Free Vanished - A Mystery (Dixon & Baudin Book 1) by Victor Methos Page A

girl who would throw her arms around his neck and kiss his cheeks, who would hug him every morning and say, “I love you, Daddy.” The one he would watch while she slept and hope he could spare her all the pain that life was waiting to thrust upon her. It was difficult for him to see she was turning into her own person, with her own value system that was different from his.
    “Is that true?” he said.
    “It wasn’t… Yes,” she said quietly.
    Baudin looked back at the principal. “I appreciate you contacting me, Martin. I also appreciate your discretion. I promise you that this will be dealt with.”
    He nodded. “I understand. And I hope you understand that some punishment must be imposed. I’m going to suspend her for two days. Monday and Tuesday. She can come back on Wednesday, and she’ll be spending her lunch hour eating in detention for a month.”
    Heather was about to object before the principal cut her off.
    “That,” he said, looking directly at her, “is the price instead of calling the police.”
    “It’s fair,” Baudin said. “And it won’t happen again.”
    Baudin shook his hand, thanked him again, and left with Heather in tow. They didn’t speak until they were outside and heading for his car.
    “How could you do that?” he said. “I’m a cop, Heather.”
    She was quiet until they were in the car and the doors were shut. “I just wanted to try it.”
    “How many times have you done it?”
    “Never.”
    “Don’t lie to me.”
    She shook her head vigorously—the actions of someone desperate to be believed, Baudin thought.
    “I promise. I’ve never done it. Becky just had some, and we went out to try it. I just wanted to see what it was like.”
    “Why?”
    She shrugged.
    He exhaled and looked forward, debating what to do. “In addition to what the principal’s doing, I’m taking away your cell phone for a month.”
    “Daddy! You can’t do that. I have assignments due, and I need to talk to my partners. We work in groups. And I have to look stuff up, my notes are on my phone, there’s no way I can do my assignments without it.”
    “Well… a week, then.”
    “I have a history paper due, and my partner’s totally slacking, and we need to—”
    “Okay, the weekend. You can survive the weekend without it.” He reached into her breast pocket and pulled out her phone. “One weekend.”
    She folded her arms. “Fine.”
    Baudin started the car and pulled away, wishing her mother was here. She had always been the one who punished and disciplined. He had no tolerance for it, no knowledge about what was too much and what was too little. When he looked at her, she was just his little girl.
    “I’m gonna drop you at Molly’s.”
    “Now? Why?”
    “I have to go meet with someone.”
    “I can come, too.”
    “No, not with this person.”

15
     
     
     
     
    Baudin was already back at the precinct when Dixon came in after lunch. He walked up to their desks and sat down. Baudin had several windows open on his computer, and he began going through them, closing the unnecessary ones.
    “Your kid okay?” Dixon said.
    “She’s fine.”
    He nodded. “Fight or something?”
    “Or something.”
    Dixon leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the desk. “Jane Doe’s going on the news. I know the chief said to keep it quiet, but I ain’t revealing any details. Hopefully he don’t chew our asses for it.”
    Baudin looked at him. “I have a feeling it’s not going to matter what we do. I don’t think he’ll be happy with any outcome.”
    “What makes you say that?”
    “Just a hunch.”
    “Well, what’d your hunches say about Brett McCabe?”
    “I was gonna head up there now, actually. He declined to come down here yesterday.”
    “He seems really frail to me.”
    Baudin stretched his back from side to side. “Frail or no, he didn’t look too pleased we were up there.”
    “Well, you drive.”
    Dixon pulled his feet from the desk and headed out, Baudin