Deadly Connections

by Renee Pawlish

  I didn’t have to ring the bell at Latoya Anderson’s house because three women were coming out the front door as I stepped onto the porch.

  “We’ll see you later,” a woman with mocha skin and black curly hair said from the entryway as she held open the door. I assumed this was Latoya Anderson. An inquisitive smile crossed her face at the sight of me. “May I help you?”

  One of the other women hustled down the sidewalk, but the other two–one a buxom woman in jeans and a tight-fitting shirt, the other taller with dark hair and a curious look on her face–hesitated on the porch steps.

  I introduced myself, and before I could say more, the dark-haired woman held up a hand. “Oh, is this about the situation this morning? A detective came to my door about an hour or so ago, asking if I had seen or heard anything last night or early this morning.”

  I nodded and looked at Latoya. “Could we go inside and talk?”

  She hesitated, a frown spreading across her face. “What’s this about?”

  The taller woman turned toward us. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, Mallory,” Latoya said, although her tone indicated she wasn’t too sure. “A detective was here right before you all showed up.” To me, she said, “We just finished our book club. We,” she pointed at the other women, “all have had kids at Roosevelt Elementary. It’s not too far from here.”

  “Should we stay?” the woman in the jeans asked.

  “Joyce …” Latoya started to answer.

  “Do you two live nearby?” I asked the other women.

  Mallory shook her head.

  “No,” Joyce said.

  “You weren’t around here last night, or Saturday night?”

  They both shook their heads. “Why?” they asked in unison.

  “I need a few minutes with Latoya,” I said. I wasn’t telling them anymore. They could hear it from someone else. Both women looked at me curiously.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” Latoya said. “I’ll call you both later.”

  Joyce took a couple of steps, then tugged at Mallory’s arm. “Come on.”

  I waited until the two reached their cars, then looked at Latoya. She stepped back and let me in. We went into a living room decorated in earth tones and sat down. A tray with remnants of finger food and four cups were on a coffee table in front of a dark couch. The rich aroma of coffee still hung in the air. Latoya gestured for me to sit in a chair by the window, and she perched on the edge of the couch.

  “What’s this about?” she said pointedly, then cleared her throat. “You’ve piqued my curiosity.”

  I listened for a moment. The house was quiet. “Have you talked to Audra Pickett today?”

  She shook her head. “I saw her drive by when I was taking my son to school. I waved at her. I have no idea where she was headed. With our busy schedules, she and I usually only see each other periodically. You know her son is missing, right?” Then it dawned on her why I must’ve been there. Her face fell and a hand went to her mouth. “Oh no. Is this about Logan?”

  I hated my answer, but said, “Yes.” I looked at her grimly. “I’m afraid he’s dead. His body was found in a dumpster in an alley near here.”

  Her lip trembled. “Oh my god, no. I just can’t believe it.”

  I waited, giving her a moment. “Did you see or hear anything around your house last night?”

  Latoya shook her head. “The detective who was here earlier, Moore, I think his name was, he asked me the same thing. I was over at Audra’s house until after eleven, and then I walked home. I didn’t notice any unusual cars on the street, and I didn’t hear anything either. It was quiet. My family was all in bed, and when I got home I went to bed too. I have to admit, I’ve been tired because the last couple of nights I’ve been over at Audra’s house until late. Last night I went right to sleep.”

  “Did your husband see or hear anything?”

  She laughed, a tiny noise. “Rob sleeps like the dead. He was barely aware that I got into bed.” She stood up and went to the window. She parted sheer curtains and looked out. “How is Audra doing?” Her voice shook.

  “About like you’d expect,” I said. “There’s no easy way to deliver this kind of news.”

  She turned, tears in her eyes. “Logan is … was … such a sweet boy. I can’t believe this.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “When Logan disappeared, I couldn’t help but wonder what might’ve happened, but I just kept holding out hope that he would show up.”

  “I understand he was over here playing with your son right before he disappeared?”

  She finally sat back down, her hands in her lap, fidgeting with a gold watch on her wrist. “Yes, we had eaten dinner and the boys had gone outside for a while, and then Terrell, that’s my son, came inside and said that Logan had to go because his dad was going to pick him up. As far as I knew, that’s what had happened, until Audra called me and said that Logan was missing. I ran over to their house, and my husband and I helped them search the neighborhood for Logan.” She shrugged and said in a small voice, “But he was gone.”

  “How did Audra and Gary act?”

  “They were both devastated of course. But,” she stopped.

  “What?”

  “Audra seemed upset about Logan being gone, and so did Gary, but he seemed angrier at Audra than anything else. But that’s the kind of guy he is.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

  “I hate to talk about Gary.” She tilted her head. “But I guess you need to know. Gary has a temper. I don’t know if Audra told you that, but that was a big reason why they divorced. Gary can be very charming, but he’s ex-military and he’s rigid and controlling. And boy, can he get angry. I’ve seen that.”

  “Really?” I tried for a conspiratorial tone, just one of the girls chatting.

  “Oh yeah. A couple of times when I was walking near their house, I heard Gary go off on her.” She pursed her lips. “They had their front window open, and he was yelling at her. She talked about it once, how the littlest things could make him furious. And he would get mad at poor Logan as well. Logan adored him, wanted his father’s attention, but he also knew to be careful with his dad.” She blew out a breath. “I hate to see anyone divorce, but it was the best thing for Audra, although the whole thing was contentious. Gary fought her every step of the way, tried to get custody of Logan. He didn’t think she was a fit mother. I guess he told the court she has a lot of problems, but that’s not true.”

  “What kind of problems?”

  “That she wasn’t around, that she drank. None of that’s true.”

  “How close are you with Audra?”

  She crossed one leg over the other. “Now, mostly seeing her with Logan at school, that kind of thing. We don’t really hang out that much anymore, it was more when our boys were younger. We’d see each other at the park or when they were playing at one of our houses. Now we talk on the phone when we get a chance. I like Audra.”

  “How is Audra with Logan?”

  She gestured deliberately at me with a long fingernail. “She’s a great mother, and she’s wonderful with him. I’ve watched enough cop shows to know what you’re thinking, but she wouldn’t harm him in any way.”

  “And Gary?”

  She took a moment to answer. “For as much as I don’t have a good impression of Gary, he wouldn’t hurt his boy, either.”

  “I understand,” I said as I noted her hesitation. “I do have to look at everything.”

  “Yes, I suppose you do. The cop shows are like that too.” She let out a little forced laugh.

  “How close were Terrell and Logan?”

  A beautiful smile lit her face. “Those two boys are best pals. They get along really well, and it’s nice to see. Logan loves his comics, and they also like sports, Terrell especially. Logan’s not as athletic as Terrell, but that doesn’t stop Terrell from getting Logan to play, mostly baseball and football.” She was back to speaking in the present tense, Logan’s death no
t registering yet.

  “I also heard that Logan was really into comics, in part because of his dad.”

  She shrugged. “Yes, Audra told me that. I don’t get the whole comics thing, but he would talk about superheroes and characters from his comics a lot when he was here. He and Terrell love to watch all the superhero movies that are coming out these days. I’m not too fond of them, so I’d let my husband take them to the theater.”

  “How often did you see Gary with Logan?”

  “Once in a while.” She waved a hand in disgust. “To be honest, if Gary was around, I tried to get the boys to play here. I didn’t like the way Gary treated them. It was like they were little soldiers, especially Logan. With Gary, it seemed everything was an order.”

  “Did Gary ever hurt Logan?”

  “No, nothing like that. He just wasn’t very nice.”

  I circled back around to the night Logan disappeared. “Saturday evening, after Logan left your house, you helped Audra and Gary look for Logan, and then what happened?”

  She stared out the window for a moment. “That night seemed so long, and it wasn’t even my son. I can’t imagine what Audra and Gary were feeling.” She held up a hand, then dropped it back in her lap. “We searched and searched, and after we had talked to the police, Gary finally went home. I stayed with Audra at her house. I just didn’t feel like she should be alone, and her best friend was out of town. I must’ve been with her until after one or two in the morning, and then Audra finally told me to go home. I checked on her Sunday morning, and she said she’d slept, but I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “She had dark bags under her eyes, and you could hear it in her voice; she was exhausted. She was up all night, looking for Logan. I would be if I were in her shoes. I fixed her some breakfast, but she hardly ate anything. We went out and drove all around the neighborhood again, but didn’t see Logan anywhere. I stayed with her a good bit of the day, until her friend arrived. Then I came home.”

  “Did you see Gary on Sunday?”

  “He came over for a while and also searched the neighborhood. Then he and Audra started to fight. I finally pulled him aside and asked him to go home. He wasn’t too happy with me, but he listened and left. It’s funny,” she said. “You asked me about how often I see Audra, and it’s usually taking the kids to school or chatting as we see each other outside. I’ve spent more time with her in these last few days than in a long time.”

  “You were with Audra Saturday and last night?”

  “I’ve been over there every day since Logan disappeared. Audra’s tried to get some work done, but you can tell she can’t really concentrate. I know she’s been trying to keep up with her clients. You know she’s in real estate?” I nodded, and she continued. “I’ve been over there in the evenings, trying to get her to eat, to keep her spirits up. I didn’t want her to lose hope.” She was quiet for a moment. “Last night I was there again until late.”

  “What’s late?”

  She thought for a second. “I guess it was almost midnight. When I came home my husband, my daughter Vonessia, and Terrell were already in bed.”

  “How well did your daughter know Logan?”

  “Oh, Vonessia’s in high school. She saw him here and there, but Terrell is the one who played with Logan.”

  “You haven’t noticed any suspicious activity in the neighborhood, different cars, or people you don’t know?”

  “Not that I recall.” Just then her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen. “It’s Audra.” She answered and said, “Yes, I heard. A police detective is with me now. I’m so sorry.”

  She listened, nodded. I looked out the front window. The neighborhood seemed ideal, filled with good people who cared about each other. Then something horrific occurred to trash that ideal.

  “Let me call you right back, honey. Okay, bye.” She drew in a breath and blew it out loudly. “She’s not doing well, I can tell.”

  “Is Terrell at school now?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “I’d like to talk to him, if that would be okay.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes. He might have details that he doesn’t realize are important.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Oh man, Terrell needs to hear about Logan from me. This is going to crush him.” She stared at the floor and rubbed her brow. “I guess you can follow me to the school.”

  She slowly got up, and so did I. The dread of talking to her son showed in her sagging shoulders.

  Chapter Five

  Principal Gallegos, a tall Hispanic woman with long hair and thin glasses, blinked back tears when I explained why Latoya Anderson and I were there and asked to speak with Terrell.

  “This is horrible. Just horrible,” she finally managed to say, her voice buttery but strong. I imagined that voice was soothing for the elementary kids whom she dealt with all day. She rested her hands on her desk. “This could be very upsetting for Terrell. Might it be better to talk to him after school?”

  “I’m afraid not. It’s important I talk to Terrell before more time passes. He might have information critical to our investigation.”

  “And I want to tell him about Logan before he hears it from anyone else,” Latoya said.

  Outside a window behind Gallegos, kids at recess screamed and yelled. A childhood memory came to mind, and I pushed it away. Principal Gallegos took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. Then she drew in a breath, donned her glasses, and finally stood up. “I’ll bring Terrell to the office across the hall, and you can speak to him there.”

  “Thank you,” I said, hoping to encourage her helpfulness.

  Latoya and I stood up and followed her through a reception area and across a tiled hallway to another office, this one labeled for the assistant principal, who wasn’t around. Gallegos opened the door for us.

  “You can wait in here,” she said. “I’ll tell Terrell his mom is here to see him.”

  I nodded and took a seat at a small, uncomfortable chair that was all harsh angles. If a kid sat here, he or she wouldn’t want to come back. Probably the point.

  Latoya leaned against the back of another chair as she nervously eyed the door. “I never imagined I would have to do something like this.”

  I didn’t reply. I had been in schools before, had interviewed children before, when I was with the juvenile division. That had been a tough gig. I’d had too many conversations with kids who had been wounded, either physically or emotionally, who had witnessed horrible things. Kids who’d been sexually abused, tortured, and only God knew what else. Sometimes the only way to deal with it was to put the stories in a part of my brain I rarely visited. And to seek justice for the kids. No one could ever remove the horrible things they’d endured, no amount of justice did that. It had been a start, that was all. All I could do. I pushed those thoughts aside and looked at Latoya.

  “He knows Logan had been missing, right? You didn’t shield him from that?”

  “We told him. I’m not sure he really understands that Logan,” she choked up, put a hand to her mouth, “that Logan might never come back.”

  I didn’t say anything. What could I? Logan’s death was a tragedy and no words would erase that. A faint lavender smell filled the air, so different to the tension we’d brought into the room.

  A moment later, Principal Gallegos returned with a tall, lanky boy with big innocent eyes. Oh, this is going to be hard, I thought.

  He started for his mom, glanced at me, and hesitated.

  “Hi,” he said to Latoya. He wrinkled his nose, unaware that he had bread crumbs on his T-shirt.

  “Hey, honey.” She motioned at a couch. “Why don’t you sit down?”

  He took slow steps to the couch and sank slowly onto it as if he was somehow being punished. He put his hands in his lap, looked at me askance, then let his gaze fall to his mom. Latoya glanced to Gallegos.

  “I’ll be across the hall, if you need me,” the principal murmured, then quietly shut the door.

 
Latoya sat on the couch, close to Terrell. “Honey, I have some bad news.” She swiped at the crumbs with her hand and kept her voice calm, but I detected a slight warble. “Something happened to Logan, and he isn’t coming home anymore.”

  Terrell kicked one leg back and forth. “Where is he?”

  “He’s in heaven.”

  Terrell’s face froze. “He’s dead?”

  “Yes.”

  I watched him closely. Some of the innocence in his eyes drained away, never to return. He may not have fully understood everything of death, but he’d know this loss for the rest of his life.

  “What happened?” he asked, his voice almost lost in the room.

  “Some bad people hurt him,” Latoya said. She shifted to look at me. “This lady–she’s a detective with the police–wants to ask you a few questions.”

  Now those big eyes rested squarely on me, but he didn’t say a word. The leg kept moving.

  I moved my chair a tad closer and leaned in. “I’m Sarah Spillman,” I said in a gentle voice. “You and Logan were buddies, right?”

  “Uh huh.” Barely above a whisper. He looked away. Outside the door, someone called out, and a child yelled something, the voice muffled.

  “I hear you like to play sports,” I went on. Nothing. “Are you good?”

  “I guess.”

  “You can tell her,” Latoya said, a tinge of pride in her voice. “He’s a star on the football team.”

  “Oh?” I smiled. “You’re not just good, you’re really good.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile of his own. “I’m a running back. My dad says I’m really fast.”

  “I’ll bet you are. Can you beat other kids in a race?”

  His gaze finally rested on me. “Uh huh.” A little shift as he started to engage.

  “How about Logan? Could you beat him?”

  “Yeah. He’s not very fast, even though he tries to act like he’s as fast as a superhero. He’ll never be as fast as them.”