Before She Was Found(69)

“Grandpa, please,” Jordyn cries as Thomas tries to untangle her from his arms.

“Head up, Jordyn,” Thomas says firmly. “We’ll get this all straightened out.”

“Deputy Porter and Deputy Blake from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office will conduct the search, Mr. Petit.”

“What are you looking for?” Thomas thinks of the book bag stuffed up inside of the fireplace and his heart skips a beat.

“The clothes she was wearing the other night, her shoes, her book bag,” Officer Wilson says. “And the home computer and Jordyn’s cell phone if she has one. It would be very helpful if you could tell us where we can find those items.”

“No,” Thomas says. “We’re done helping. Jordyn answered all your questions—we’ve been cooperative.” He looks on as two officers approach the house.

“Is the door locked?” one of them asks.

Thomas watches helplessly as Officer Wilson guides Jordyn to the police car. He waits until the car has pulled away from the curb and disappears down the road, then hands his keys to the deputy. He steps aside in resignation as they unlock the door, go inside and shut the door firmly, leaving Thomas behind.

Thomas stands awkwardly on the sidewalk for a moment and then turns and walks toward the bar. Once inside, he gives Kevin a look that tells him not to ask any questions. He goes behind the bar, pours himself a shot of whiskey, carries it to the cramped office in the back.

First he calls the lawyer that he and Tess used to update their wills. The attorney says that she doesn’t practice criminal law. She recommends Robert Peale, an attorney with years of working with juveniles accused of crimes. She will ask Robert to meet them at the police station within the hour.

Thomas sits down at the cluttered desk where he does the paperwork, downs the shot of whiskey and tries to decide how he’s going to get that book bag from the chimney before the police find it.

Chances are they won’t think to look in the fireplace, but if they do, Thomas will just have to admit that he was the one who hid it up there. Regardless, it won’t look good for Jordyn. And what will the officers do when they can’t find Jordyn’s clothing from the other night?

Thomas wonders if they will arrest him, too. They’ll all be locked up before this is all over. Maybe he should have gone with them and given them clothing that looks similar to what Jordyn wore the other night. All her jeans look the same and there were no photos, as far as he knew, of the shoes she wore to the overnight.

Would they ask Jordyn which ones she was wearing? Probably. He should have had a talk with her, should have told Jordyn exactly what to say. Emboldened by the whiskey, Thomas gets to his feet and retraces his steps through the bar, absentmindedly returning greetings from the regular customers.

Once outside he sees the police vehicles still parked out front and takes this as a sign that they haven’t found the book bag yet. Thomas tries the doorknob but finds that it won’t turn. The door must have locked behind the officers when they went inside. He pats his pockets before remembering that he gave his keys to the officers.

Thomas glances covertly around to see if anyone is watching, finds no one and runs his fingers beneath the metal mailbox affixed to the front of the house. Using duct tape, he had secured an extra house key beneath the mailbox in case of an emergency. But there’s nothing there now. He dips his head and twists his neck to get a better look.

Nothing but a sticky residue left behind by the tape. Thomas doesn’t think that Tess would have moved the key. She never misplaced her set, always putting them in the exact same place. That left Jordyn. She kept her key on a lanyard in her book bag but rarely had to use it because Thomas or Tess was almost always home.

Thomas had carefully gone through Jordyn’s book bag and didn’t remember seeing the key there. Had Jordyn taken the lanyard with her on her overnight at Cora’s? Yes, he had reminded Jordyn to take it with her because he had planned to run into Grayling on Monday morning and wasn’t sure if he’d be home when Jordyn returned from Cora’s house. Had Jordyn used the extra key to let herself in the house early Monday morning? And if so, what happened to her own key?

Thomas knocks on the front door, embarrassed that one of the officers has to let him inside his own home. “I just did laundry. I can get you those clothes,” Thomas says as if this was the plan all along. He tells himself to show no hesitation.

As if inconvenienced, he stomps up the steps trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his knees as the officers trail close behind. He goes into Jordyn’s room to find the dresser drawers are open and her clothing is strewn around in untidy piles.

“In here,” Thomas says, opening the closet. He scans the hangers. “I think these are the ones that she wore the other night.” Thomas removes a hanger from the closet and holds it out to the officers.

“Mr. Petit,” Officer Porter says, “please just point us in the right direction and we’ll take care of it.” He holds up his gloved hands to remind Thomas that his granddaughter’s clothing has become evidence.

“Oh, right,” Thomas says, appropriately contrite. “She wore that T-shirt hanging right there.” He points to a long-sleeved white T-shirt that looks like half a dozen others that Jordyn wears. Deputy Porter pulls it off the hanger and tucks it into a plastic bag. “Now—” Thomas turns toward the half-open drawers with Jordyn’s socks and underwear trailing out of them like entrails “—I have no idea which of those Jordyn wore. I think you’re going to have to take them all.”