by Rebecca Rane
“Yeah, we were friends, for a little while anyway. We kind of separated and did our own things in high school. When I made the first string on JV football, it was like, dude, no more time for the robotics club. I know, that sucks of me. I wish I’d have stuck with it. Would have helped way more than football, I think, in a job hunt.”
“What do you do?”
“A sales associate, Dewey Trapper Auto Group.”
Kendra nodded. “A lot of your classmates said Josh Wagy was shy, kind of a loner,” Kendra prompted.
“I guess, yeah, that’s what I remember.”
Kendra’s hope faded. It had been a lot of work to find people who knew Josh, and now, it might also be a lot of work for nothing.
“Do you remember hanging out at his house?” Kendra was trying to pull anything she could from this encounter.
“Honestly, no. My mom was a supercharged helicopter mom. The fight we got into because she was worried about concussions, thanks to football, it was epic. I was usually allowed to have friends over, that kept her happy.”
“I see.”
“Plus, we had everything, like three game systems, and a basement that was tricked out! No need to go to someone else’s.”
Kendra struggled with her impatience. Was this a waste of time? Had she followed a rabbit hole into the past that didn’t get her any closer to what happened to Ethan Peltz? It was feeling like that.
She looked at her plate and the half-eaten slice of City Diner’s famous apple pie à la mode. Kendra put her spoon into the melting vanilla ice cream.
It didn’t appear Ryan Cogey knew anything deep or revealing about Josh or his dad.
“You were in that middle school club with him. What about before then? Do you remember him from elementary school?”
Ryan thought about the question, and it looked like something was dawning on him.
“Wait, yeah, actually, he was new in sixth grade. So was I. Maybe that’s why we did hit it off in the beginning? I’d moved from Napierville, and he was at some charter school for elementary. It seemed like everyone else had gone to elementary together, and we were the newbies, then.”
Kendra’s ears perked up. She was a little confused about Ryan’s recollection.
“I was under the impression he did all his schooling in Port Lawrence Public.”
“Uh, well, no—we were both newbies. It sucked. That’s why we hung out at first.”
“Do you remember the name of the charter school?” She held her breath.
Cogey thought about it, but only for a second. “Oh, for sure, get this, it was called, uh Rising Wings Academy for Boys or something like that.”
“I never heard of that.”
“I know right? I thought it sounded like a reject from Harry Potter or something, totally ridiculous. He had a blazer from it, too, that I remember. He was glad not to have to wear uniforms.”
Ryan had nearly finished his pie. Kendra didn’t want to rush him, but she was hot to find out more about this charter school. Why hadn’t Josh mentioned it? It was a step backward into the past. It was what Howard Meriwether said she should be looking for.
They finished their dessert, and Kendra thanked Ryan.
“Will this be on the podcast, what you recorded?”
“You know, I’m not sure right now,” Kendra said, which was the truth. She didn’t know if this interlude into middle school would weave into their narrative or if it had only been a stepping stone to something else.
“Well, I’ll keep an ear to it. Hope I helped.”
“Thank you for meeting with me. I don’t know how it all fits in, but I appreciate you helping me fill in some gaps.”
Kendra left enough money to cover the food and walked up to the cash register.
Sal was there, with boxed lunches she’d ordered on her way in. She was going to make a special delivery.
“Thanks! It was delicious as usual.”
“You need help out to your Jeep?”
Kendra balanced the two big boxes filled with bag lunches.
“No, I got it, and thank you again. What do I owe you?”
“You tell your sister and that task force it’s on me,” Sal said.
Kendra smiled. If half of Port Lawrence hated her, she could stand it mainly because the half that didn’t hate her was incredible.
She loaded the food into her Jeep, all the while rolling the name around in her head. What the heck was Rising Wings Academy for Boys? And why was this the first she’d heard about it?
Chapter 28
She’d texted her sister when she parked behind a line of news vehicles. They were there, pretty much all day and night, waiting for developments on Brylon Coleman.
She skirted around the back entrance, and a uniformed patrol officer opened the door.
“If Tara finds out I did this, she’ll have my ass.”
Pat Murphy normally patrolled the area around WPLE. He was an old-timer on the force. Nothing much got him excited, and no story was that big a deal. Once, when Kendra was covering a sinkhole that opened up, big enough for a sedan to be swallowed whole, Murphy’s quote was legendary: “Potholes happen every day. It’s not news.”
They had to send two firefighters into the minor pothole to help the shocked driver out of the no-big-deal crater.
“Hey Murph, I know you’re more afraid of Gillian than Tara. And she’s counting on me for lunch.”
“You got me there, your sister may look like a supermodel, but she’s got that Ronda Rousey kick.”
While Kendra was the yearbook editor in high school, Gillian was the volleyball team captain that made it to the state finals.
“She really does, though I was on the receiving end of her hair pulling move back in the day.”
“I can’t even imagine you two fighting over dolls or whatever.”
“We wanted a pony. Usually, we were united on that front against the mayor. But yeah, it was something when she stole my copy of Black Beauty.”
Murphy led Kendra up the back stairs and to the third floor.
“Don’t let Toomey see you, either way.”
“Don’t worry, I’m here as a sister and a friend. Not as a reporter. I think they’ve got this story covered down there.”
“That’s what your sister said. I’m trusting you both.”
Kendra and Murph entered the big conference room that was command central for the search for Brylon Coleman, or at least Port Lawrence’s assistance in it.
“Murph, there’s a sandwich in there for you. Don’t forget to swing back.”
Murph saluted Kendra and slipped out. Kendra found a chair and waited quietly.
A huge map of Lucky had been tacked to the wall. Building after building had been searched. A yellow highlighter slashed through each. A smaller map was tacked next to it. It was labeled Toledo Remains.
Kendra’s sister looked tired and thinner than she’d looked a week ago, but she was in command. Kendra stood along the wall and listened for a moment.
Gillian was in charge. Kendra watched her sister, who only a year ago was still a uniformed patrol officer. But Gillian Dillon was the top of every class she’d ever been in. When she was younger, everything came easily to her little sister, but when things got more challenging, Gillian didn’t quit. She put her shoulder down and tackled.
She admired her little sister’s grit and knew Gillian had found her own calling, just as Kendra had.
“Okay, get back to me on that,” Gillian barked into her phone. She hung up and then looked up at Kendra. “How are you doing?”
As much as Kendra felt the stress and pressure to do a good job, Gillian had the pressure of life and death. Every second that ticked by meant Brylon Coleman was further away from being found.
Kyle entered the conference room. “I smelled City Diner pie from down the hall.” He took the box filled with food from Kendra’s hands. “Thanks.” Kyle went about setting the food on the conference table.
“Sal gave it to me to
give to you guys, a nutritional boost for the team,” Kendra explained.
“We need some kind of boost,” said Gillian.
“Anything new about the body you found?” Kendra asked them both.
“We have an I.D. Matches a kid from Toledo, possible runaway.”
Kendra glanced up. The label ‘Toledo Remains’ made sense now.
“That would explain why it wasn’t on the news.”
“Yeah,” Kyle said.
They all knew there was a gap between runaways and missing kids in terms of getting the word out. If the kid had a history of running away, the wheels moved slower than if the child was believed to have been snatched.
“This is all off the record. Toomey’s doing a news conference at five after she coordinates with the Toledo PIO,” Gillian cautioned Kendra.
“You got it. Of course, I’m here for you guys, not for news.”
“The kid’s head was crushed, but before that, probably trunked, and then maybe burked,” Gillian explained. The phrases were new to Kendra.
“What does that mean?” Kendra asked her sister, who was now trained by the FBI. She looked at Kyle, and he stepped in.
“Trunking is when a kid gets swept up from the sidewalk or street and stuffed in the trunk. You’d be surprised how fast that can be done.” Kyle then winced at his own words. Likely remembering that Kendra had been snatched off a city sidewalk.
“Burking is, uh, suffocating a kid, hugging them to death,” Gillian chimed in. The sisters were used to stepping around the land mines of their history and helping others do it.
“Man, you guys, just awful,” Kendra remarked. “Was that what happened to the child you found?”
“Early indications are yes, that’s what happened,” Kyle said.
The two of them opened their lunches. Thanks to the subject matter, they now looked less than enthusiastic about the food.
“I know your appetite is terrible, but eat anyway.” Kendra was usually on the receiving end of that advice. This time she doled it out to her sister.
Kyle listened; Gillian picked at her food.
“Okay, get our mind off of it for a second. How’s The Cold Trial?” Gillian asked Kendra.
“Ha, not exactly light and flowers. I’m nowhere on Ethan Peltz. I’m not any further than the local sheriff,” Kendra said.
“Well, he’s a good guy, smart, thorough. Maybe this one isn’t going to be the happy ending you’re known for,” Gillian said. It wasn’t a dig. Her sister was trying to help her prepare for the disappointment at the end of the road she was on.
“Have either of you heard of Rising Wings Academy for Boys?”
“No,” Gillian answered.
“I have. Actually, there used to be one, on Adams Street, I think,” Kyle said. “But I think it was Rising Wings Young Men’s Academy.”
“Thank you. It looks like Josh, my Ethan Peltz impersonator, went there as a kid. I have no idea what that means, but that was Howard Meriwether’s suggestion, go back into Josh’s past as far as I could,” Kendra said. She knew she had two top-notch investigators here, sharing a sandwich. She hoped they’d share a little advice with her.
“That’s something to look at,” Gillian said. “Find out what you can about, what’d you call it?”
“Rising Wings Young Men’s Academy,” Kyle said.
“Yeah, maybe I’m not on a dead end after all,” Kendra said, itching to look into it.
“Yeah, well, at least one of us has a way forward, that’s something,” Gillian put her sandwich down.
The conversation was over, as her sister turned her eyes to the map on the wall. Kendra knew her sister had little time to spare and wouldn’t rest until Brylon Coleman was found. They had a shorthand that meant Kendra could leave Gillian to her work without the time-consuming pleasantries of saying goodbye. It was a permanent Irish Goodbye, with no questions asked.
“Walk me out?” Kendra asked Kyle.
“Yep,” Kyle said.
“See you later, Sis,” Kendra said, and Gillian grunted something that sounded like a goodbye. She was back in her search, and Kendra knew her sister would stay there wherever it led. Kendra had thought about law enforcement when she was in school. But she had no interest in learning how to shoot a gun, the structure of a department, or even its politics.
The sisters were alike but also as different as the careers they’d chosen. Kendra’s “little sister” was also a head taller than her. She had the physical stature to scare the crap out of a bad guy, where Kendra did not. Pipsqueak was a name she’d heard quite a bit growing up.
Kyle and Kendra walked down the stairs to the side exit of Big Blue.
As they did, Kyle reached out a hand, and Kendra took it. It was nice, holding hands, especially amid the strange worlds they were both inhabiting.
When they got to the door, Kyle squeezed Kendra’s hand.
“I’m sorry I left the other night and haven’t called,” Kyle said.
“You know I know and don’t worry about it.”
Kendra wasn’t jealous, possessive, or one who needed to be the center of attention. The opposite was true. She’d prefer to be left alone, to her work.
“When this is all over, I’d like to take you to dinner. No work, no awards, just pasta, or well, whatever you like to eat.”
“It’s a date,” Kendra said. Though she wondered when any of their jobs or “this” would be over. Kendra grabbed the door handle and was about to leave Kyle and her sister to their work when Kyle reached out and gently spun her around to face him.
He leaned down and kissed her, with an intensity that was up several notches from the other night. She caught her breath, and they locked eyes.
“Wow, uh, wow.” Kendra was embarrassed how far off-kilter the kiss had thrown her.
“I just wanted to be sure you knew I was serious and that that parking garage wasn’t a fluke,” Kyle said.
“Noted,” Kendra replied and tried not to giggle like a kid, as flirting and making out wasn’t her normal wheelhouse.
She pushed open the door and left Detective Kyle Carver behind. She pressed her fingers to her lips and blushed, thinking about what they might do if ever either one of them wasn’t working.
Best to leave that for later. She didn’t need to be distracted by anything right now.
Gillian, Kyle, and Howard Meriwether were all encouraging her to stay the course on Josh’s past. They were the experts.
Which meant it was time to find out more about Rising Wings Young Men’s Academy.
Chapter 29
He was supposed to be friendly. And nice.
He liked being friendly. And it was easy to be nice. Smile and stuff like that.
He had candy. He could give it out. It wasn’t even Halloween, and he could give it out. He wasn’t supposed to eat it, though. It was for new friends.
He wanted new friends.
Maybe if there were new friends, the dark wouldn’t be that dark.
If they were nice to him, he could be nice too.
He walked on the street and looked out for what he was supposed to.
They would be friends. But they might look scared.
They needed to be by themselves. Their mommies had to be “out of the picture.” He didn’t really understand what picture, but that was the rule: out of the picture.
He knew he could learn fast. He wanted to too.
And he knew it would be okay. It was dark dark at first.
But if you did what you were supposed to do, you’d get way more than candy.
You’d get a nightlight.
They would understand that. After the first bit.
He did. He understood that this was how you made friends.
This was how you made people happy.
He heard a thud noise.
It sounded a lot like his own pounding on the trunk from the inside.
He balled his hands into fists. He had little scratches on them, still.
That was
stupid, they said.
It would stop soon.
And then there would be a new friend. Maybe two.
Maybe then they could trick-or-treat. Or play Power Rangers.
He fished in his pocket for candy and then went on the sidewalk again.
The mommies had to be out of the picture.
Chapter 30
It had been four days since they’d aired the fourth episode. That meant they had about three more days to get the next one written and recorded.
Kendra left another message with Josh.
“Hey, I have a question about your school when you were little. Call me when you get this,” Kendra said.
Josh had promised to help. He’d been a media sensation for a hot second. And then, when the DNA showed his claim to be false, the television people dropped the story.
One went so far as to blame the podcast for promoting a fiction. It stung, but they tried to ignore it and move forward. It was another coal added to the fire rising underneath their backsides.
So, all they could think of to do was to dig into the history of Rising Wings.
Between Shoop and Kendra, a picture emerged of a school, planted specifically in underserved communities, as their literature stated, to improve the education of young boys.
It was founded in a wave of charter school openings in cities in Ohio. It was closed amid a financial scandal.
There were accusations of mismanagement, but nothing so terrible as to grab headlines or cause Shoop or Kendra to remember the school at all.
“I’ve got an interview with Frank Drager, administrator of several Rising Wings,” Kendra told Shoop.
“Are you recording it? I mean, we’re getting down to the wire here, for the next episode.”
“I think so, and you don’t have to remind me. If this doesn’t help us move forward in the podcast, well, we have nothing, zero, for the next episode,” Kendra said.
“Look, we’ve been up against it before. We’ll figure something out, I know it,” Shoop said and pumped her fist in the air.
“That was a sarcastic fist bump,” Kendra said, and Shoop shrugged.
