Page 51 of Another Girl Lost

“A red Honda. I haven’t seen it in days.”

He noticed a newspaper article peeking out from the bills. He pulled it out and realized it was a recent article on Scarlett Crosby. He had read it three times when it had been published last week.

Dawson studied Scarlett’s strained expression as she stood with a grinning Judge Thompson in front of a cartoonish mural.

“Did Tiffany mention this article?”

“No.”

Laying the paper down, he took a picture of it before moving to a closet. Hanging clothes packed the small space, and in the back, there was a bookshelf stuffed with purses, shoes, and hats. On the bottom shelf, he noticed the spine of a scrapbook. The scrapbook’s laminated cover creaked when he opened to the front page, revealing a newspaper feature about Tiffany.

The article was dated ten years ago and spotlighted an interview about Tiffany’s escape from Tanner. He turned the page to find a few more articles about her near kidnapping. The writers asked Tiffany about her impressions of Tanner, his death, and Scarlett’s rescue. No connections made to Sandra’s disappearance.

As he thumbed through more pages, the articles shifted to notices of Scarlett’s art shows. Clearly Tiffany was keyed in on Scarlett.

He showed the scrapbook to Bonnie. “Have you ever seen this?”

She leaned closer. “No.”

“Did Tiffany ever talk about Tanner Reed or what happened?”

“Sometimes, when she got drunk. She said she had nightmares for years. I know a reporter called about six months ago, and Tiffany was excited to talk to her. She liked the attention.”

“Do you have a name for the reporter?”

“No. She never called back.” Bonnie shook her head. “As creepy as what nearly happened was, it made her feel special.”

“Special?”

“Not invisible. Noticed.” She nodded to the book. “I didn’t realize she kept the articles. That’s a little weird.”

Tiffany’s brush with Tanner had given her life meaning. And now Dawson’s own meeting with Tanner was giving him renewed purpose.

He removed his card from his pocket and handed it to her. “Mind if I take the scrapbook? I’d like to study it.”

“I guess. It’s not mine.”

“I’ll take good care of it.” He removed a plastic bag from his pocket and slid the scrapbook inside. “Call me if you hear from her.”

“Yeah, sure.” She flicked the edges of his card.

“Do you think she’ll come home soon?”

“Hard to know. She comes and goes.”

He looked around the living room. “Do you have any security cameras here?”

“No.” She folded her arms over her chest. “They’re expensive, and who would want to take our shit, right?”

“Right.”

Chapter Fourteen

SCARLETT

Then

Maybe thirty days later in the basement

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