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  Marcia’s mouth opened and closed like a fish drawing in oxygen. With a skin-searing look, she hurried away.

  The word “tattletale” sprang to mind and Summer had to laugh. Realizing her laughter was bordering on hysteria, she covered her mouth. She didn’t know what had come over her, but it felt pretty damn good to be on the other side of this equation. Her anger now burnt out, she picked up the top folder, looked at the clock and decided work could wait for the thirty minutes that was left of her lunch hour. She grabbed her wallet and hurried down the steps, pleased that the dread and queasiness were a thing of the past. Marcia was good for something after all.

  Outside, she picked a direction and let the early March sun play on her face as she walked aimlessly. The downtown streets were humming with the lunch crowd, on the sidewalks and in the streets. Summer took some comfort from the normality of the scene around her. If she were losing her mind, she should enjoy this time of lucidity.

  On impulse she called her mother. They hadn’t talked in a few days. Her mother’s way of giving her space. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Summer? Are you all right? Do you need me to come get you?”

  “I’m good, Mom. Really I am. I have a few minutes and decided to call you for a change.”

  “What a lovely surprise. Your dad and I made it to Callaway Gardens. I spent a day at the spa getting buffed and scrubbed from top to bottom. I can’t wait to go back.”

  “That’s great. You deserve it. We should get together and you can tell me all about it. And I can tell you about having breakfast with Renny Jamison.”

  “Look at you, rubbing elbows with the stars. Are you going to show up in her next book?”

  Summer laughed. “You never know. I’d better get back. Just wanted to say I love you.”

  “Oh, sweetie. I love you too. Why don’t I come have lunch on Saturday? Better yet we could drive up to Atlanta and I could drag you through Phipps.”

  Summer wanted to groan. Her mother and malls had a symbiotic relationship which should not be possible for a so-called “hippie.”

  “Only if I have the right to limit your selection.”

  “Deal,” Sandra said quickly. “I’ll be there at nine.”

  “So I should expect you at eight thirty then?”

  “You know me too well. Take care of my baby girl.”

  “I will, Mom. I will.”

  Her phone buzzed before she had a chance to slip it back into her pocket. “What did you forget?”

  “To call you earlier?”

  “Renny. Sorry. Thought you were my mother. Not that I think of you like my mom or anything,” she added hastily. “I mean, you’re too young. You know?”

  “I think I do.” Renny was clearly amused. “I called to see if we could have our dinner tonight. I know it’s last minute, but I spent six solid hours writing and think that deserves a reward.”

  “Is eight too late? I have, uh, a thing before that.” “Thing” sounded better than interrogation.

  “That works. I’m thinking Stir Crazy on Roster and Second. It’s all stir-fry so it can’t be bad for you, right?”

  “What a coincidence. I was just reading somewhere that eating stir-fry doesn’t count toward daily caloric intake. Stir Crazy is perfect.”

  “You’re very agreeable today. Too bad I don’t have any more demands.”

  Is she flirting with me? Summer wondered. Warmth suffused her cheeks and it felt surprisingly good. “Probably comes from having four older sisters.”

  “To me that sounds like a reason to be disagreeable.”

  “Story you’d like to share?”

  Renny laughed. “We’ll put that in the ‘to be discussed in more detail later’ column. After I’ve had a chance to dazzle you with my charm.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Summer took a deep breath and held the phone to her chest. A date. The day wasn’t going to be a total waste.

  Kevin was sitting on her desk, checking messages on his phone, when she returned. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.” She hesitated in the doorway, unsure of her role or his.

  He looked up from his phone and smiled. “Come on in. This is your office.”

  “I…I shouldn’t have said what I said,” she blurted out.

  Kevin held up a hand. “I’m not here about that. As I told Marcia, I expect the two of you to be able to work things out. If you can’t, then Gar is the one who has to deal with it. Not me.”

  “Oh.” She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Working anything out with Marcia was bound to involve a headache. “What can I do for you?”

  “Liz shared your comments on the report for the Tyler account. They’re right on. Good job, Summer.”

  “Thanks.” She ducked her head, pleased and scared at the same time. She could almost see his thoughts. See what he was working up to.

  “I know how to schmooze with a client, work with the numbers. Know a little bit about graphics too. So when I say you were right on the money, you should know not only do I mean it but also that I know what I’m talking about.” He gently lifted her chin. “I know I said I wouldn’t push—”

  “But you will,” she interjected. “That’s what you were going to say. I know it.”

  “I’d be fool on all counts not to press. I’m doing this not only for the company, Summer, but also for you. I truly believe you still have the talent. It may be buried under the surface, but with a little digging it’ll shoot up through the ground, grow stronger and eventually bloom.” He laughed when she rolled her eyes. “You wait. Soon you’ll be bursting with fruit. Then you can thank me for fertilizing the ground.”

  “It’s good you’re a numbers man, Uncle Kevin,” Summer said dryly.

  “Mock me all you want. You’ll eat those words. It may not be tomorrow, but it will be someday. And Summer, I can easily get someone to file. It’s not so easy to find someone who has your eye for color and presentation. I’ll let you have the rest of the day to file this last stack.” He patted the folders that had played a part in the altercation with Marcia. “Tomorrow you switch to working under Liz. We’ll start using your force for the good.”

  A chuckle escaped without her permission. The love of anything Star Wars was one of the many things Kevin shared with her dad. “Thanks, Yoda. I think.”

  “Tell me again when you know.”

  Summer paced the area in front of her desk after he left. It was true. No good deed went without the reward of a swift kick in the butt. You make a few simple changes to some graphs and the page layout and people go nuts. Thought you were the Second Coming, capable of performing miracles like walking on wine and making fish fly. It just wasn’t reasonable.

  Running her fingers through her hair, she fell back on the multiplication table. By the time she reached the twenties, oxygen was suffusing her brain, allowing for clearer thoughts. She wasn’t a miracle worker. If what she produced came up short of their unrealistic expectations, she wasn’t going to take the blame. She would do her best and if it wasn’t enough, then so be it. That went for Kevin and Liz and for the cop she was meeting later. Her best wasn’t her previous best, but it was her best now. And if she did fail, she could try channeling the kick-ass person who’d handled Marcia earlier.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Tell me again how it happened,” Carla said for the fourth time.

  Summer’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the veteran cop with the pissy attitude. Carla was tall and powerfully built. She wore her dark hair short and her brown eyes appeared to view the world with suspicion. Summer could understand that cops had to be wary, given what they did day in and day out. What she couldn’t understand, and didn’t appreciate, was the derision running underneath the suspicion. She wasn’t some criminal who’d been dragged into interrogation. She had come freely and it made her mad that Carla wouldn’t or couldn’t give her credit for that.

  “I think Summer’s explained it enough times,” Dani said. “Try to remember she’s not one of your susp
ects.”

  “She’s a potential witness,” Carla said curtly. “You’ve obviously forgotten how important it is to nail down their story. Especially when the story is…”

  “Flaky, unbelievable, a lie,” Summer supplied after Carla’s voice trailed off. “Take your pick, Officer Hanson.” Carla’s continued silence spoke volumes and Summer got the message loud and clear. “I have to go.” She pulled her wallet out of her coat pocket and dropped a ten on the table. “That should cover my drink, if not the time I wasted.”

  Dani reached across the table and put a hand on Summer’s arm. “I know it took a lot for you to come here. If it helps, I believe you.”

  “Thanks, I guess.” She slid from the booth, walked through the dark, smoky bar, through her disappointment. It wasn’t until she was outside that she felt able to breathe. Inhaling the clean night air, she told herself to put Carla and her disbelief out of her mind. She had more important things to fixate on. Things like a date. She put a hand to her chest, her heart stuttering at the thought. A date! It was a date. No accidental meeting this time. It was prearranged and mutually agreed upon. And Renny had called it a treat. Surely that had to mean date. That was a little scary considering everything she knew about dates was from books and movies. But it was thrilling too.

  I must be crazy, she thought with a laugh. She should have done the nerves thing during the twenty minutes she’d spent at home after work picking out tonight’s outfit—black slacks and the scooped-neck sweater which, according to her mom, brought out the blue in her eyes. She certainly hadn’t dressed to impress Dani and Carla. Her usual attire would have done for them. But not for Renny, she admitted to herself. Not for tonight.

  A glance at her watch showed she still had thirty minutes before the meet. She backtracked and made a right. Books and More was only a couple of blocks from Stir Crazy. She could easily spend half an hour there.

  The bookstore was relatively small, but in addition to books and the coffee counter, it contained shelves crammed with cards, games, CDs and movies. She liked the fact that it was within easy walking distance of her condo and that they were willing to order any book in print.

  The clerk behind the desk gave her a smile of recognition the minute she walked through the door. He’d finally stopped asking if she needed help finding anything.

  Today she bypassed the fiction section in favor of books on local interest. While talking to Carla and Dani she’d gotten the idea of searching local history books for information about Brandy’s disappearance. From what she’d gathered it should have been a big deal.

  She quickly concluded that a search of old newspaper articles would be a better idea. The first two books she found on Seneca history made no mention of any crime and the third had only one paragraph on it—which focused more on the increase in crime due to the encroachment of Atlanta—the big city—than on the crime itself. Summer closed the book after reading the author’s argument that the person responsible had to be black. According to everything she’d managed to find on child molesters, they tended to stick with their own race and kids they knew or were related to.

  And just like that, she wasn’t in the bookstore anymore—

  The image of a little girl with blonde hair in side pigtails formed clearly as if in high definition. The girl was wearing a dingy pink coat with a black fake fur collar. Her head was down and her shoulders were slumped as if in defeat. Her too-short jeans were threadbare, as were her dingy pink and white sneakers.

  “Right on time.” The voice was deep and gravelly, with a touch of age. Satisfaction came through. Satisfaction laced with something dark.

  And then Summer knew. She was in him. Could feel the evil. Could feel the anticipation as the girl came closer. He was so excited about what was to come. So excited about getting a new princess. His big, rough hands stroked the puppy in his arms and he waited. Waited for his target to get closer. She would stop. Puppies always overrode any cautions the girls had heard. He could take that to the bank.

  “Hey, little darlin’, you doing okay?”

  The girl’s steps faltered, then slowed to a stop as her gaze zeroed in on the puppy. She wiped a hand over her running nose. “Is that yours?”

  Got you, he thought and smiled. “Well now, I found him. I’m looking for someone to take him. I already have two dogs.” He set the puppy on the sidewalk and watched with glee as the girl stretched out her hand. She quickly snatched it back and put it behind her back.

  “Does he bite? My granny says sometimes dogs’ll bite your fingers right off.”

  “Not this little guy.” He stroked the puppy’s back. “See, he likes it. Look at that tail go.”

  Cautiously the girl imitated his actions. “He feels so soft.” She laughed when the puppy jumped up on her and licked at her face.

  “He really likes you. Maybe he should go home with you.”

  She shook her head. “Can’t afford a dog. That’s what my granny says.” She gave the dog a longing look. “I gotta go. I’ll get in trouble if I don’t go straight home.”

  “Your granny’s probably waiting for you, huh?”

  “She’s at work, but I still haveta go straight home. I shouldna stopped. I’m gonna be late.”

  “What if I gave you a ride?” He put on his friendliest smile. The one he knew made him look like a harmless grandfather.

  “Can he sit in my lap? I promise I’ll wear the seat belt.”

  “That’s a good idea. Maybe if we stopped by a store and bought some puppy food your granny would let you keep him.”

  The girl scooped up the puppy. “Can we get a big bag? She might say yes if it’s a great big bag.”

  “And a bowl for water and one for food, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah. Do you have enough for a collar? There’s some rope around the house I could use to tie to the collar. So he won’t run away when I take him for a walk. I’ll take him for a walk every day. That’s what you’re supposed to do for dogs. I seen it on TV.”

  “Aren’t you the smart one?” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “You know I do have enough to buy a leash to go with that collar. I’ll let you pick them out.”

  Her face lit up. “You will? I never get to pick out nothing.” When he held out a hand, she smiled up at him and slid her small hand into his. “Can I name him?”

  “He’ll be yours now, won’t he?” He glanced around, made sure they hadn’t attracted any attention before he led her down the street.

  On some level of consciousness Summer knew what was going to happen, knew she had to stop it. She tried to scream. Tried to tell the girl to run, to escape. But the words wouldn’t come and she could only watch as they walked off, the little girl chattering away…

  A touch on her shoulder brought her back. She blinked against the warmth of tears, tasting their saltiness on her tongue, and wondered how long she’d been crying.

  “Summer. It’s me, Rich. Are you hurt?”

  A part of her registered Rich, knew who he was. Another part of her was him, was back in the closet, praying the monster wouldn’t find them, then smelling the acrid scent of urine when he did. Summer shook her head and stepped back, ending the physical contact the way she hadn’t mastered how to do mentally. “God.” She put a hand to her throbbing head and took deep breaths to soothe the churning inside her. She didn’t want to add public vomiting to her repertoire. “I’m okay.” She said it more for herself than for him.

  “You need help getting somewhere? You don’t look so good.” He bent to pick up the book she had dropped.

  “No.” Summer wiped her face with her hands. “Thanks. I, uh, I have a thing.” She forced a smile, telling herself she was okay, that she had nothing to worry about. Just another useless vision about another girl, no doubt someone who’d been taken too long ago to save. There was no need for her to wallow in the horror of another girl gone missing. No need to try and help. There was nothing she could do. Once again she hadn’t seen the man, couldn’t give the pol
ice the details they’d want. They wouldn’t believe her in any case. But this time she’d be smart. This time she would keep her mouth shut. And she wouldn’t feel guilty, wouldn’t beat herself up—because there was no way she could help. No way at all.

  “Maybe we could do something another time?” Rich pressed. “We didn’t have a chance to finish our discussion this morning. And you do still have to eat, right?”

  Damn, she’d forgotten about him. Summer ground her teeth when he flashed what he obviously thought was an irresistible smile. Why was he still here? Why wasn’t he picking up on her clues? She exhaled loudly. No way to dodge this. She’d run from the problem this morning, hoping it would go away. Now it was time to take care of it, be more direct.

  “The last time I went out with a guy, Rich, I was twelve.” At least that’s what her mother told her. “Then I wised up and switched to girls. I’ve never gone back.” She watched understanding flower in his eyes, followed quickly by embarrassment.

  “Oh,” he said slowly, then jammed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “That’s pretty clear. Guess I’ll see you around at work.”

  Freed by his departure Summer was able to take a deep breath, fill her lungs with air. Able to loosen the grip the latest hop had on her mind. Able to almost dispel her fear of the monster she’d been inside of.

  She ignored the headache and the nausea. She was getting used to the side effects now. It was just the price she had to pay for her new skill. Grateful that Monday was a slow night in the bookstore, she made her way to the restroom and used a wet paper towel to fix some of the damage left by the tears. When she walked past the clerk with his curious gaze and out the door her skin wasn’t quite as blotchy and her eyes had lost some of their puffiness.

  Standing on the sidewalk she was surprised by the darkness, the coolness of the air. She automatically scanned the area but found no sign of the blonde child with the worn clothes or an older man with a puppy. Not that she’d expected to, because, like the girl on the swings, this one had been missing a long time. All in the past, she assured herself, setting a brisk pace to the restaurant a couple of blocks away. And yet guilt trailed her like an eager puppy.