LITMIR.BIZ

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lip before she stopped walking to face Emily. “I don’t have much time to help you. It would have to be last spare of the day today.”

      Emily’s voice bubbled out of her like it was filled with carbonated water. “That works for me. Thanks, you’re the best.”

      I’m sure you really think that. Dawn started walking. “I’ll be in the library. Bring your test.”

      They’d reached the front steps to the school and Emily fell back with her friends. Dawn climbed the stairs and entered the school without looking over her shoulder. She knew the three of them would be watching her and waiting until she was out of earshot to say something flip at her expense. She had no illusions about her own role in their drama. She and Emily would never become friends, and that was just fine with her.

      She sat alone in the cafeteria after English and gym class, reading a book from the library and eating the ham sandwich and apple that Kala left for her in the fridge before hustling out the door to the office earlier than usual. She’d spent the day before on police business in Montreal and gotten home late.

      Dawn had been living with Kala since November. She’d been placed with Kala a short time after her mother went to prison and had only been with her a few months before her court worker pulled her out and put her in a foster home. That hadn’t worked out and now Kala was saddled with her again — that was how Dawn saw it. She felt like she was on probation, not sure who would decide she wasn’t fitting in this time around. Dr. Lyman said she should start trusting her aunt, for that was how she thought of Kala, and it wasn’t that she didn’t want to … but something inside her wouldn’t relax. She was always watching and waiting for signs that her life was going to fall apart again. Her mother had told her that she had a gift. A sixth sense about the universe. Dawn knew it more as a bleak darkness that stole away her happiness.

      French and biology classes filled her afternoon and Dawn forgot about meeting Emily until she slid into the seat next to Dawn in the library. “I almost didn’t see you sitting here,” Emily said. She dropped her bag onto the table and pulled out her math textbook followed by the recent test. A circled red 43 percent was written across the top. “I wasn’t kidding about needing your help. Sorry I’m late.”

      Dawn glanced at her watch. Ten minutes left before the period was over and she had to catch her bus home. “I have time to go over the first problem.”

      An hour later, they were still going through the test. Dawn hadn’t expected Emily to really try to understand anything and was surprised to find she was making an effort. Dawn could have left, but she liked the feeling of helping Emily make progress. Besides, she didn’t have anything else going on at home. Emily finished jotting down the formula and worked through the answer before looking up at Dawn. “I think I get this part.”

      “Good, because I really have to go.” Dawn started collecting her books and pens and putting them into her bag. She paused when Emily said, “I made you miss your bus. I’m sorry.”

      “I’ll catch the next one.”

      Dawn didn’t expect Emily to follow her out of the library and certainly not down the hallway to their row of lockers. Emily stood next to Dawn while she spun the numbers on her lock. “Do you want to go to Starbucks for a coffee before you go home? I’m meeting a few friends.”

      “I don’t think so. I have to get home.”

      “Well, maybe next time.”

      Dawn kept her face forward and dug around in her locker. She heard Emily’s footsteps going down the hallway and waited until she was busy at her own locker before heading toward the exit. The idea that Emily wanted her to join up with her friends was a nice dream, but Dawn knew better than to get her hopes up. Emily might not be as awful as she’d first thought, but the two of them would never be friends. Not once Emily found out that both her parents were in prison.

      Dawn pushed open the front door to the school and stepped outside. The sun was nearly down and a cold stillness had settled over the empty street. She pulled up her hood and walked down the stairs, careful not to slip on patches of black ice hidden by the fresh coating of snow that had fallen while she was inside working with Emily. The snow crunched underfoot like corn flakes as she trudged to the bus stop, hoping she made it home before Kala.

      Fred Taylor buzzed through late afternoon as Paul Gundersund was putting on his jacket to attend a meeting with the police board. “You got time to take a call?” Taylor asked. “A woman wants to speak to somebody in charge.”

      Gundersund was acting staff sergeant while Rouleau replaced Captain Heath. Heath was now happily on a vacation in Europe with his mistress Laney Masterson and officially separated from his wife. “He chose my cousin and true love over marriage to a fortune,” Vera, Heath’s executive assistant, had said with a wry smile. “At least he’s finally made a decision.”

      Gundersund looked out the window at the deepening twilight, violet shadows snaking their way across the winter day’s satin-blue sky. He would have liked to have spent some of this glorious winter day outside, but his life was now endless paperwork and back-to-back meetings. How the hell could Rouleau stand this bureaucratic yoke around his neck day in and day out? He reined in his thoughts and said, “Sure, put them through.”

      A moment later, he heard a woman’s voice. “Hello?”

      “Officer Gundersund here. How can I help you?” He pulled over a notepad and picked up his pen, flicking the end against the desk while he waited.

      “We’re sure this is nothing.” The woman hesitated. “She went out for a walk and it’s getting dark. We were wondering if someone could put out the word so patrol officers are watching for her.”

      “I’m sorry, but who is this?”

      “I told the person I was just speaking with. This is Evelyn McKenna. We’re a bit worried, you see. It’s not like her to not answer her phone.”

      “Is she of adult age, ma’am?”

      “Yes, but she’s from out of town. And the temperature is dropping.”

      Gundersund looked out into the main office and saw that everyone had gone for the day. He smiled as he realized this call would get him out of a meeting that would last well into the dinner hour. “Give me your address and I’ll come by for a chat.”

      “We’d be so relieved.”

      “Sit tight, Ms. McKenna. I’ll be there in less than half an hour.” Gundersund hung up and grabbed his jacket from the hook on the door. He paused as the euphoria at getting out of the meeting fell away. He hadn’t even asked the missing person’s name. What was wrong with him? He rubbed a hand across his aching eyes and silently chided himself for being so lax. Then he walked out of the office and down the hall to the front desk where Taylor was speaking into the phone. Taylor put a hand over the receiver and said, “Going out on the call?”

      “I am. Did you catch the name of the missing woman?”

      “No, sorry. The woman on the line only said her name, which was Evelyn McKenna, and that she needed to speak to someone in charge. By the tone of her voice, I thought it best to punch her right through.”

      “You did the right thing.” He could call Evelyn McKenna back or wait until he got to her place to pin down details. The second choice made him look less foolish. He took a step and turned back. “Did you see Stonechild leave by any chance?”

      “Yeah, you just missed her.”

      Gundersund debated calling her to meet him at the address but decided it wasn’t worth two of them being late for supper. Likely, whoever was missing had already made it home. He quickened his stride and was outdoors breathing cold air on a jog to his Mustang, slowing when he caught sight of someone hunched over on all fours near Stonechild’s truck. It took him a second to realize it was Kala.

      He cleared his throat and she looked up at him. “I dropped my lip-gloss container and it rolled away somewhere. I can’t find it in this light.” She

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