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If she was picked up by police in another location, they would run her through the National Crime Information Center The NCIC would list her as a runaway, and she’d be returned to her parents
“What do you want me to do?”
“I have Jamie’s social media account infor, but kids post everything online Go back through her posts for the last fewthat ht Friends that her parents weren’t aware of Places she alanted to go Online connections that could be suspicious”
Lance cracked his knuckles over the keyboard “I’m on it”
Pulling his keys froh the open door, Lance could see the black leather couch against the wall “Try to get a nap”
“I h”
“Have you stopped to see your mom today?” Sharp asked
“Not yet” After finding the body, Lance wasn’t up to dealing with his mother yet “Maybe after that nap”
Sharp paused “Want me to check in on her for you?”
As ifin on his mom was all that a visit entailed Sharp was one of the few people who Lance’s anxiety-ridden mom allowed into her home If it hadn’t been for Sharp, no one would have seen her or taken her to her group therapy sessions while Lance was in the hospital last fall
“No I’ll do it, but thanks for the offer”
“Call e your mind Do me a favor, and make sure the water bowl on the back porch is full,” Sharp said on his way out
Lance went onto the back porch He caught the quick flash of a skinny white-and-tan body as the stray disappeared under the steps He carried the water bowl into the kitchen, filled it, and returned it to the porch The pup looked thin and the food boas empty, so he added so’s eyes as it watched hiruff, but he’d basically be your slave if you let him”
The dog didn’t believe him
Lance returned to his office, played a classic rock station through the wireless speaker, and settled in with his laptop He flipped through the file to the parent inforer out of his head
Three hours of computer research later, exhaustion hit Lance like a brick over the head Ja, but then, it was likely that her parentsher psychiatric history The kid was probably s watched
Lance considereda coffee-and-donut run If he fell asleep, he’d be seeing Tessa Palmer’s body in his dreah turned him around He went back to the kitchen and drank a protein shake, then stretched out on the couch
He couldn’t let a few nightet in the way of his recovery
But the bloody i to Tessa It was Morgan’s Even in his sleep he knew that she was the one who had the power to hurt him
Chapter Seven
It was Wednesday afternoon Lance leaned on the outside of his Jeep and waited for Jah school dropout Tony Allessi worked at the bowling alley Neither the police nor Jaet any inforure Soers, friends were the best possibility
Tony was easy to spot crossing the parking lot On top of a lanky, six-three frame, his four-inch blue-and-red Mohawk didn’t exactly blend into a crowd He looked like a parrot
Lance pushed off the door of his Jeep “Hey, Tony!”
The teen turned at the sound of his nae Ramones T-shirt
“I hear you’re good friends with Ja, eyeliner, and twin ear gauges the size of dinner plates
Under all his facial modifications, Tony’s eyes were sharp and suspicious “Yeah So?”
“I’ for her”
“Why?”
Lance handed hiht, right?”
Tony nodded, hisinto a solemn line “Yeah I didn’t know Tessa that well, but she didn’t deserve to get killed”