opened, and a tall older teen with bright-red hair walked in. He nodded at Tessa.
“Hello, Ian,” Tessa said.
“Ian.” Nancy lowered her voice. “This is Mr. Wilde. He and Deputy Black came here to tell us that Gavin has been found. I’m sorry, but he’s dead.”
Ian drew back, his mouth dropped open, and his face paled. “I can’t believe it. I—we all thought he ran away.”
Pity stirred in Tessa’s chest. “We need to ask you some questions.” She gestured toward Frank’s office.
“Okay.” But Ian looked unhappy as they herded him into the large room. Three monitors sat on a large desk. In front of the desk was a conversation area. A small couch faced two chairs.
Logan closed the door. Ian sat in one of the chairs. Tessa took a seat on the couch directly across from him. Logan eased onto the sofa next to her.
Ian seemed detached and shocked. “This doesn’t seem real. I only knew Gavin for a short while, but he seemed okay.”
“This must be really hard for you. What grade are you in?” Tessa asked, trying to establish a connection.
He sighed. “I’m a senior.”
“How is senior year going?” she asked.
“Academically, I’m on track,” Ian said without enthusiasm.
Tessa asked, “Do you have any plans after graduation?”
He nodded and seemed to perk up. “I have a full merit scholarship.”
“Congratulations.” Tessa was impressed. “You must be smart.”
“I guess.” He looked down at his hands.
Logan shifted forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Are you excited about school?”
Ian frowned. “I am, but I feel like I shouldn’t be. My parents are gone. Nothing is the same without them. For the first few weeks, I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. They placed me in a group home. I couldn’t study there. It was chaos. I thought I was going to lose my scholarship, and I felt selfish for caring. But I was really scared. If I lose my scholarship, where would I go? What would I do? I turn eighteen in August. I’d be homeless.”
Anger prickled under Tessa’s skin. He was right. With no family or friends willing to help, he would age out of the system. “But now that you’re here, things are better?”
Ian looked away and chewed on his lip.
Logan and Tessa shared a look. Ian was upset about something.
“Is something wrong?” Tessa asked.
Ian leaned back, creating more distance between them. “No.”
“Any trouble getting your schoolwork done here with the Waldens?” Logan tried.
Ian shook his head.
Tessa circled around. “Do you like living here better than the group home?”
Why doesn’t he want to talk about the Waldens?
Tessa tried a different topic. “How did you get along with Gavin?”
Ian lifted a shoulder. “Okay, I guess. We didn’t spend much time together.”
“Do you share a room with anyone?” Logan asked.
“No. We each have our own. That is nice,” Ian admitted.
Yet something was off. Tessa could feel it. She let an awkward minute of silence spin out. Most people would try to fill the void. But not Ian. He really didn’t want to say what was on his mind.
Maybe he’d talk about someone else’s problems.
Tessa folded her hands and relaxed her shoulders, hoping her calm would be contagious. “Was Gavin having any difficulties here?”
Ian turned to the window. His voice lowered. “The Waldens are . . . strict.”
The way he said strict set off a warning bell in Tessa’s mind.
Logan’s spine straightened, and his gaze sharpened.
Tessa didn’t allow herself to show any emotions. “What do you mean by strict?”
Ian’s eyes misted. “We get punished if we don’t follow the rules.”
“How are you punished?” Tessa asked gently.
Ian didn’t answer.
“I need to know,” Tessa said. “It’s important.”
Conflict furrowed Ian’s forehead, aging him well beyond his seventeen years. Yet he still held back.
“Did something happen here, Ian?” Tessa prodded.
“Not to me.” Ian sounded detached.
Tessa persisted. “Then who?”
Ian’s lips flattened into a thin line.
“Gavin is dead, and two younger boys live here.” Logan used a less gentle tone. “If anyone is at risk, you have to tell us.”
“I can work here.” Ian swallowed. “I need to stay here three more months. I have everything set up at the university. A job, a dorm room, everything.”
The next span of silence made him squirm.
“I’m almost as big as Frank. He doesn’t mess with me too much, but the younger boys get punished a lot. Frank doesn’t like it if you talk back. He says we need to learn respect.”
“How are they punished?” Tessa asked in a firmer tone.
Ian sighed, the exhalation deflating his entire body. “Frank makes them kneel on the basement floor for hours and hours. It’s concrete. If you refuse, Frank will drag someone else out of bed and make them do it with you. Sometimes, he’ll lock the door. The night before he disappeared, Gavin was down there all night long.”
6
Listening to the teen, Logan felt sick. Frank had seemed a little tough, but Logan’s instincts hadn’t picked up any sign of cruelty or meanness. Were his instincts off?
“Did Frank ever strike any of you?” Logan asked.
“Not me. I don’t know about the other kids.” Ian paused. His face creased with thought. “When Frank let Gavin out of the basement, I overheard Gavin say he was going to call his social worker and tell her what Frank was doing. Frank was mad. He said, ‘Not if you know what’s good for you.’ I didn’t hear Gavin respond. They walked away.”
“Did you see Gavin after that?” Tessa asked.