Chapter 6 - The Boy Who Vanished
The name Noah led us to a string of lies.
Ruiz found a school attendance record for Noah Bennett, twelve, whose mother had once dated Jason. According to the school, Noah had transferred out of state six weeks earlier. According to his mother, Rachel Bennett, he was living with relatives after repeated trouble at home.
But Rachel's phone went straight to voicemail, and the address on Noah's transfer form belonged to an empty office building.
“Are you saying he's missing?” I asked.
“I'm saying the paperwork doesn't match,” Ruiz replied.
Emily overheard us from her bed. “Noah didn't run away. He told Jason he'd call his grandma.”
“What happened then?”
“Jason took his shoes. Said boys who make threats don't get to leave.”
My fists tightened, but I forced them open. Emily watched my face more closely than she watched the detective. I didn't want her to think anger was the only language adults knew.
“None of this is your fault,” I told her. “You can tell us only what you remember.”
She nodded, then reached for the colored pencils the child-life specialist had brought. Instead of drawing a person, she drew a long rectangular room, a square window near the ceiling, and a red door.
“Where is that?” Ruiz asked.
“Noah told me he was taken there. He said he could hear trains.”
We compared her drawing to the properties listed under Jason's name. One was an abandoned repair shop near the freight yards. It had been purchased through a company called Vantage Residential Services.
Naomi searched the corporate filings from her laptop. “Vantage received county contracts for emergency family placements. Jason's listed as a consultant.”
A county contractor. Children moved between temporary homes. Paperwork that could be altered. The pieces did not yet form a picture, but the outline made me sick.
That night, I sat beside Emily while she slept. Her fingers still curled around the sleeve of my shirt.
At 2:11 a.m., Ruiz called.
“We found Rachel Bennett,” she said.
“Is she okay?”
“She's in hiding with her mother. Rachel says she hasn't seen Noah in three weeks.”
“Then why sign the transfer?”
“She didn't.”
Ruiz paused.
May you like
“And Ben, the signature on Noah's transfer matches a forged signature on your new custody petition.”
THE THINGS BENEATH THE WATER • 20 CHAPTERS
