Page 66 of Another Girl Lost

“Honey, that’s great.”

“I hear the cops found a body nearby.”

“Right around the block.” Mrs. Rose nodded to the east corner. “The old Robinson house. I spoke to an Officer Larsen. She seems determined to solve the murder.”

“That’s great.” I cleared my throat. “Who were the Robinsons?”

“An older couple. They hired Tanner to flip the house so they could resell it. He did great work on the renovation, from what I hear.”

“Did they ever sense the house was off after Tanner had finished with it?”

Mrs. Rose frowned. “They did. But when they thought to complain, Tanner was dead.”

“That was ten years ago. Who owns the house now?”

“A young couple. They’re nice people, but they’re a little upset.”

“I bet.”

“They’re staying in a hotel now.”

“I understand.” I shifted my stance as a sudden surge of anger cut through my center. Most days, I kept the fury on a leash, but today it growled and snapped. “Did Tanner ever do anything that you thought was off? Were there any warning signs?”

Redness brightened her skin. “He was always nice to me.”

“He was to me, too, until he wasn’t.”

“Scarlett . . .”

I could see she was on the verge of shutting down. When I opened too much, people scattered. I found a smile and made it as warm as I could. “I’m not mad at you, Mrs. Rose. I just don’t understand how he went unnoticed for so long. How I went ignored for so long.” The police hadn’t been surprised by this. One officer had commented that no one really knew their neighbors.

Mrs. Rose sighed. “We really don’t know people, do we? We think we do, but we don’t.” She shook her head. “I even met his girlfriend, who brought him lunch when he was working. She seemed to adore him. No hints of trouble. What was her name?”

“Lynn Yeats,” I said.

Whereas Tiffany didn’t know Tanner, Lynn had. She might have insight into Tanner and maybe could explain him. Maybe not. Maybe he fooled her like everyone else. But I’d never reached out to her because I thought slamming the door to the past would help me heal. But the voices of Tanner, the Other Girl, and now Lynn had grown as loud as Della’s.

“Do you know where Lynn lives?” I asked.

“Honey, why would you want to talk to her? She’s as much a victim as you.”

I’d never seen Lynn Yeats locked in the basement with me. She might have suffered at Tanner’s hands, but not like I had.

“I know,” I lied.

Tanner had taught me in that basement room that lying was a useful skill. And when I escaped, I realized it was easier to lie when any cop or doctor dug too deep into my head. I became adept at coating every answer with just enough truth until the worry vanished from their faces.

Tanner had had his date nights with Lynn thirty feet above my head. How was he able to separate his two worlds so easily? Upstairs. Downstairs. Light. Dark. Did it make him harder as he pressed into Lynn knowing he had two girls locked in his basement? He certainly was more aggressive with me when he forced Della to watch.

My smile was quick and easy. “I better get going.”

“You take care of yourself, dear.”

“I will, Mrs. Rose. Thank you.”

“Of course, honey.”

I walked past my truck and around the corner. At the end of the block, I saw the yellow crime scene tape flapping in front of a brick house. I moved slowly down the sidewalk until I stood in front.

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