The Lost Boys by Faye Kellerman

Author:Faye Kellerman [Kellerman, Faye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-11-23T17:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

JACK CARLSON WORKED for the Public Defender’s office in Brooklyn. When Decker first called, Carlson said that he had to prepare for an important trial on Monday and he’d be buried in work over the weekend. Eventually, he agreed to spare fifteen minutes in the late afternoon. The meeting place was a small green space a few blocks away from Jack’s office: a disc of flat grass with a half dozen black iron benches placed around the perimeter. When Decker and McAdams arrived, the circle was empty except for a man sitting on a bench, eating out of a Chinese take-out carton. Now, in his thirties, Carlson had thinning dark hair and a slim build and wore a blue shirt and dark pants. On his feet were worn black oxfords. He stopped eating as Decker and McAdams got closer, then stood up and pitched his food into a trash bin. Introductions were made, hands were shaken, and then the trio sat down.

Up close, it was evident that Carlson could use a shave. His cheeks and chin had too much unshaped stubble to be a statement. His brown eyes were puffy, even more inflated because his face was long. He looked down at his lap. “I … don’t know what to say.”

“We realize it must be a shock.”

“No, it’s not a shock. I knew this day would come. They had to be dead. But having it hit you in the face. It brings up all sorts of bad memories that I’ve tried to not think about.” He looked up at Decker. “I don’t know how I can help you any more than I could help the police way back when. I wasn’t there.”

“It was clear that you were with your parents over the weekend.”

“I was. About a thousand people saw me.” A beat. “An exaggeration, but you know what I’m saying.”

“I do,” Decker said. “You were all sophomores when they disappeared?”

“Yes. I was Zeke’s roommate. Max and Bennett lived in the other bedroom. The four of us shared a suite.”

“If I can ask, why did your folks come for Parents’ Weekend? Isn’t that usually for freshmen?”

“Any grade in Duxbury can participate in the weekend. Some parents come all four years. But yes, the majority of the parents are mothers and fathers of freshmen. I didn’t want my parents to come. You go to college to get away from your parents. I wanted to go camping. Afterward, I felt guilty. Like I dodged a bullet. But I also felt relief.”

“At the time, did you suspect that something bad had happened?”

“All sorts of things were flying through my head, and bad was certainly at the top of the list. When we first made plans, it just seemed like a cool weekend.”

“You were planning on going, then,” McAdams said.

“Yes. I was pissed at my parents for coming up. I tried to dissuade them, but my parents are stubborn people. Thank God for that.”

“What had been the plan?” Decker asked.

“As I recall—this was ten

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