Deadly Dance by Dee Davis Read Free Book Online

and the picture dissolved into another. This time featuring the woman on the bed.
    “Oh, my God,” Tony gasped, pain lacing through his voice, “is that Sara?”
    “You tell me,” Harrison said.
    Hannah reached out to squeeze the boy’s shoulder, offering what comfort she could. “I know this is hard, but you know her better than anyone.”
    Tony studied the still for another minute or so and then shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t tell. It’s too grainy. The hair is right. And maybe the height. But I honestly can’t say for sure.” He clenched a fist, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “What the hell is this? Where did it come from?”
    “It’s a video that we found on the web,” Harrison said, improvising a little bit. “We’re not even sure it’s depicting something real. But in light of Sara’s disappearance, we have to consider the option that this could be her.”
    “Can you tell me what she was wearing the night she disappeared?” Hannah asked gently as Harrison turned the computer back around.
    Tony was still staring at the back of the computer, the image clearly burned into his brain. For a moment, she thought he hadn’t heard her, then he turned, his shoulders straightening as he pulled it together. “She was wearing jeans. The kind that come already torn. Shethought they were really cool. And a jacket. You know, like photo-journalists wear.”
    “A flak jacket?” Hannah prompted.
    “No, more like the kind with lots of pockets. Like in Africa.”
    “A safari jacket,” Hannah nodded as Harrison typed. “What color?”
    “Greenish. Um… khaki, I guess.”
    “And underneath the jacket?”
    He shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “Gosh, I feel like such a jerk, but I can’t remember. I should know what she was wearing.”
    “Just take a deep breath and think. You’re dealing with a lot right now.” Hannah shot a glance at Harrison, who was watching Tony, his eyes full of sympathy.
    Tony nodded and closed his eyes, his forehead wrinkling as he concentrated. “No. I’m sorry. I just don’t remember. Just the jacket.” Tony’s face turned ashen. “Oh, my God. The woman you showed me—was she wearing a jacket like Sara’s?”
    “No,” Harrison said, trying to reassure the kid. There was no point in scaring him any more than necessary. At least not until they’d found something solid. “It’ll just help us to find her if we know what she was wearing.”
    “So you believe what I’m telling you? That Sara wouldn’t just leave without letting me know.”
    “We’re treating this very seriously, Tony. And I promise you, if we find anything concrete, you’ll be the first to know. But in the meantime, you need to keep quiet about this. If something has happened to Sara, the worst thing that can happen is for the news to get out before we understand what we’re dealing with. Do you understand?”
    He nodded, emotions playing across his face. “I just need you to find her. Before something awful happens.” His eyes strayed to the computer again. “The woman in the pictures—she’s in real trouble. And if there’s any chance that could be Sara…”
    “We’re going to find her,” Hannah said, even as Harrison signaled her to be quiet. She knew it wasn’t professional. That it was an empty promise. But she couldn’t help but respond to the pain in Tony’s eyes. One thing was definitely clear—he loved Sara. And Hannah just wanted to give him something to hold on to.

CHAPTER 4
     
    I t seems like every time I move a step forward I wind up hitting a brick wall.” Harrison pushed away from his computer with a sigh.
    They’d adjourned to Hannah’s house after their meetings with Tina and Tony, the goal to try to trace the video to its source and/or to figure out where the hell it had been shot. But so far, no luck; every lead had fizzled. Whoever was pulling the strings was good at hiding their tracks.
    “Sounds to me like you’re mixing your metaphors,”