Page 52 of Lost Lake
El wouldn’t be hurried through her search, but she could focus and be efficient. She withdrew gloves from her pocket and sat down behind the desk. She thoroughly searched every drawer, not finding anything Kenna might’ve brought from home or hidden, like her journal. She looked at Bonnie. “Is it unusual for a teacher not to have anything personal in their workspace?”
Bonnie shook her head. “Unfortunately, turnover in teachers and aides is high. They often don’t stay long enough to bring items from home. Kenna is an exception to that, but she kepther personal life separate, so not bringing anything here makes sense.”
El understood keeping her private life private, but she did that because she wanted to hide her guilt. Did Kenna have something to hide, too? Something El needed to talk with Gabe about?
She glanced at him. Found his expression surprisingly neutral, so she turned back to Bonnie. “Did you ever see her with a journal?”
“No, but that’s not surprising either. She wouldn’t have any time in the classroom to journal while the children are here. She would’ve had to do it on her breaks or lunch, which she tried to spend with Lucy or helping out a struggling teacher.”
Gabe’s phone dinged. He grabbed it from his pocket and stared at the screen. “My brother came through with the address.”
El stood. “Let me check the closet, and we can get going on that.”
The space revealed shelves filled with construction paper, paint, crayons, and other daycare necessities. Still, El looked between and behind everything, through open boxes, continuing until she was confident Kenna hadn’t stored anything personal except a sweater.
She took the sweater off the hook and turned. “I’m assuming this belonged to her.”
“Yes.” Bonnie’s eyes creased, and her eyes glistened with tears again. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
Her emotional response raised a similar response in El, but she had to remain in control. “Could you take us to Lucy’s things?”
“Her cubby’s right down the hall.” Bonnie took a tissue from the box on the desk and mopped her face before fleeing to the hallway. She stopped in front of a locker holding Lucy’s name inlarge, colorful letters. A small section held pictures and clothing. A larger one had hooks for coats and backpacks.
Gabe retrieved a Bluey-themed backpack from a hook.
“Oh, gosh.” Bonnie blinked a few times. “Parents often leave things behind. Not Kenna, but they were in a hurry to leave on Friday. She didn’t say why, as usual, and I didn’t ask.”
“We might as well clear everything out.” Gabe reached for the artwork, and a stack of clothing with a small blue sweater on top.
“Sounds like you don’t think Lucy will be coming back,” Bonnie said.
“Kenna wanted me to take custody.”
“She thought the world of you and so does Lucy.” Bonnie nibbled on her lip. “Since you don’t live here, I’ll disenroll Lucy, but there’ll always be a place for her here. If something changes, let me know.”
Bonnie started for the exit, and Gabe followed.
El caught up. “Did Kenna pay tuition or was it free for working here?”
“All teachers get free tuition for one child after they’ve been employed for ninety days. A perk to try to keep teachers on staff.”
“Did she ever seem to need money?”
Bonnie frowned. “Almost all of our staff need money. I wish I could afford to pay more. But she didn’t seem desperate, like asking for an advance on her paycheck or anything like that. And Lucy never seemed to go without anything. Kenna was always able to pay for special field trips Lucy’s class took.”
Could mean her murder wasn’t money-related.
“Could we get a list of students along with their contact information?”
“Sorry, no can do. Privacy and all. You understand.”
“I do, and I’ll get a warrant for that information.”
“A warrant says I’ll have to provide it, but I’ll also have to tell the parents. I don’t want them to worry, so it would be wonderful if you could avoid the warrant.”
“Understood.” El really did understand and didn’t want to upset the parents or children unless necessary. “I’d like to interview your staff. Would now be a good time?”
“Actually, not really. It would be best if you could come back and talk to them during their break times so we don’t disrupt care.”
