It was early, a little past nine a.m., as Sandy waited on the front steps of Laurie’s building. She’d already rung the buzzer three times. There hadn’t been an answer, just like there hadn’t been any of the five previous times she’d come by in the past twenty-four hours. But Sandy had kept coming back because Laurie was the last person who’d talked to Jenna. More important, she’d talked to this so-called friend of Jenna’s who might have been the very last person to see her.
In between coming by Laurie’s, Sandy had kept riding around looking for Jenna and calling and calling and calling. Late the night before, the calls had started going straight to voicemail. Sandy had been waiting for that to happen. Still, it hit her hard, like some kind of nail in Jenna’s coffin. Monte had called Sandy, said he was going to start driving around, looking for Jenna. Sandy wanted to say no, that she didn’t need his help. But she did need it. Jenna did, too.
Sandy closed her eyes there on Laurie’s steps, tilted her face to the sun, wishing it would light her skin on fire. At least then she might feel something again. Because she was slowly going numb—first her toes, then her feet and legs. Now the deadness was creeping up her arms.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. By now, she knew better than to get her hopes up. Sure enough, it was a text from Hannah. I need to see you. Please.
This girl was literally killing her.
Can’t right now. Meeting someone. I’ll text when I’m done.
Okay. But as soon as you can.
Or I’ll tell someone: That was the threat, sitting there, just out of reach.
Sandy started down the steps, wondering what she should do or where she should go next, when Laurie’s door finally swung open.
“What the hell do you want!?” Laurie shouted before she’d even stepped out, her face all screwed up and red. “Oh, it’s you.” She blinked at Sandy. Then she exhaled and slumped against the doorframe. Her square white-blond bob was perfectly smooth, and she was wearing a short kimono-like robe that was too small for her wide hips. “Sorry, Sandy, I thought you were the goddamn police again. The intercom’s broken, so I’ve had to come down four stupid flights every time they’ve shown up, which has been at least six times. I started ignoring it. But they just keep coming and coming.”
“Police?” Sandy couldn’t help thinking it had something to do with Jenna.
“They’re looking for my roommate, Rose, and they think I’m lying about her not being here, so they keep coming back and coming back, ringing my damn doorbell at all hours. Like if Rose is hiding upstairs, she’s all of a sudden going to forget and answer the door.”
Sandy wondered how many of these supposed “visits” from the police had been her ringing Laurie’s buzzer. “Why do they want Rose?”
“They won’t tell me. They’ll harass the crap out of me, but won’t tell me why. Who knows, maybe Rose’s parents put them up to it. You know I love that girl. I was even willing to put up with a baby—longest goddamn three weeks of my life—but between the police and her parents and her stalker, I think she needs to find a new place to live. Assuming she comes back.”
“You don’t know where she went?”
“Not a clue. She left two days ago with the baby and some of her stuff. Said she was going to see a friend.” Laurie rolled her eyes. “You know me, I don’t like to ask questions.”
“And who’s her stalker?” Blond woman? That’s what Sandy was thinking.
“Real tall guy, buzzed hair, super-intense. I thought at first he was some kind of cop or, I don’t know, a soldier or something. Way uptight. Erik, that’s what he said his name was. For all I know, he’s Rose’s baby daddy. She never would tell me who that was. For her sake, I hope not, because he was old as shit.” She rolled her eyes again. “But that hippy-dippy crap of hers makes her do some weird stuff sometimes. Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for Jenna,” Sandy said, feeling even more stressed. Because this was it. Laurie was pretty much her only hope. After her, it was all dead ends. “Monte said you were talking to Jenna at the end of her shift the night before last.”
Laurie’s face screwed up. “No, I don’t think—” Then a lightbulb went off. “Oh, wait, yeah, I was,” she said, nodding, seeming half surprised at the memory. “I did talk to Jenna for just a minute. I would have hung out with her for longer, but that friend of hers?” She whistled quietly and shook her head. “I’m sure she’s a nice person and whatever, if she’s your mom’s friend, but there was just something about her. Not to be rude, but she was kind of a bitch.”
“Do you know what her name was?”
Laurie shook her head, made a disgusted face. “Blond hair, puffy cheeks, bad jeans. Nothing like Jenna, that’s for sure. Drank club soda, too. Weird, I’m telling you, the two of them hanging out. But you know Jenna. Maybe she was working some angle. That’s why I love Jenna—she’s always got an angle.”
“And they left together?”
“If that’s what Monte said.” Laurie checked her watch. “I got distracted by some idiot. Same idiot who won’t get the hell out of my bed right now and get his ass back to campus.”
“If you hear from Jenna, can you tell her to call me?”
“You got it, sweetie. But don’t you worry about her.” She waved a hand. “Jenna will come rolling in any minute with a wicked headache and some crazy-ass story to tell. She always does.”
Sandy stood across the street from the police station, airing out her hands so they wouldn’t feel clammy if a police officer shook one. Last thing she wanted was to go inside, into the lion’s den. But she was out of options. She was even kind of hoping Jenna might be there, safe and sound and sobering up on some little cot.