Read Online The Perfect Couple by Brenda Novak - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Brenda Novak
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Romance, Suspense fiction, Private Investigators, Romantic Suspense Fiction, Kidnapping, Missing Children, Sacramento (Calif.)
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Could you tell me what happened yesterday?"
"I called Sam over lunch to see how she was. She said she was fine and--"
"Wait a second." Jonathan held up a hand. "Over lunch? Yesterday was Monday. Why wasn't she in school?"
"She has mono," Zoe explained. "She's been out of school for over a week."
"I see."
"So both of us have been checking on her quite often," Anton continued. "But about three hours after I talked to her, Zoe called me at the office, worried because she couldn't reach her."
"Where were you?" he asked Zoe.
"Work."
"This was about three o'clock?"
"That's right," Lucassi said. "She asked me to come home and check on her."
"Which you did."
"Reluctantly," he admitted. "I couldn't imagine that anything bad had happened to her. This is a nice neighborhood, you know? But when I got here--" he shook his head helplessly "--she was gone."
Jonathan crossed his ankles and leaned back, hoping to encourage Zoe and Lucassi to relax by appearing relaxed himself. "And you, Ms. Duncan?
50
When was the last time you saw your daughter?"
"Before work yesterday. I went in to her bedroom to say goodbye, as I always do."
"Where do you work?"
She began digging at her thumb cuticle. "I used to work at Tate Commercial, but I don't anymore. I quit yesterday."
"When you found out your daughter was missing?"
"No. Before. Sort of," she corrected. "I couldn't reach her. I was distraught. My temper got out of hand."
"I see." So she was feistier than she seemed in this zombielike state.
"Has your daughter ever taken off on her own?"
"No."
Lucassi made a noise of disagreement. "Zoe, tell him everything."
She covered her face as if trying to compose herself. But it didn't make any difference. Tears spilled over her lashes when she dropped her hands. "She got angry when I decided to move in with Anton because it meant we had to give up her dog."
"She took off running down the street, and we had to chase her in the car," Lucassi added.
"Where was she going?" Jonathan asked.
"Nowhere." It was Zoe who answered. "She was...running because she was upset. Any child would be upset over losing her dog."
"She said she'd rather live on the street than let Peanut go." Lucassi again.
Zoe wiped her tears. "But once I explained to her what this move meant to us, she eventually calmed down."
"But she talked about running away again, in a note to her best friend," Lucassi said.
Skye had mentioned only the letter to the grandfather. "Where did you find this?"
"In her backpack."
"But you don't think she was serious."
Lucassi shrugged. "Who can say? It's possible. I wasn't aware of how she felt about me."
Had he cared enough to notice? "And how did she feel about you?"
"We had Marti Seacrest over last night. That's her best friend, her only close friend. Sam hasn't been at this school very long, and at first, she was pouting over the dog so she refused to acclimate. Anyway, when we showed Marti the note, she finally admitted that Samantha was always complaining about how...uptight I am."
51
"Do you consider yourself uptight?" Jonathan asked.
"Of course not." He nudged Zoe's knee. "Would you say I'm uptight?"
When she stared at him without answering, he frowned. "I'm not uptight. Sam just wasn't used to having any rules." He turned to Jonathan and lowered his voice as if confiding a great secret. "They've always lived in dumps, so they've never had to worry about taking care of personal property."
"At least she could keep her dog in those dumps," Zoe said.
"You're blaming me for the dog? You're the one who wanted to move in here. You liked the schools, the neighborhood."
Anger flared in her eyes. "You forced me to choose."
"And you made the right choice. Her education is more important than keeping a dog in the house, with all that hair and the smell." He wrinkled his nose. "The dog's fine, by the way," he added. "I made sure it went to a good home."
"I still don't understand why Peanut couldn't have lived in the
"I called Sam over lunch to see how she was. She said she was fine and--"
"Wait a second." Jonathan held up a hand. "Over lunch? Yesterday was Monday. Why wasn't she in school?"
"She has mono," Zoe explained. "She's been out of school for over a week."
"I see."
"So both of us have been checking on her quite often," Anton continued. "But about three hours after I talked to her, Zoe called me at the office, worried because she couldn't reach her."
"Where were you?" he asked Zoe.
"Work."
"This was about three o'clock?"
"That's right," Lucassi said. "She asked me to come home and check on her."
"Which you did."
"Reluctantly," he admitted. "I couldn't imagine that anything bad had happened to her. This is a nice neighborhood, you know? But when I got here--" he shook his head helplessly "--she was gone."
Jonathan crossed his ankles and leaned back, hoping to encourage Zoe and Lucassi to relax by appearing relaxed himself. "And you, Ms. Duncan?
50
When was the last time you saw your daughter?"
"Before work yesterday. I went in to her bedroom to say goodbye, as I always do."
"Where do you work?"
She began digging at her thumb cuticle. "I used to work at Tate Commercial, but I don't anymore. I quit yesterday."
"When you found out your daughter was missing?"
"No. Before. Sort of," she corrected. "I couldn't reach her. I was distraught. My temper got out of hand."
"I see." So she was feistier than she seemed in this zombielike state.
"Has your daughter ever taken off on her own?"
"No."
Lucassi made a noise of disagreement. "Zoe, tell him everything."
She covered her face as if trying to compose herself. But it didn't make any difference. Tears spilled over her lashes when she dropped her hands. "She got angry when I decided to move in with Anton because it meant we had to give up her dog."
"She took off running down the street, and we had to chase her in the car," Lucassi added.
"Where was she going?" Jonathan asked.
"Nowhere." It was Zoe who answered. "She was...running because she was upset. Any child would be upset over losing her dog."
"She said she'd rather live on the street than let Peanut go." Lucassi again.
Zoe wiped her tears. "But once I explained to her what this move meant to us, she eventually calmed down."
"But she talked about running away again, in a note to her best friend," Lucassi said.
Skye had mentioned only the letter to the grandfather. "Where did you find this?"
"In her backpack."
"But you don't think she was serious."
Lucassi shrugged. "Who can say? It's possible. I wasn't aware of how she felt about me."
Had he cared enough to notice? "And how did she feel about you?"
"We had Marti Seacrest over last night. That's her best friend, her only close friend. Sam hasn't been at this school very long, and at first, she was pouting over the dog so she refused to acclimate. Anyway, when we showed Marti the note, she finally admitted that Samantha was always complaining about how...uptight I am."
51
"Do you consider yourself uptight?" Jonathan asked.
"Of course not." He nudged Zoe's knee. "Would you say I'm uptight?"
When she stared at him without answering, he frowned. "I'm not uptight. Sam just wasn't used to having any rules." He turned to Jonathan and lowered his voice as if confiding a great secret. "They've always lived in dumps, so they've never had to worry about taking care of personal property."
"At least she could keep her dog in those dumps," Zoe said.
"You're blaming me for the dog? You're the one who wanted to move in here. You liked the schools, the neighborhood."
Anger flared in her eyes. "You forced me to choose."
"And you made the right choice. Her education is more important than keeping a dog in the house, with all that hair and the smell." He wrinkled his nose. "The dog's fine, by the way," he added. "I made sure it went to a good home."
"I still don't understand why Peanut couldn't have lived in the
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