Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 04 - Politics is Murder by Carolyn Arnold Read Free Book Online

said, she’s dead.” Emotion contorted her chin, causing it to quiver.
    “Can we talk?” Sara pointed to the end of the beds, implying they sit down. “What is your name?”
    “Janie.”
    “Can we talk for a few minutes?”
    “I guess.” Janie wiped her hand down her face, sweeping up the rogue tears that had fallen. She pocketed the mace and headed to the bed on the right side of the room.
    “Do you have milk?” Sara asked.
    “Yeah. Why?”
    Sara went to the mini fridge, took out the half-pint carton, and poured some in a wide-mouthed mug. She knew Janie watched her, but she didn’t have time to explain right now. “A napkin, paper towel, or a dish cloth?”
    Janie gestured to the counter. “Top drawer.”
    Sara pulled out some beige napkins, similar to those from McDonald’s, and a cloth. She wet it with water. “This is going to hurt, darling, but it’s necessary. Trust me?”
    Sean nodded, but his mind must not have been prepared for the pain. He yelped when she touched the cool cloth to his face and wiped away the residue.
    “Now, this will help with the stinging.” She soaked the cloth in the milk and then dabbed it to his eyes. “Just keep your eyes shut.”
    He groaned and winced despite her delicate touch.
    “I’m sorry I did that to him, but I was scared,” Janie said.
    “I know you were.”
    “Yeah, easy for you to say.” His head turned toward her, but he kept his eyes closed as she had directed.
    “Come on, I’m going to lead you to the desk where you can take a seat. Just keep your eyes closed a few seconds longer.” She pressed some dry napkins into his hands and managed to get him across the room. She went back to Janie and sat on the opposite bed.
    “How long have you known Halie?” Sara asked while taking in Janie’s features. She had long dark hair, with chestnut eyes to match, and a wide flat nose. The dusting of freckles on the bridge softened her appearance. She wasn’t a beautiful girl but she was pretty.
    “Since the fall. We were new roommates, but from the first time we met, it was like we had known each other forever. Know what I mean? That somehow we were meant to be friends. There was just this connection, this bond. My older sister terms these relationships God’s appointments, like we were meant to cross paths when we did.”
    Sara smiled at Janie. She housed an older spirit than her twenty or so years. “Now, you said that Halie was dead. What makes you think that?”
    “I don’t think it. I know it. She had a test yesterday that she never would have missed. Ever.”
    “When was the last time you saw her?”
    “Three days ago, but I stayed with some other friends Saturday night and didn’t get here until late Sunday, so she could have been around earlier. I don’t know.”
    “Do you know if she was around on Monday?”
    “I don’t. I took off early to study before my first class.”
    “And it’s not like her to just disappear?”
    “No, she’s the most responsible person I know.”
    “What about smoking, drinking, boyfriends?”
    “No, no, and no.”
    Another groan came from Sean. He was dancing his fingertips around his eyes and they fluttered opened, white tears soaked his lashes.
    “Did she keep a journal or calendar for her appointments?” Sara asked the latter, realizing it was likely a stretch for a young woman.
    “She had a diary. If you think it will help bring her back, by all means.” Janie went over to the desk and pulled out a latched black book. She paused beside Sean. “I really am sorry.”
    “Yes, as you keep saying.”

     
    They left the dorm room about an hour after arriving, Halie’s journal in hand. “At least it wasn’t a wasted trip.” Sara held up the book. “More than that, we have Halie’s class schedule without having gone to the dean.”
    “Easy for you to say it wasn’t a wasted trip.”
    She looked over at his red-rimmed eyes, which were barely open, and empathy coursed through her, but she flipped it