Read Online Now You See Me... by Rochelle Krich - Free Book Online

proudly worn for four years, similar to the Sharsheret uniform I’d been eager to chuck.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Sara. Call me Molly.” I turned to the mother. “I’d like to talk to Sara privately, if that’s all right.”
    I could tell it wasn’t—not for mother or daughter. After aiming a look at me that could have split a diamond, Faith left the room and pulled the door shut with a click.
    I sat on the sofa. After a moment Sara joined me. She chose the far end, and from the way she hugged her arms, I figured she wished there were more than several feet between us. A country, maybe.
    “I can imagine how hard this must be for you, Sara. You and Dassie are best friends, right?”
    “I don’t know where she is. Honest.” Her tone was defensive, but tears filled her eyes. She wiped them with her fingers.
    “I believe you. How long have you known Dassie?” I was anxious to get answers, but knew I had to proceed slowly.
    “Since kindergarten. We were in the same class until high school.”
    “You go to Bais Rifka, right? My sister Liora graduated from there two years ago. And my brother Judah teaches two classes there.”
    “Mr. Blume is your brother? I had him last year for Jewish History. He’s cool. And Liora was choir head when I was a freshman.” Sara lowered her arms. “My mom wanted me to go to Sharsheret. That’s where my sister Ronit went? But most of my friends are at Bais Rifka.”
    “Except for Dassie.” At the mention of her friend’s name, Sara tensed. “I’m sure you want to help us find Dassie and bring her safely home. Tell me about Sunday, Sara. Dassie told her parents she was spending the night with you, right?”
    The girl’s face reddened. She studied her lap. “That was wrong. I know that.”
    “We all make mistakes,” I said gently. “I’ve made plenty. What was Dassie wearing, by the way?”
    “A black skirt and black sweater. She had the things in her overnight bag.”
    “Dressy clothes?”
    “Uh-huh.” Sara hesitated. “The skirt was shorter than she usually wears, and the sweater wasn’t low-cut, but it was clingy. Her mom definitely wouldn’t have been happy.”
    Clothes that probably belonged to the Forever XXI tags. “Did Dassie tell you where she was going that night?”
    “To meet him. I don’t know his name.” A hint of sullenness suggested she’d been asked this question too many times. “Dassie wouldn’t tell me.”
    “Not even a first name?”
    She shook her head.
    “Where were they planning to meet?”
    “She wouldn’t tell me that, either.”
    Sara sounded disappointed. I sensed that she’d experienced a vicarious thrill through her friend’s illicit adventure.
    “Had Dassie ever asked you to cover for her before?”
    The girl’s blush was an answer. “Twice. She told me she was going out with kids from school.”
    “Didn’t your parents wonder where Dassie was going?”
    “They go out a lot, and Dassie always made sure to be back before they came home.” The blush deepened. “Sunday I knew she was lying. She kept checking her watch, and she had her makeup done. She said it was for fun, but I got her to tell me the truth, that she was seeing him that night and they’d met twice before. She was so
excited.
I think she wanted to tell
someone.”
    Someone who would keep her secret. “If she met him before, Sara, why was she so excited Sunday night?”
    “They were going someplace really romantic. I
tried
to talk her out of going. What if he was just pretending to be
frum?
What if he was a psycho? What if he tried to . . .” The girl’s voice trailed off. “Dassie said the other times, he didn’t touch her. She trusted him completely.”
    That was part of the seduction. I thought again about the note, the reference to the shekels. The word “rape” flashed through my mind.
    “Did he pick Dassie up Sunday night from your house?”
    Sara shook her head. “She met him around the corner, on Alcott. He called her on her cell