Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1) by J.M. Cataffo Read Free Book Online Page A

losing focus. He brought the device to his forehead, squeezing it in his fist, wanting more than anything to call her back and cancel.
    Not this time. He’d run away from himself for too long. It was time to face his past and accept who he was. It was time to stop letting others define his future.
     
     

CHAPTER TWELVE
    SALLY SAT ACROSS FROM YASIF in the restaurant Jake had chosen to meet. It was a local diner that tried to give a sense of nostalgia by hanging a bunch of random things from the 1980s all over the walls. For Sally it did nothing but make the place feel cluttered.
    Yasif’s foot bounced up and down below the table, causing the silverware to rattle incessantly. Sally had finally had enough and slammed her hand down, startling him. “Will you stop!”
    A sheepish grin appeared on his face and his cheeks went slightly red. “Sorry.” He shifted in his seat as she checked her phone for messages. A moment later, he added, “He said six, right?”
    Sally shifted her gaze toward the clock. “Yes. Be patient, Yaz.”
    As she glanced around, she noticed two men seated in the booth directly behind Yasif. She would have ignored them, except she was sure one of them had glanced directly at her—though it was hard to tell with the dark glasses that covered his eyes. They both wore black suits and fit in with the other patrons about as well as a flamingo at a penguin parade.
    “Something wrong?” Yasif asked.
    She motioned with her head as the men got up to leave.
    “Probably just a couple city guys in town for business,” Yasif commented with a dismissive wave.
    The waitress set a plate of fries in front of them, and Yasif snatched a few, stuffing them into his mouth. “Oh, my god, these are so much better than the fries at school!”
    Sally grinned. “You’re not saying our award-winning menus suck, are you?”
    “Not at all, but everything is always so healthy. Sometimes you just want a good batch of saturated fat, you know?”
    “Just be careful.” Sally tossed a fry into her mouth. “They’ll go straight to your hips.”
    “Hi.” Jake stood beside the table. He’d changed clothes, at least, although the new ones weren’t much better than the ones he’d worn when they’d first seen him.
    In the brighter light of the restaurant, his features looked even less appealing. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced, his drawn complexion more exaggerated, the emaciation of his body even more glaring. Sally motioned for him to join them and pushed the plate of fries toward the center of the table. “Have some.”
    Jake glanced up as though checking to make sure she’d meant it, then grabbed a handful of fries and downed them as if they were the first thing he’d eaten in weeks. Silence and glances passed between them for a time before he finally spoke up. “What is it that you guys want to know?”
    “Well…” Sally glanced at Yasif, pushing her hair behind her ear. “I’m sure you’ve heard of the disappearances.”
    He gave her a confused look.
    “The kids at our school? It’s been all over the news.”
    Clearly he hadn’t.
    “You don’t know that Billy Martin and his best friend, Daniel Sherman, are missing?”
    Jake gave a start when he heard Daniel’s name.
    Sally took mental note. It was definitely Daniel he knew, but why the strange reactions? Was he pretending or did he know more about what was happening than he was letting on? Sally wasn’t sure.
    “Missing?”
    There was genuine concern in his voice. She figured Daniel must have been a friend, but it was also clear it had been a long time ago.
    “Three students and a teacher went missing from Hidden Lake two days ago. We found this in their room.” She motioned to Yasif, and he pulled out Jake’s picture.
    “Oh, sweet Jesus, you don’t think I had anything…”
    She eyed him. “We just want to know what connection you have to these boys.” She needed him to confirm her hunch.
    “I…” Jake stared out of