“Daily, but there wasn’t much to say.”
Dot nodded with encouragement.“Then what happened?”
“Last week he added Jordan to the list, as well as Cody and Mischa—Jordan’s and Lara’s best friends.”
“Did he say why?”
“I didn’t ask.It wasn’t an issue until I heard Jordan whispering about treasure to Mischa.”
“You told Kurt?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think it was true until he got demanding.Wanted me to talk about shipwrecks in the area during class and report on what they said.”
Dot held her pen over the notepad.“When was this?”
“Tuesday.Then there was the storm on Wednesday and school didn’t go back until today.”
“What happened today?”
“Jordan brought the coin to school.I rang Kurt at recess.I thought the information about the coin would be enough to make him go away.I didn’t think he would take the boys.”She leaned forward, eyes wide, pleading for Dot to understand.
“What did Kurt say?”
“That whatever happened, I shouldn’t call the police, or he would tell everyone.”
Dot raised an eyebrow.
“I was scared.I didn’t know what to do.”
“Then what happened?”
“I returned to class.At the beginning of lunch Lara came to me and said Jordan and Cody had been taken by a man that fit Kurt’s description.”
Dot waited for Myra to continue.
She was silent for a long moment and then she said, “I told her not to tell lies.”
“But you believed her?”
Myra hesitated and then nodded, her shoulders hunching.
Dot’s grip tightened on the pen but she kept her tone light.“And then?”
“She got upset.Wanted to find another teacher to speak to, but I wouldn’t let her.Kurt would have ruined my life if I had.When the bell rang, I told the principal the boys hadn’t returned.”
“So you gave Kurt a thirty-minute head-start.”
“Yes.”
“What was Kurt blackmailing you with?”What could be so bad that she would risk the lives of two ten-year-old boys?
“I’d rather not say.”
“Without the full details, I can’t do you a deal.”Dot let that sit with her a moment before she asked, “After telling the principal, what did you do?”
“The principal asked me to ring Gretchen and ask her if Jordan was with her.”
“What did she say?”Dot knew what had happened from speaking with Gretchen earlier, but it would be interesting to see what Myra disclosed.
