Thread of Betrayal Read Online Free PDF

Right last name, but no one with that first name.”
    Lauren’s shoulders sagged and I felt the familiar stab of disappointment in my chest. The woman noticed our dismay, her expression worried as her gaze moved from me to Lauren.
    “We haven’t lived here very long,” the woman said, as if this explained why Morgan didn't live there. She was dressed in a thin, long-sleeved t-shirt and she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill. “I’m afraid we don’t know many of our neighbors. My kids are still getting adjusted to the schools. Moved here from Wyoming.”
    I returned her smile. “Ah, okay. Saw the bikes in the snow.”
    A fake frown crossed her face. “Yes. I’ve been trying to get them to bring them in for two days now, but they’re so happy to see the sun, even in the cold. You don’t see the sun as much in Wyoming.”
    “I’m sure,” I said. “Can I ask how old your kids are? The reason I’m asking is that the Morgan Thompkins we’re looking for is a teenager.”
    She nodded again, wanting to be helpful. “Oh. I have three. A nine year old, an eleven year old and a seventeen year old.” She hesitated. “Do you live around here?”
    “No,” I said. “We’re actually here trying to track down our own daughter. She was abducted from us about ten years ago and we think we’re really close to finding her. We think Morgan Thompkins might be able to help us.”
    Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh wow,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry. That is…I don’t know what to say.”
    “It’s okay,” I said.
    And it was. That was always the reaction. People immediately felt horrible and then immediately worried about their own kids. It made me feel guilty for worrying them. But I couldn’t change it.
    “Can you wait here for just a sec?” she asked. “Let me…I’ll be right back.”
    I nodded and she closed the door, disappearing back into the home.
    “This isn’t it,” Lauren said, annoyed. “Why are we waiting?”
    “Because I think she’s trying to help us,” I said.
    “How?”
    “Let’s just see.”
    She frowned again, shaking her head, and looked away from me.
    A moment later, the door opened and the woman was back.
    With her teenage daughter.
    The girl looked timid, her eyes a bit downcast, her shoulders slumped. She wore an oversized-red sweatshirt and sweatpants so long that they covered her feet. Her long blond hair was pulled together in a messy pony tail and her hands were tucked inside the pocket of the sweatshirt.
    “This is my daughter, Jenny,” the woman said, her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “And I’m sorry, I’m Nadine.”
    Jenny managed a half-smile and I nodded.
    “Jen, these people are looking for another girl with our last name,” Nadine said, then glanced at me. “Morgan, correct?”
    I nodded again.
    “I wondered if you might know her from school,” Nadine said, her gaze moving back to her daughter.
    Jenny Thompkins studied me warily. “She’s in my math class. Our teacher gets us mixed up, like, every day.”
    I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” The flicker of hope was back.
    The girl nodded. “Which is, like, ridiculous because we look nothing alike. But I guess the last name thing is too hard for him.”
    Nadine frowned at her daughter’s scornful tone but didn’t say anything.
    “She’s a cheerleader,” Jenny said, rolling her eyes. “I am not.”
    The way she said it told me she was glad about that.
    “But you know her?” I asked.
    She shrugged. “Sure. Everyone knows her. She’s popular. And she’s nice. For a cheerleader.”
    “You know where she lives?”
    “Yeah,” Jenny said. “Her parents are gone all the time so she’s always having parties at her house.” She glanced up quickly at her mother. “But I haven’t gone to any. She invited me to one but I didn't go.”
    Nadine patted her shoulder and nodded, letting her daughter know she wasn’t in any kind of trouble.
    “She lives in The