Ian shook his head. “Can I go now?” He sniffed. He looked as if he might cry.
“Yes,” Tessa said. “Would you tell Mark we need to speak with him?”
Ian nodded and stood.
Tessa got to her feet. “Thank you for speaking with us, Ian.”
But he hurried out of the room without replying.
Logan rose and paced the room. “What do you think?”
Tessa frowned. “That was the last thing I expected to hear. I have a dozen glowing references for the Waldens. Everyone who knows them thinks they are the best foster parents around. But I shouldn’t have gone into this investigation with assumptions. The Waldens should have been on my suspect list from the start.”
“They aren’t assumptions if you can back them up.”
Tessa didn’t respond. Mark appeared in the doorway. His face was pale as chalk, making his freckles seem more prominent.
“Come in, Mark.” Tessa gestured toward the chair.
Logan sat. He didn’t want to intimidate the boy.
Mark sank into the chair. One foot tapped a rapid-fire beat. Tessa began with some questions to loosen him up, just like she’d done with Ian. But Mark never relaxed. He started tense and stayed that way, and his foot never stopped tapping, like he was keeping time for a techno band.
Finally, Tessa seemed to give up. “Did you get along with Gavin?”
Mark’s eyes were cold. “Yeah.”
“Were you close?” Tessa asked.
“Not really.” Mark put a hand on his knee. His foot stilled for a few seconds. But he couldn’t maintain the lack of movement.
Logan thought Mark didn’t get close to anyone. The kid was on guard and wary as a cat.
“How do you like living with the Waldens?” Tessa sounded frustrated.
“I’ve had worse.” A muscle in the side of Mark’s face twitched. Anger radiated from his entire body.
Is he lying?
Mark pushed up his glasses, the movement so jerky Logan hoped he didn’t poke out his own eye. How could he get the kid to calm down? Maybe by finishing this interview quickly.
He wasn’t responding to Tessa, so Logan jumped in with a more pointed question. “Did the Waldens ever punish you?”
“Yeah.” Mark’s eyes narrowed, and his face turned stony.
“How did they punish you?” Logan asked.
“I didn’t finish my chores last week. Frank locked me in the basement.” Mark stared down at his bouncing foot. Beneath his freckles, a flush brightened his cheeks.
“What kind of floor is down there?” Logan needed a crowbar to get information out of this kid.
“It’s concrete.” Mark refused to meet Logan’s or Tessa’s gazes. “Frank makes us kneel on it.”
“How long were you down there?” Tessa prompted.
“A couple of hours,” Mark said. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
“All right. Would you send Trevor in?” Tessa held out a business card. “Call me anytime if you think of anything else.”
Mark ignored the card and made his escape, as if he was afraid she would change her mind.
When the room was empty, Logan said, “That’s one wound-up kid.”
Tessa nodded. “He said he wasn’t that close to Gavin, so why was he that nervous?”
“He could be afraid of repercussions from Frank. Nancy also said he’d had bad experiences with the police.”
“But can we trust anything the Waldens say?” Tessa shook her head. “This case is going in the exact opposite way I expected.”
“But you always say we have to follow the evidence.”
“That’s right.” Tessa stuffed a stray strand of hair back in her bun. “Even if we don’t like where it leads us.”
Trevor peered into the room, his eyes wide and terrified.
Tessa smiled. “Please come in and close the door, Trevor.”
Nancy had said he was eleven, but he was the size of an eight-year-old, all skinny and scrawny. Probably malnourished, Logan thought with a pang of pity.
He barely made it to the chair before he broke out in tears. Logan scanned the desk and found a box of tissues. He handed the box to Trevor, who startled. Logan returned to the couch and kept his distance.
Tessa moved a little closer, but Trevor looked like he wanted to crawl up on the back of the chair to stay away from her. She raised both hands, palms out, and backed away. They sat in silence until he stopped crying.
“Trevor, we just need to ask you a couple of questions about Gavin, okay?” Tessa asked in a soft voice.
His shoulders shook, and Logan’s heart broke for him.
Tessa began. “Were you close to Gavin?”
Trevor nodded.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Tessa said. “I know that doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
Trevor’s breath hitched. “He was nice to me.”
“Do you remember when you saw him last?” Tessa asked.
“Not exactly.” Trevor sniffed.
Tessa asked, “Does Frank ever punish you?”
He nodded again.
“Can you give me an example?” Tessa pressed.
Trevor closed his eyes. “He doesn’t like it if you don’t finish your chores. He makes us kneel in the basement. It’s not a big deal. I’ve had worse.” He spoke quickly, as if he just needed to get the words out. Of the three boys, Trevor seemed the most vulnerable, though Ian and Mark likely just had better skills in concealing their emotions.
“Did Frank punish Gavin that way?” Tessa asked.
“Yeah.” Trevor broke down in tears again.
Tessa’s eyes were dark as she dismissed Trevor. Her gaze followed him out of the room. When he was gone, she crossed the wood floor and shut the door. “Three kids. Three matching statements.”
Logan rubbed an ache in his chest. He hated to think of these kids coming from terrible situations and getting victimized again by Frank.
I’ve had worse. Trevor’s telling statement was going to echo in Logan’s head forever.
“I’d say maybe the kids are exaggerating, but I have a feeling they would do the opposite, especially Trevor and Mark. They’ve come from tough situations.”
Tessa leaned her back on the closed door. “I have to notify child protective services. The kids will probably be moved to a different home.” She pulled out her phone and pressed a button. After a ten-minute conversation, she lowered her phone. “They’re sending a social worker now. She’ll be here within the hour.”
“You had to do it.”
“I know. I’m not sure whether I feel worse for the kids having to move or because I didn’t find out about the abuse when I investigated Gavin’s disappearance.” Regret tightened her face.
“It isn’t your fault.” Logan crossed the room to stand in front of her.
“Isn’t it?” Anger sharpened her voice. “I was all too happy to pass off the case. I investigated for two whole days before I decided Gavin had gone to the mainland.”
“The evidence you found led you to that conclusion.” He took her hands in his.
She squeezed his fingers, like she needed to hold on to him. “It was wrong. I should have worked harder.”