Lost in the Wild by Leigh Mayberry (i am malala young readers edition txt) 📕

Rowland Searson, Fire Chief for the Kinguyakkii volunteer fire department, had no legal authority to issue a citation. Perhaps the tenants of Mountain Manor were unaware of that. Either way, by the look at the cluttered hallway, it didn’t matter to anyone.

Meghan followed Joane through the door across the hall from late Nancy McCormick’s apartment. The design of the building didn’t put doors directly across from each other. That meant someone living across the hall where someone got murdered, didn’t have to look at the door every day.

The apartment had a new occupant. Someone hung a nontraditional décor arrangement on the door. It gave the place a lived-in look instead of a memorial shrine.

The first thing Meghan noticed when she followed Joane through the threshold of the apartment was the thick cigarette smoke clinging to every available surface. The building was nonsmoking, but people like Joane Tuktu thought the rules applied to everyone else except her.

“Two bedrooms?” Meghan asked.

“Yeah, I got one with Earl. Christine and Cecil share the other bedroom.” Joane went as far as the edge of the linoleum where the threadbare carpet took over the rest of the apartment. “Christine, you here?” she called.

“Is it okay if I look in their bedroom, Joane?”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead. I think Cecil is causing trouble.”

“Is that something he does?” Meghan asked. She didn’t remove the boots because Joane didn’t seem to care either way.

The woman leaned against the counter at the edge of the kitchenette. Meghan ignored her lighting another cigarette. The ‘no smoking’ rule applied to everyone else, and only in the hallways.

Meghan scanned the bathroom as she walked by the open door. Dirty clothes on the floor, a stand-up shower, and the raised toilet seat meant a crowded place.

“You live here with your husband and the two kids?”

Joane scuffed in a way that suggested Meghan said something offensive. “I live here with Earl and the kids. I ain’t married anymore.”

Meghan turned on the bedroom light to the kids’ bedroom. The boy and girl shared the space. It was a tight fit, no boundaries or privacy, but two parts to the same room. At thirteen and ten, children needed some independence and a little retreat.

“Cecil likes to read?” Meghan asked.

“Yeah, that kid always has a book.”

The contrasting difference from the rest of the house and the bedroom of two adolescents took Meghan by surprise. She saw neatness and a clean, orderly bedroom. Cecil’s side of the room had the closet without a door. He had a bookshelf over the bed. Meghan saw young adult fantasy and science fiction novels populated the ledge. More books stacked on the floor beside the small nightstand. His bed had a generic male-themed navy colored bedspread.

Christine’s side of the bedroom had a floral little girl flavoring with stuffed animals, a pink comforter, and a bed skirt. Christine had a few posters on the wall. Movie posters, characters, and a popular boys’ band filled the limited wall space. The children shared the other closet. It had a clear separation between the boy’s and girl’s clothing. The board games that occupied the closet shelf had crisp cardboard packaging. Meghan stared at the contents inside the closet for a while. She noticed the games looked well-used. Some of the cardboard had dog eared edges, but the corners had clear tape to keep from tearing or spreading. The games she noticed were in alphabetical order.

The children shared a dresser. Cecil had the top three drawers. Christine had the bottom three drawers. Meghan pulled open one drawer of Christine’s side. The clothes, underwear, t-shirts, had neat folds. The socks had twin tucks and stacked on one side. She pushed closed the drawer, turned off the light, and returned to the smoke-filled living area.

The family spent a lot of time in the living room. It had a single recliner and a large couch. The coffee table had dirty dishes and an ashtray.

“Is that Christine?” Meghan asked. The school picture showed a pretty girl with dimples and missing a front tooth. Her silky black hair went to her shoulders, encapsulating her round face.

“Yeah.” Joane huffed on the cigarette. “Look, I know this isn’t a big deal. She’s hanging out with her friends. Cecil shouldn’t have talked to you.”

Meghan tamped down the anger because she didn’t want to wipe the floor with Joane’s face with a potentially missing child. Instead, she kept her temper down. She needed to get out of the apartment, fearing to burst into flames. The rising heat in the place meant the third floor got everything people used on the two levels below the apartment.

“If I needed a picture, is that current?” she asked.

Meghan went to the door. She opened it to get a healthy helping of fresh air since Joane used up the air inside the apartment, coating it with cigarette smoke.

“Yeah, but look, I’m telling you, Christine’s with her friends.”

“Call her,” Meghan said.

“I can’t call her, what do you think, I’m made of money. Christine don’t have a cell phone.”

“What about Cecil? Does he have a cell phone?”

“No.”

“Do you need a ride back to the school?” Meghan asked.

“No, I’ll get Earl to pick me up.”

“Look, Joane, I get you think Cecil made a big deal out of nothing. I agree with you. It’s probably nothing. Check with Christine’s friends. Get back to me when you find her. I am not concerned about this, just like you. She’ll turn up, I know it.”

Meghan closed the door. She shook her head and bit her tongue. A missing child, a concerned brother, Meghan didn’t know Joane Tuktu or Earl, but the moment she got back to the department, Meghan knew she’d scan for criminal history. No visible signs of abuse in the apartment. The kids’ bedroom looked well maintained. The kids took priority in the home.