Read Online Dead Right by Brenda Novak - Free Book Online Page A

police station with her stepmother, waiting for Grace to arrive. The rain had finallystopped, but the cloud-darkened sky threatened more bad weather.
    The heater rattled as it pumped out hot air. Officer Radcliffe, who stood at the filing cabinet in the corner, bore a sheen of sweat on his forehead—proof that the heater was working. But Madeline couldn’t get warm. Not since she’d seen what the police had found in her father’s trunk.
    â€œAre you sure, Maddy?” Irene whispered.
    Her tongue felt thick and unwieldy, but she forced it to work. “I’m sure.”
    â€œBut I don’t remember them. And lots of young girls wore bikini underwear.”
    It wasn’t the fact that they were bikinis that made them identifiable; it was the picture of an island with a monkey climbing a palm tree on the back. Madeline suspected Irene recognized them, too. Her stepmother didn’t want to face what it might mean, preferred to think they were dealing with some kind of coincidence or mistake. “I’m positive. ”
    She’d meant to speak gently, but she couldn’t conceal her impatience. Irene was getting older and didn’t have the coping skills she’d once possessed. But Madeline was so exhausted and confused, she lacked the reserves to shelter her right now.
    Why were Grace’s first pair of bikini underwear— the ones Madeline had bought her for Christmas—in a strange suitcase with some rope and a dildo? Grace was only thirteen when that car went missing.
    â€œIf you’re sure about the…the panties, there’s no need to have Grace come down here,” Irene said.
    â€œMom, please,” Madeline snapped.
    Chief Pontiff looked up from his desk and metMadeline’s eyes. When she scowled and turned away, he bent over his work again, and she was grateful to him for giving her some space instead of getting up to offer her a drink or something. She knew he’d seen the instant recognition on her face as he’d carefully arranged each item for her view.
    It wasn’t just the panties that upset her. The dildo had been there, too, grotesque in its size.
    She dropped her head in her hands. The possibility that a sexual predator had had any contact with Grace at the age she’d been when she was wearing those panties sickened Madeline.
    â€œGod help us,” she whispered and began to rub her temples. Her head hurt, but not as badly as her heart. She knew Grace had problems as a teenager. Had they started because she’d been molested—or worse, raped—by some demented creep?
    No. She would’ve said something….
    But deep down Madeline knew that wasn’t true. Girls who’d been molested were often too ashamed afterwards to reveal their terrible secret.
    â€œWhoever it was better not have touched her,” she muttered.
    Her stepmother jumped to her feet. “I want to call Clay.”
    Startled, Madeline blinked. “You want him to see this? ” She waved at the panties on the table. The giant dildo sat front and center. Not that Madeline could look at it.
    â€œI—I need him,” Irene said.
    Her slightly hysterical tone made Madeline feel guilty for being so impatient a moment before. She owed her stepmother more sensitivity than she’d justshown her. Irene was the one who’d provided the love and attention Madeline had needed as a young teen. Madeline couldn’t imagine what life would’ve been like without her.
    â€œWe’re okay,” she whispered, hoping to comfort her. “We can take care of this ourselves, right?”
    â€œNo.” Irene shook her head adamantly.
    â€œBut you know Clay. He’ll go nuts if he sees this. And we wouldn’t want to humiliate Grace any more than necessary. Obviously, if something terrible happened, she chose not to share it with us. It won’t be easy for her to walk in here, especially with an audience, and admit it