I See You (Criminal Profiler #2) - Mary Burton Page 0,46
heard his mother, your ex-wife, passed.”
“Last year. She had cancer.”
His words did not hitch or stutter, suggesting that their split had not been easy. It had been a year before Zoe could speak about Jeff’s passing without tearing up or having to excuse herself. But Vaughan was cool, almost unmoved.
The door opened, and a tall, lanky boy stood at the threshold. He had dark hair, a smooth baby face, and a splash of freckles over the bridge of his nose.
When Zoe and Vaughan stood, the boy looked visibly nervous as he glanced toward his principal. “Did you call me, sir?”
“I did, Neil. Close the door,” Principal Myers said in a soft tone.
The boy’s shoulders hunched slightly, and his thick hair kept falling over his eyes, forcing him to shove it back with long fingers. “Is there a problem?”
“Neil, I’m Detective Vaughan, and this is Agent Spencer. There was a break-in at the Foster house.”
“Is Skylar all right?” he asked quickly.
“She’s missing.” Zoe maintained a soft, even tone designed to calm. She needed the kid to remain focused.
The boy drew back, shaking his head. “I knew something was wrong. She always answers my texts and calls. Always.”
“We are doing our best to find her,” Zoe said. “We’re hoping you might know where she could be. Where does she go when she needs to get away from her home?”
Pale brows knotted. “She always came to my house when she wasn’t here or at home. We hung out almost all the time.”
“I know you must care about her very much,” she said.
“I love her,” he insisted.
“If she didn’t go to your house, where would she go?” Zoe asked.
“Nowhere. She’s always with me.”
“What about Jessica Harris?” Zoe asked.
“Skylar and Jess don’t speak anymore. They hate each other.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Skylar never would say. I think Jessica was jealous because Skylar was spending her time with me.”
“How often did Skylar come by your house?” Zoe asked.
“A few nights a week.”
“When was the last night she was there?” Zoe asked.
“Last night. Monday.”
Hadley had been with Dawson. “Was everything all right at her house?”
Neil chewed the inside of his mouth. “I don’t know.”
Zoe deliberately softened her expression. “We aren’t trying to get anyone in trouble, Neil. We’re just trying to quickly find Skylar and her mother. We are very worried about them.”
“Did you ask Mr. Foster?” the boy countered. “He should be able to help.”
“Mr. Foster is in the hospital. He just came out of surgery,” Vaughan asked.
The boy’s worried expression took on a panicked edge. “Surgery? What happened?”
Zoe sidestepped the question. “Neil, were there problems in the Foster house?”
A ragged sigh shuddered through him. “Skylar said her parents fought a lot. That’s why she came to my house. She wanted to get away from the yelling.”
“What were they fighting about?” Vaughan asked.
“Mr. Foster wasn’t doing so well at work, and Mrs. Foster is obsessed with being perfect. It drives her crazy when the house, Sky, or her husband aren’t as meticulous as she is. The Fosters tried to hide their problems from Sky, but she knew them all.”
“Was there anyone who might have been threatening the family?” Vaughan asked.
“I don’t know about that.” Neil hesitated and then added, “Skylar said her mother has been really weird for the last couple of months. She’s been a nervous wreck and worried.”
“Did Skylar say what upset her mother?” Vaughan asked.
“She didn’t know. She said she asked her a bunch of times, but her mother said it was no big deal. Skylar said her mother always gets a little weird this time of year anyway.”
“Why?” Zoe asked.
“Skylar says she always gets sad and quiet near the end of summer.”
Marsha Prince had vanished in August. “You said she came to your house a few nights a week. What did Skylar do on the other nights?”
“She said homework and school functions.”
“Do you know the passcode to her phone?” Zoe asked.
“Yeah, it’s 1812. She’s a history buff.”
“Is there anyone who would want to hurt her?”
“I don’t know who. Sky keeps to herself,” Neil said. “We’re pretty tight.”
The kid saw the girl several nights a week but not all of them. “You have any trouble with her parents?” Zoe asked.
“No. I mean, I almost never talk to them. Mr. Foster is working, and Mrs. Foster is at the gym.”
“When’s the last time you saw them?” Vaughan asked.
“A few weeks ago. They seemed to be getting on fine. Mr. Foster gave me fifty bucks and asked me to take Skylar to a movie and dinner.”