Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose Read Free Book Online

me he’d been suspended from the team. I had to leave my business unfinished to fly home and reassure my wife that the scout her father arranged to see our son play would indeed see Rudy play.”
    “The scout will not see him play today.” Jenna met his anger with what she hoped was cool firmness, because her heart was knocking like an unbalanced piston. “The scout can see your son play as soon as he brings up his grade in my class.” She stepped back and drew a breath. Decided to be the only grown-up in the room. Grace under pressure, her father used to say.
    “You may be able to buy and sell this school, Mr. Lutz, but you can’t buy and sell me. If money were important to me, I can assure you I wouldn’t be here. I am here, however, and I’m here to see children learn. I can’t do that without parental support. If we can’t find a way to work together for Rudy’s benefit, then you’ll get the opportunity to attempt to intimidate Rudy’s next remedial science teacher next year, when he repeats the class. Good day, sir.” Jenna turned and found Dr. Blackman’s face pale, mottled with red splotches of rage. She inclined her head, fighting the urge to smack him. “And thank you for
your
support, Dr. Blackman.”
    Shouldering her briefcase, Jenna walked out of the office and let the trembles take over.

F OUR
    Friday, September 30, 4:20 P.M.
    “D AMMIT ,” S TEVEN MUTTERED , APPROACHING the front of
    Brad’s high school at a fast jog. He was late for his meeting with Dr. Marshall by twenty minutes. He was lucky she’d agreed to stay at all on a Friday afternoon. That she’d stand around waiting for him was a virtual impossibility. If only he hadn’t stopped by the Egglestons’ house on his way from Pineville. No, he thought, taking the steps in three giant leaps, that had been the right thing to do. Samantha’s parents needed to know he was working to find their daughter. They needed the consideration of human contact when he asked if they knew anyone with a propensity to mutilate animals. They’d needed his quiet strength when they fell apart, clinging to each other while silent sobs shook them until Steven wasn’t sure they were even aware of his presence anymore. Seeing the Egglestons had been the right thing to do.
    But now he was late for an appointment critical to his own son’s life. Dammit. Someday he’d find a way to juggle it all. Yeah, right.
    Steven searched the school lobby, but no one resembling a chemistry teacher waited. She’d probably gone home. Steven sighed, feeling the weariness of the day overtake him. He’d have to call Dr. Marshall on Monday and reschedule. And in the meantime worry himself senseless over what she would have told him about Brad, although Steven wasn’t certain it was possible to worry any more than he already was. He knew better than most parents what kids could get involved in these days. He knew better than most how dangerous it was. Too bad his knowledge hadn’t saved Brad from whatever had changed his boy to a sullen stranger in four short weeks.
    “Couldn’t she have waited a lousy twenty minutes?” he muttered, and made his way to the office to leave her a message for Monday, simultaneously turning his body to scan the lobby, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He’d walked a grand total of three steps backward when he slammed into something that cried out and fell to the tiled floor like a brick.
    Years of habit had him reaching for his weapon even as he spun around and looked down to find a woman sprawled on the floor, her face hidden behind a curtain of shiny black hair, her lavender skirt hiked high on her thighs, exposing the top edge of silk stockings, the bottom edge of an honest-to-goodness garter, and a set of legs that seemed to go on forever. He heard the hiss of his own indrawn breath, felt his heart thump hard, his fists clench, felt every drop of blood drain from his head.
    Oh, my God,
was all he could think.
Oh, my God.
    Then she