A Broken Bone by Leigh Melinda

Author:Leigh, Melinda
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542018180
Publisher: Montlake
Published: 2020-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

6

Listening to the teen, Logan felt sick. Frank had seemed a little tough, but Logan’s instincts hadn’t picked up any sign of cruelty or meanness. Were his instincts off?

“Did Frank ever strike any of you?” Logan asked.

“Not me. I don’t know about the other kids.” Ian paused. His face creased with thought. “When Frank let Gavin out of the basement, I overheard Gavin say he was going to call his social worker and tell her what Frank was doing. Frank was mad. He said, ‘Not if you know what’s good for you.’ I didn’t hear Gavin respond. They walked away.”

“Did you see Gavin after that?” Tessa asked.

Ian shook his head. “Can I go now?” He sniffed. He looked as if he might cry.

“Yes,” Tessa said. “Would you tell Mark we need to speak with him?”

Ian nodded and stood.

Tessa got to her feet. “Thank you for speaking with us, Ian.”

But he hurried out of the room without replying.

Logan rose and paced the room. “What do you think?”

Tessa frowned. “That was the last thing I expected to hear. I have a dozen glowing references for the Waldens. Everyone who knows them thinks they are the best foster parents around. But I shouldn’t have gone into this investigation with assumptions. The Waldens should have been on my suspect list from the start.”

“They aren’t assumptions if you can back them up.”

Tessa didn’t respond. Mark appeared in the doorway. His face was pale as chalk, making his freckles seem more prominent.

“Come in, Mark.” Tessa gestured toward the chair.

Logan sat. He didn’t want to intimidate the boy.

Mark sank into the chair. One foot tapped a rapid-fire beat. Tessa began with some questions to loosen him up, just like she’d done with Ian. But Mark never relaxed. He started tense and stayed that way, and his foot never stopped tapping, like he was keeping time for a techno band.

Finally, Tessa seemed to give up. “Did you get along with Gavin?”

Mark’s eyes were cold. “Yeah.”

“Were you close?” Tessa asked.

“Not really.” Mark put a hand on his knee. His foot stilled for a few seconds. But he couldn’t maintain the lack of movement.

Logan thought Mark didn’t get close to anyone. The kid was on guard and wary as a cat.

“How do you like living with the Waldens?” Tessa sounded frustrated.

“I’ve had worse.” A muscle in the side of Mark’s face twitched. Anger radiated from his entire body.

Is he lying?

Mark pushed up his glasses, the movement so jerky Logan hoped he didn’t poke out his own eye. How could he get the kid to calm down? Maybe by finishing this interview quickly.

He wasn’t responding to Tessa, so Logan jumped in with a more pointed question. “Did the Waldens ever punish you?”

“Yeah.” Mark’s eyes narrowed, and his face turned stony.

“How did they punish you?” Logan asked.

“I didn’t finish my chores last week. Frank locked me in the basement.” Mark stared down at his bouncing foot. Beneath his freckles, a flush brightened his cheeks.

“What kind of floor is down there?” Logan needed a crowbar to get information out of this kid.

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