Page 148 of Another Girl Lost

“When the plastic was pulled free, what did you see?”

“Scarlett standing over me.” Tears welled in her eyes. “And another woman. They were fighting. Then you showed up.”

Her story jibed with the evidence and what he’d witnessed. “Mind if I backtrack a little?”

“Sure.”

Pages in his notebook spun backward. “I checked into Tanner’s finances. You cosigned for a few loans for him.”

“He had big dreams for his business. I wanted to help him.”

“The loans added up to a hefty amount. Fifty thousand dollars.”

“I believed in him.”

“You loved him.”

“I did. I look back and wonder how, but I did love him.”

“Sandra Taylor’s body was found in the house he was flipping for a client.”

“It was charming. Had potential.”

“So, you were in the house?”

“A couple of times, when I had a day off.”

“Did he demolish any walls?” Dawson asked.

“A few.”

“You were head over heels in love with the guy.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes. I thought I’d hit the jackpot.”

He understood. “You’d have done anything.”

“I loved him,” she repeated.

He leaned back and did his best to look genuinely curious. “Were you aware of the box under Tanner’s bed?”

She paled. “What box?”

“According to Scarlett, Tanner locked another girl in that box while he was with you.” Anger surged, but he tamped it down. Lynn Yeats was now on the testing list for the DNA found on Sandra Taylor’s body, and he’d know soon if she was lying.

Her eyes widened. She blinked. “I never knew that.”

He smelled fear. “Never heard a sound?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay. I’m not making an accusation. Just trying to understand. You met Tiffany at Mike’s Diner, right?”

“As I told you, I was aware of her.”

“Did Tanner talk about Tiffany?”

“No.” Her voice sounded low. Childlike. “Not at all.”

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