Page 88 of Another Girl Lost

“Why’s she so rattled?” Margo asked. “She was never kidnapped.”

“She knew the guy before all the shit went down. Used to come in the diner, and he liked to flirt with her. She said once or twice she thought he was hot and would’ve gone out with him if his girlfriend weren’t hovering so close.”

“Girlfriend?” Dawson flipped pages. “Lynn Yeats.”

“I don’t know. Ask Tiffany.”

“I will if I can find her,” Dawson said.

Jeremy reached in his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit up. “Good luck getting a straight answer out of her.”

“If anyone else talks about Tiffany, you’ll let me know, right?” Dawson asked.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. I like to maintain a good relationship with the police.”

A rail-thin guy with shoulder-length hair came into the kitchen, and Dawson shifted to the right, his hand tightening on the grip of his weapon. Steps behind the man was a pale redheaded woman. When she looked up, Dawson almost laughed. He’d take lucky over smart any day of the week. “Tiffany Patterson.”

“Speak of the devil,” Margo said.

Tiffany tensed and stepped back. “Leave me alone.”

As she ran toward the front door, he dashed after her and grabbed her arm. “Hold up, Tiffany!”

She whirled around, her eyes wide. “Leave me alone.”

“I’m a cop.” He tightened his fingers.

She twisted her arm, trying to free herself from his grip. “You’re hurting me.”

He relaxed his fingers but didn’t release her as he guided her outside to the front lawn. “Do you visit Jeremy a lot, Tiffany?”

“No.”

Dawson cleared his throat. “I’ll arrest you and pull your record. Save me the time and the paperwork.”

She scratched the side of her head. “I haven’t been here for a while. I was settling a bill with Jeremy.”

Dawson shook his head. “I want to ask you a few questions about Scarlett Crosby.”

“Ask her,” she said, nodding to Margo. “She met her today.”

Dawson looked at Margo, who showed no signs of stress. “That true?”

“I did meet Scarlett. She lives across the street from my new apartment. She scolded me for giving Tiffany money. Said she’d use it on drugs. Small world.”

“What was Tiffany doing at Scarlett’s?” Dawson asked.

“Trolling for dollars, I imagine,” Margo said.

Tiffany jerked. “Leave me alone!”

Annoyance snapped through Dawson. “Answer a few questions and I will.”

Margo smiled. “We’ll be gone in no time if you just cooperate.”

“Fine. What?”

“What do you know about Sandra Taylor?” Dawson asked.

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