The Photographer II by Barbara Steiner

Author:Barbara Steiner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781497611382
Publisher: Open Road Media

Chapter 12

It was all over the papers the next morning. Vicki felt sick thinking of where Goldie might be, whom she might be with. Sitting there at breakfast, staring at a cup of tea, something clicked. Jumping up, she grabbed the phone and dialed a now familiar number.

“Scott, has your mother left for work yet?” Vicki asked, hoping she had called in time.

“She’s just going out. Why?”

“Stop her, Scott. Please. I want to talk to her. It’s important. Ask her to wait right there. I’m coming over.”

Vicki hung up before Scott or Mrs. Lawrence could tell her not to come.

“Mom, will you drop me off at Scott’s house? Right now?” Her mother looked close to being ready for work.

“I guess so. I sure feel better knowing you’re with him all the time. He’s a nice boy, Vicki. You like him, don’t you?”

“Sure,” Vicki replied as they headed for the car. She wasn’t going to tell her mother anything about why she was going to Scott’s, afraid she would worry. She sat quietly, looking out the window all the way. “Thanks, Mom.” She dashed for the Lawrences’ front door.

Mrs. Lawrence had taken the opportunity to relax for a few extra moments at their kitchen table. Vicki took a few seconds to admire her sleek New York clothes and her look of competency. She certainly wasn’t your typical Sparksville woman.

Scott had let her in, smiling, but asking no questions. “Want a cup of coffee, Vicki?” he asked, pulling out a chair for her.

“No, my stomach is a little uneasy,” Vicki admitted.

“Mine, too, Vicki,” Mrs. Lawrence said. “This whole business makes me sick. I assume you want to talk about it?”

“Yes. Scott, didn’t I see Goldie go into the photo studio just before you came out the other day?”

Scott thought a minute. “Yes, you did. She told me she was sorry she hadn’t noticed me before you staked a claim.”

Vicki wasn’t in the mood for Scott to tease her. “Mrs. Lawrence, that establishes a pattern. Surely you’re aware of it.” Vicki set both SueAnne’s and Belle’s journals on the kitchen table. “We don’t know about SueAnne, but David Altman was the last to see Belle, and I’m betting that now he was the last person to see Goldie. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

Mrs. Lawrence nodded. “Yes, that Altman was the last to see both girls, as far as we know. We want a suspect in this case as much as you do, Vicki, but just because Altman saw both girls doesn’t mean a lot without more evidence. We’ve questioned him. He lives alone. He seems to spend all his free time in his darkroom. He wasn’t seen with any of the girls anyplace except the photo studio. We have absolutely nothing to connect him to what has happened here.”

“I was there, Vicki,” Scott said, looking guilty. “I left her there alone. And she told me that Altman had called her to come back for more photos, just like he did SueAnne and Belle.”

“Oh, Scott.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.