Beauty to Die For and Other Mystery Shorts by Lauren Carr Read Free Book Online Page B

disappearance. “I’m wondering if they could be connected in some way. Can you give me more information?”
    Instead of launching into the details of her sister’s disappearance, she asked him, “What kind of case are you working on that Charley’s name came up?”
    Cameron and Joshua exchanged glances before turning back to the doctor.
    “Murder,” he finally answered.
    “Why kind of murder?” Her counter question was quick.
    “I can’t really go into the details.”
    “Charley disappeared in New York.”
    Cameron said, “We suspect we found a witness who may know something about Charley’s disappearance. But before we can pursue it, we need more details about how she disappeared.”
    “What witness?”
    “We can’t say. It’s an active investigation.” Cameron concluded it wasn’t really a lie. Even though the Rachel Burke case was closed, Cameron’s unofficial investigation was active.
    This seemed to satisfy Dr. Sam Halston.
    “Charley had gone to Syracuse with some friends for the football game. It was October in 1996. Pittsburgh won. They all went out clubbing in Syracuse to celebrate after the game. Charley didn’t come home. No one has seen her ever since.”
    Now it was time to connect some dots. “Who were her friends?” Joshua sat on the edge of the sofa to wait for her answer, which came quickly.
    “Her best friends. Susan Burke. Susan’s sister Rachel, and Linda Rogers. It’s now Pryor, Senator Pryor.”
    Cameron grasped his arm. This is it! This is the Charley they were fighting about in the recording.
    Sam said, “Charley never should have gone out with them.”
    “Why do you say that?” Joshua sat so much closer that he threatened to fall off the sofa onto his rump on the floor.
    “Charley had problems.” She gestured at the office and the clinic. “She’s why I’m here today.” She stared at one of the pictures she had of her sister on the desk. “Charley was what most people nowadays would call a drama queen. She was emotional, but it was more than that. Her highs where higher than other girls and her lows were lower. Back then, no one had any idea that she had a serious problem.”
    “Charley was bi-polar,” Cameron said.
    Sam nodded. “Not knowing what her problem was, with no one to help her other than to offer a shoulder for her to cry on and asking her to calm down when she was manic, she tried self-medicating as best she could. By that I mean drinking or taking pills or smoking pot. A lot of times, she was out of control, like she was that night in Syracuse.”
    “What happened in Syracuse?” Joshua asked. “Who told you what happened?”
    “Susan Burke,” Sam said. “They were best friends. Charley was studying theater and communications. She had interviewed Ronald Pryor on her radio show here on campus and they started having a fling. Susan had warned her that it was a mistake. He was dating Linda. They were serious, as serious as you can be when you’re cheating on your fiancée. He was going to marry Linda. They were going to be a power couple. But Charley bought all the lies about him loving her. Then, here, the four of them went up to Syracuse together and after the game they went out clubbing.”
    Cameron asked, “She rode up to Syracuse with the girlfriend of the guy she was sleeping with? I can imagine that ride.”
    “Charley wasn’t wrapped too tight before she started drinking on that trip.”
    “When did it all come apart?”
    “At their third club after the game. According to Susan, Ronald was paying attention to Linda. Charley was drunk, plus she was in one of her manic moods. She started a fight with Ronald for not telling Linda about them. the bartender threw them out. Rachel and Susan dragged her out of the club and put her in the car to take her home. Next thing Susan says she knew, Linda was in the car, too, and they were fighting in the back seat while Rachel was trying to drive back to the motel. Then, Charley was climbing over