All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen

Author:Joanna Schaffhausen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

TWENTY-FIVE

Annalisa leaned over the sink to get closer to the bathroom mirror as she attempted to apply the black eyeliner. Sassy, her best friend and sister-in-law, chortled from the laptop screen that Annalisa had sitting next to her on the vanity. “You’re going to put your eye out if you do it like that,” Sassy said. “You have to relax your wrist.”

Annalisa made her wrist go limp, which made Sassy laugh harder. “I don’t know how some women do this every day,” Annalisa grumped as the eyeliner came out in a wide smear.

“Practice,” Sassy replied, matter of fact. “You can’t put on makeup once a decade and expect to be any good at it.”

Annalisa surveyed her raccoon eyes. “I heard the zombie look is in this year.”

“Well, then you nailed it.”

Annalisa scowled and grabbed several tissues to wipe her face and start over. “This worked better when you could help me in person.”

“Believe me, I wish I could. Gigi’s been throwing up all day and Carla got gum in her hair that took me an hour to get out.”

Annalisa paused to look at the screen. “Where did Carla get gum?”

“School,” Sassy said wearily. “They use it like currency apparently, and Carla’s a shark. I found thirty-seven pieces in her dresser.”

“Now that doesn’t surprise me,” Annalisa said of her seven-year-old niece. “She’s going to rule us all one day.”

“Yeah, well today she got sent to bed at six-thirty. Mama’s tired.” Sassy yawned. “I barely remember my clubbing days. And you, you didn’t go clubbing at all. How do you think you’re going to pull this off exactly?”

“I’m just going to have a look around and see if I can get a bead on Elizabeth Johnston.” Annalisa surveyed her handiwork in the mirror and decided it would have to do.

“Why?” Sassy said as she sipped a glass of red wine. “She sounds like a loser who wants nothing to do with her kid. Even if you find her, she’s not likely to give up a kidney.”

“No, I know,” Annalisa said as she began teasing her hair. “I just…” She sagged with defeat. “I would die for Carla and Gigi. I know you would too.”

“In a heartbeat,” Sassy agreed without thinking.

“So maybe Elizabeth can be persuaded. It’s her daughter’s life on the line. Her own flesh and blood.”

“Maybe if you offered her a ton of cash.”

Annalisa looked at her sharply and Sassy’s mouth fell open.

“Oh, my god, you’re thinking of paying her?”

“No. I mean, I can’t. Things are tight here as it is. But Naomi’s dad might be willing if Elizabeth would agree to it. If I can talk to her, maybe I can feel her out on the subject. Or maybe she’ll just agree to do the blood test.”

Sassy shook her head like Annalisa was crazy. “See, this is why you had to quit being a cop. You still think people are good underneath it all.”

Annalisa took a deep breath. “No,” she said. “I had to stop because I was starting to feel the opposite.

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