Chapter 109
NOW I waited.
I went to visit Nana and the kids early the next morning.
My aunt Tia had a small clapboard house that was painted yellow with white aluminum shutters. It was located on a quiet street in Chapel Gate, which she called “the country.” As I drove up to the small house, I saw no evidence of the FBI, which was a good sign, I thought. They were doing their job well.
The special agent in charge was a man named Peter Schweitzer. He had an excellent reputation. Schweitzer met me at the front door and introduced me to the six other agents inside Tia’s house.
When I was fully satisfied about security, I went to see Nana and the kids. “Hello, Daddy.” “Hello, Dad.” “Hello, Alex.” Everybody seemed especially glad to see me, even Nana. They were having a big breakfast in the kitchen, and Tia was busy making pancakes and hot sausages. She put out her arms for a hug, and then everybody grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. I must admit, I liked the attention; I needed the hugs.
“They can’t get enough of you, Alex.” Tia laughed and clapped her hands, just the way she’d been doing for years.
“That’s ’cause we don’t see enough of him,” Damon taunted.
“The job’s almost done,” I said, hoping that was true, not completely believing it. “At least you’re all getting three squares a day.” I laughed and gave Tia an extra hug.
I ate some breakfast and stayed at Tia’s for a little more than an hour. We never stopped talking the whole time, but only once did anyone bring up the current difficult and scary situation. “When can we go back home?” Damon asked.
They all stared at me, waiting for a good answer. Even little Alex held me in his gaze. “I won’t lie to you,” I finally said. “We have to find Kyle Craig first. Then we can go home.”
“And it can be just like before?” Jannie asked.
I recognized a trick question. “Even better than that,” I told her. “I’m going to make some big changes soon. I promise you.”
Chapter 110
I LEFT for Charlotte, North Carolina, on a ten o’clock flight out of D.C. I was heading south to v
isit Craig family members. Maybe Kyle was there as well. It wouldn’t surprise me.
His father, William Craig, chose not to be home when I arrived at the estate where Kyle and his brothers had been raised. It was a gentleman’s farm, with a rambling stone-and-wood house set on over forty acres in horse country. Someone on the staff told me it cost over fifteen dollars a yard just to paint all the white fences running around the pastures.
I spoke with Miriam Craig on a rear porch that overlooked wildflower gardens and a rock-filled brook. She seemed very much in control of her emotions, which surprised me, but maybe shouldn’t have. Mrs. Craig told me a great deal about her family.
“Kyle’s father and I had no idea, no clue about his darker side, if indeed the terrible allegations are true,” she said. “Kyle was always distant, reserved, introspective, I suppose you could say, but there was nothing to suggest that he might be this troubled. He did well in school, and in athletics. Kyle even plays the piano with a beautiful touch.”
“I never knew he played,” I said, and yet Kyle had often commented on my playing. “Did you and his father tell him how well he was doing—in school, for example? In athletics? I suspect that boys need to hear that more than we know.”
Mrs. Craig took offense. “He didn’t want to hear it. He’d say, ‘I know,’ and then walk away from us. Almost as if we had disappointed him by stating the obvious to him.”
“His brothers did better than Kyle in school?”
“In terms of grades, yes, but the boys were all high-honor students. Most teachers saw Kyle as being deeper. I believe that he had the highest IQ, one forty-nine, if I remember correctly. He chose not to apply himself to every subject. He had a strong will, even as a young boy.”
“But there were no obvious signs that he was severely troubled?”
“No, Detective Cross. Believe me, I’ve thought about it a lot.”
“Kyle’s father would agree?”
“We talked about it just last night. He agrees. He’s just too upset to be here. Kyle’s father is a proud man, and a good one. William Craig is a very good man.”
Next, I went to see Kyle’s brother. I talked to Dr. Craig in a white-on-white conference room at the Charlotte clinic where he was a partner.
“I found Kyle to be caustic and very cruel. I know that Blake did as well,” he confessed over tea.
“Cruel in what way?” I asked.