Page 129 (1/2)

She rant and entered the station Inside, the lobby was austere; one row of chairs against a wall, each one e onto a arette, at a desk with a black phone

She tried to look confident Clutching her fraying handbag strap, she crossed the tile floor, made her way to the officer at the desk

He was tall and thin, with slicked-back hair and a thin mustache He wrinkled his nose at her disheveled appearance

She cleared her throat “Uh Sir I’irl” She tensed, waited for it: We don’t care about your kind

“Uh-huh?”

“My daughter She’s thirteen Do you have children?”

He was silent so long she almost turned away

“I do A twelve-year-old, in fact She’s the reason I’ my hair”

Elsa would have sht I said … Anyway, she ran away”

“Do you have any idea where she’d go? What direction?”

Elsa shook her head “Her … father left us a while ago She misses him, blames me, but we have no idea where he is”

“Folks are doing that these days Last e had a fella kill his whole family before he killed himself Hard times”

Elsa waited for more

The man stared at her

“You won’t find her,” Elsa said dully “How could you?”