Abducted by Aliens (Tales From Angondra Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

hand over her eyes. “I’m sure glad you’re here, Marissa. I don’t know what I would have done with Aria without you. I couldn’t tell her to go sit in a corner the way you did. I’ve never met anybody with a mouth like hers.”
    Marissa chuckled. “That’s just her way of covering up her fear. I’ve seen it a million times in the kids in our neighborhood.”
    Carmen gazed down at her hands. “I guess I don’t really know as much as I should about the neighborhood. I only just moved there.”
    “What brought you there?” Marissa asked. “You could have picked a much nicer place to move.”
    Carmen shrugged. “My marriage broke up, and I needed to move out of Illinois. Your police department was hiring, so I applied and I got the job. It was a quick way to leave the past behind and start over. I didn’t care about the rough parts of town. That just makes for more interesting police work.”
    “I won’t ask what happened with your marriage,” Marissa replied. “It’s none of my business.”
    “I don’t mind telling you,” Carmen told her. “He left me because—he said—I spent too much time on my work. I was trying out for the US Championships target shooting team, so I had to practice long hours on top of my scheduled shifts at the police station. I guess that didn’t leave much time left over for him. He decided to move on.”
    Marissa shook her head. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’m glad you moved here—I mean, there. I’m glad you moved to our neighborhood. We need dedicated cops who care about people, and I can see you’re one of those.”
    “I don’t think Aria and Penelope Ann see it that way,” Carmen murmured. “They think I’m the enemy.”
    “Don’t worry about them,” Marissa replied. “They know you’re a good person. Penelope Ann was concerned about the young girls that disappeared from the neighborhood, and you can’t blame her for getting frustrated with the police department when they won’t investigate.”
    Carmen frowned. “Yeah, that is odd. I wonder what it’s all about.”
    “It’s all about their budget,” Marissa told her. “An investigative reporter ran a story in the local paper about the unexplained disappearances, and another reporter interviewed the Chief of Police to get his response. He said they didn’t have the manpower or the resources to fully investigate every single disappearance, especially since they couldn’t really be sure the women involved hadn’t just slipped farther into the criminal underworld. He said until they have some more concrete proof some crime took place, they would concentrate on more pressing matters, like patrolling the streets and combating gangs.”
    Carmen looked away. “I don’t know about all that.”
    Marissa laid a hand on her arm. “Listen, Carmen. Neighborhood politics is the least of our worries right now. Let’s put it aside, at least until we get back to Earth.”
    Carmen smiled. “Okay.”
    Marissa sighed and leaned back against the wall.
    “What about you, Marissa?” Carmen asked. “I’ve been rattling away about myself all this time, but I didn’t ask about you. Are you married?”
    Marissa blushed and stared down at her hands. “No, I’ve never been married. Maybe someday, but not now.”
    Carmen cocked her head to one side. “You must have a boyfriend, though. You’re as beautiful as Penelope Ann.”
    Marissa snorted. “No, I’m not! Penelope Ann is a supermodel. I’ve got librarian written all over me.”
    Carmen shook her head. “You might not be six feet tall with long curly blonde hair and blue eyes, but you’ve got your own beauty. You’re a lot more beautiful than I am. I look like a scarecrow.”
    Marissa laughed. “No. You look like a tough female cop. You’re the one who’s just as beautiful as Penelope Ann.”
    Carmen laughed, too. “Seriously, you could have any man you wanted. Tell me you at least have a boyfriend.”
    Marissa stopped laughing. “It’s very kind