Kill You Last Read Free Page B

help one another. The parents of Peggy D’Angelo and Rebecca Parlin got together there. And when the parents of the third girl heard about the first two, they got in touch, too.”
    It took a moment to digest. On the news …my father and three missing girls? The whole cafeteria knew. No wonder they’d stared. Aware that some kids were still gazing in my direction, I looked down at the lunch table, too uncomfortable to meet their eyes. I would have left, but that would probably draw even more attention.
    “What else did they say?” I asked.
    “Not much. So far the only things that link the girls are the head shots and going to malls at lunch to meet someone. The police are reviewing security videos from the malls.” Roman leaned close and spoke in a low voice. “Last night, when we thought it was just two of the missing girls who’d gotten their head shots from your dad…I think I could believe that it might have been a coincidence …”
    “But not three.” I finished the sentence for her. “Did they say where the third one was from?”
    “Trenton, New Jersey.”
    My insides began to knot. Three girls from three different states who all went to my father for head shots, and now all three were missing and the police were investigating. It was bad and awful and upsetting in a way that could compare to nothing thus far in my life. And then there was that feeling I’d had last night that Dad hadn’t been completely honest with me. “Be right back.” I headed for the small outdoor courtyard beside the cafeteria, careful not to look anywhere except straight ahead. I didn’t need to see all those eyes watching me. I could feel them, and that was bad enough.
    In the courtyard, I dialed Dad’s cell. He answered after the first ring. Given the sudden tumult in my life, there wasn’t much I felt I could count on, but one thing was his always answering the phone when I called. “I know why you’re calling,” he said. “I wish I had an explanation for you, Shels, but I don’t.” He sounded uncharacteristically glum.
    “It can’t be a coincidence that all three girls got their head shots from you and now they’re all missing.”
    “I agree,” he said, and I felt relieved. At least he wasn’t being evasive. I waited for a moment, hoping he’d say something more. Maybe offer some possible explanation. Then I remembered my conversation with Roman the night before. “Dad, there’s something else I don’t understand. I saw the pictures of two of the girls on the Missing and Exploited Children Web site. They really didn’t look like modeling material.”
    Dad was quiet for a moment. “Well, think about it, Shels. Those were probably family photos with crap lighting and all that. Most of the girls I work with don’t look like models until they’ve had their hair and makeup done, not to mention airbrushing afterward.”
    “But one of them was five six and weighed a hundred and thirty-five pounds,” I said.
    “Maybe she wanted to be a plus-size model,” Dad said. “There are a lot of possibilities.”
    It didn’t sound right, and I felt my insides twist anxiously. Yes, there probably were lots of possibilities.…Including the possibility that once again I wasn’t getting the truth.

Chapter 5
    I WAITED, HOPING Dad would say something reassuring, something that would make me believe him, but instead he said, “Hey, what about Sarah Lawrence? Wasn’t the interview this morning?”
    “It was okay,” I said. “I still—”
    Before I could finish, Dad interrupted. “Hold on a second?” He was gone, then returned. “They need me in the studio, sweetheart. Talk later?”
    “Sure.” I made no effort to hide my frustration and disappointment. If he didn’t have time and wasn’t going to be completely honest with me, I almost didn’t want to speak to him.
    Feeling upset, I headed back into the cafeteria. I’d always felt closer to him than I had to Mom. Closer to him than anyone else, period. My