LITMIR.BIZ

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do the police say?”

      “That they’re overstretched on resources but still doing everything they can. No leads though.”

      “Are you concerned?”

      “After talking to her mother, yes I am. Moms know best. If she believes something happened to her daughter, then who am I to question that? The girl’s friends also haven’t heard from her. That’s key. A teenager might ignore her mom but definitely not her friends.”

      He frowned. “Doesn’t sound good. How old is she?”

      “Sixteen.”

      “When did she go missing?”

      “Saturday before last while out downtown with her friend.”

      He frowned even deeper this time.

      “What?” she asked.

      “Nothing.” He shook his head.

      She knew that wasn’t really what he was thinking, but she’d let it go.

      “I know you’re busy. So I’ll get out of here. I’d like to take you to lunch sometime, though.”

      “I’ll think about it.”

      “Good.” He stood up and walked out the door.

      She couldn’t help but notice how sweet his smile had been. Or his concern over Megan. Army ranger. Those guys were no joke. Why did he have to join the FBI? She shook her head in disgust. The FBI had a way of messing everything up. She hoped Kip hadn’t been corrupted. She shouldn’t focus too much on his sweet smile. Megan Milton was her top priority.

      * * *

      Sadie didn’t waste any time getting to work after Kip left her office. She needed to talk to Lauren and retrace Megan’s steps from the prior Saturday night. She’d gotten the teenager’s address from Ms. Milton and arrived at the house out in the El Paso suburbs. Lauren’s family had money. The two-story white sprawling house with a perfect fence was so cliché.

      She’d called ahead of time to confirm the meeting. Lauren and her mother were actually eager to talk to her. She rang the doorbell and was greeted by a woman with bleached blond hair, in her forties, dressed in a tennis outfit. However, her perfume and heavy makeup didn’t seem consistent with an intense tennis match.

      “You must be the private investigator?”

      “Yes, I’m Sadie Lane. You must be Mrs. Newton.”

      “Yes. Please come in. I’m so glad you’re here.” She waved her hand in the air. “Lauren has been absolutely distraught. She won’t even go out which is so unlike her. She’s a social butterfly. I hope you can help. She’s anxious to talk to you.”

      “Before I talk to her, how well did you know Megan?”

      “She spent a lot of time over here.” She shook her head. “She’s a sweet girl.” She lowered her voice. “But her mother.” She leaned in closer. “She actually works two jobs.”

      Sadie tried to reserve judgment, but Lauren’s mother seemed pretty judgmental herself. Sadie admired the fact that Ms. Milton worked two jobs to support her family. Obviously, from the looks of the expansive house, Mrs. Newton didn’t have to worry about money.

      Mrs. Newton fluffed her already-teased hair. “At any rate, her mother leaves Megan alone a lot. It’s sad, but Lauren’s taken her under her wing. My Lauren has her act together. Top grades and a blooming social life to go with it.” She held her head high. “I’m so proud of her. She’s the perfect daughter.”

      Sadie wanted to laugh. This lady probably had no clue what her daughter was getting into. “That’s wonderful that Lauren is doing so well, and I’m glad she’s a friend to Megan.”

      “Yes, I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you now.” She called out to her daughter, and Lauren bounded down the steps. She was a younger version of Mrs. Newton. Her much more natural blond ponytail was perfectly styled, and she also wore a buff-pink tennis outfit. Maybe a mother-daughter tennis match this evening after the summer sun subsided?

      “Lauren, dear, this is Ms. Lane. She’s the investigator looking for Megan.”

      “I’m glad you’re here,” Lauren said. She walked right over to her and grabbed Sadie’s hand dragging her into the living room. “Mom, can you give us a few minutes to talk?”

      “Sure, dear.” Mrs. Newton bounced out of the room, oblivious.

      Lauren plopped down on the couch and leaned her head back for a moment before turning and making eye contact with Sadie. Sadie sat down beside her.

      “I’m freaked out about Megan,” Lauren said bluntly.

      “I’m so glad you’re talking to me. I’m going to need you to be completely honest with me. No one is in this room right now but me and you. To be able to help Megan I need to know the whole truth.”

      Lauren nodded. “I get it.” Lauren tightened her ponytail, and then looked directly at her, her blue eyes wide. “That’s exactly why I asked Mom to leave. She can be so controlling and always wants to add her spin to any story.”

      “Start at the beginning. What happened that Saturday night?”

      “We were going out downtown for a nice dinner. We scored the top two grades in our AP history class. Megan had been saving up for months for this dinner. Megan’s family doesn’t have money. It’s just her and her mom, so this was a big deal. Once we got the grades, we immediately started planning.”

      “Okay, so what happened?”

      “We made a reservation at the newest and trendiest restaurant in town. I couldn’t believe we were able to get a reservation, but we did. It’s the one inside the fancy Rhubarb Hotel called Sala. It’s also exciting because they play live music, and it’s just the place to go. So anyway, we were at our table and there was a delay in our getting served because it was so busy. I went to find our server to get us some water. By the time I got back, she was gone.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked away. “If I hadn’t left her, maybe she’d be okay.”

      “How long were you gone?”

      “The restaurant was packed. It was probably at least fifteen minutes or longer. Because—” she paused, looking down “—I took a detour and wandered around a bit, taking it all in.”

      “So the last time you saw her, she was at the table. Then fifteen minutes later or longer you walked back, and she wasn’t there. Then what did you do?”

      “I looked for her. I checked the ladies’ room and the hostess stand. Then went back to the main seating area. Sala isn’t that large. After I went around the place at least three times, I knew something was wrong. Megan and I like to go out and have fun, but we never ever leave each other like that. She would not have left that restaurant without me. No way. We know it’s not safe. Something happened to her.” Her eyes misted up. “I know it.”

      “What did you do then?”

      “I went home. Megan’s mom was working the night shift. So I didn’t talk to her until I called the next morning. She hadn’t seen or heard from Megan either. That’s when I flipped out.”

      “And you never got any word from her? A text, an email, anything after that night?”

      “Nothing.” She paused and her blue eyes filled with tears yet again. “What do you think happened?”

      “I don’t know. But I’ll do my best to find her.”

      “I know I’m just sixteen, but I’m not stupid. Could someone have taken her?”

      “That’s always possible.”

      Lauren stood up and started pacing. “I’m so mad at the police. They need to be doing more. I’ve watched enough TV

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