Page 152 of Another Girl Lost

“You mean a few tripped? That’s not my fault.” She leaned forward. “Do you know one guy who slipped in front of me had just fled from a house where he kept a girl nailed,nailed, to the floor?” Her eyes glistened. “A few bruises don’t compare. And thankfully for men like that, I’m a cop and I can only bend the law so far.”

“You’re a ballbuster.”

An amused brow arched. “Literally, not just figuratively.”

“No judgment here.” He shifted his stance, shoving aside a wave of pity for the girl in the portrait. “What would Tanner have said to a girl like Della to convince her to lure another girl into his world?”

“Acceptance, security, threats. That’s the standard menu for men like Tanner. Scarlett’s no different than Della. She was craving the same things.”

“I understand why love is important,” he said.

“You can, and you can’t. You’re an adult male with experience. But a fifteen-year-old girl ... the world eats them up like candy.”

“Would a guy like Tanner tell Della about Sandra?”

“If he wanted to manipulate her. Threats are more effective sometimes if they are against someone else. But as Scarlett said, Della, if she was real, was smart. Della realized there could be others.”

“Why did Scarlett target Lynn?”

Margo’s expression grew pensive. “Have you dug into Lynn’s past as I asked?”

“Yeah. Lynn dated another guy after Tanner. Five years ago. Gus Green. He was arrested for attempted kidnapping. He’s serving time now.”

“Think Lynn has a type?”

“Or really shitty taste in men.”

“Lynn strikes me as selfish, narrow minded, small. She thought she had a good thing and wasn’t giving it up, even if her boyfriend had a nasty habit of locking girls in the basement.”

“There’s no proof of that.”

“Unless we can get her to talk.”

Sadness rolled through Dawson. He wanted to believe happenstance had brought them together. But the roots of doubt were burrowing deeper. “Are you Della?”

She shook her head, her gaze lingering on his. “Would it matter?”

Vulnerability flashed so quickly in her gaze that he wasn’t sure whether it was real. It would take a lot to turn him away from Margo. Hell, a lot might not even be enough. “Let me take the portrait so you don’t have to look at it.”

“Would it matter?” she asked again.

“No.”

She nodded, her frown softening a fraction. “Leave it. I like it. The painting really is very good.”

“Are you sure?”

She smiled at him. “Very.”

Chapter Forty-Six

SCARLETT

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

9:00 p.m.

It had been a week and a half since I’d stabbed Margo. I kept watch on her apartment, and the light was always on. A couple of times, I’d look up and I’d find her staring down. Once, she waved. I’d not seen Luke since he bailed me out, but we’d spoken on the phone several times. When we talked the last time, he told me that, because of our relationship, he had a new attorney lined up for me to meet the next day. Attorney. Charges. Prison.

---