The Night She Disappeared Read Online Free PDF Page B

believe she must have been trying to find it. She didn’t run out of gas. As far as we can tell, there are no mechanical malfunctions. Maybe someone flagged her down. Maybe someone stopped on the pretense of giving her directions and then grabbed her. Maybe she got tired of looking and decided to go smoke a joint by the river.” There’s some nervous laughter. Thayer looks disappointed. Like we should have straightened up and put on horrified faces at the very idea.
    And me? I wonder who told. Was it Gabie? I cut my eyes sideways at her. She’s looking straight ahead. But her knees are still jiggling away.
    I think of Kayla and me that one time in the cooler, and Gabie outside, ready to wait on the customers that weren’t coming in. In the cooler, there’s only one bulb overhead, so it’s dark in the corners. We stood between crates of cheese and pepperoni and passed the joint back and forth. When I took it back from Kayla, it was wet with her spit. My lips and even my tongue were touching something she had just touched. I wanted to kiss her in the worst way. But I didn’t. She was still with Brock then, and he went out for practically every sport. Even though he always looks half asleep, he’s all muscle. He probably has fifty pounds on me. So Kayla and I just leaned against the cold cement wall, our shoulders touching.
    I realize the cop is looking straight at me. Like he wants me to break down and say there’s a big drug ring at our school. Which is so stupid. Someone took Kayla because they wanted a girl, not because they wanted drugs. Kayla might have had a joint or two in her purse. Maybe. But no more than that, and they didn’t take her purse anyway. She doesn’t sell anything, and as far as I can tell, she doesn’t buy, either. People just give her weed. Like I did that one time.
    Thayer finally breaks the long silence. “We need to look at every possibility. At this stage of the game, we can’t afford to overlook anything.” He scans the room. With his sharp, long nose, he looks like the hawks that circle over the freeway looking for roadkill. “There have been reports that a white pickup was seen in the vicinity that night, so we’re talking to owners of white trucks.”
    White truck? I’d bet every tenth car in Portland is a white pickup truck. Good luck with that one.
    “Excuse me,” Amber says. She only works weekends. “I heard he asked for the girl in the Mini Cooper. Doesn’t that mean he really wanted Gabie?” She looks over her shoulder at Gabie and whispers “Sorry!” as if she has revealed a secret. And it’s clear that for some people in the room, this is the first they are hearing about this.
    Gabie freezes. At least the top part of her body does. Even her knees still for a minute.
    The cop says, “We’re looking at every possibility, but we think it’s more than likely that this guy targeted Kayla Cutler. He may have said something about Gabriella’s Mini Cooper to throw us off the scent, but he still took Kayla. Whatever happened, Kayla pulled her car to the side of the road, put it in park, set the emergency brake, and left her purse on the seat. These are the actions of a young woman who feels comfortable with her surroundings. We believe whoever was with her that night was someone she knew, or at least a familiar face. It might have been a friend, someone she knows from school, or a regular customer who is acquainted with the young women who work here.”
    Girls suck in their breath. Amber’s eyes get wide, like she’s about to cry. She pretty much only works delivery.
    “That’s why we need your help,” the cop says. “While we’ve already talked to most of you, in the next few days we’re going to interview everyone again. We’re especially interested in hearing about any delivery customer—or any customer at all—who has made you nervous. At this point, we want to know everything, even your gut feelings.”
    “How are you going to keep us safe?” an