“Before I talk to her, how well did you know Megan?”
“She spent a lot of time over here.” She shook her head. “She’s a sweet girl.” She lowered her voice. “But her mother.” She leaned in closer. “She actually works two jobs.”
Sadie tried to reserve judgment, but Lauren’s mother seemed pretty judgmental herself. Sadie admired the fact that Ms. Milton worked two jobs to support her family. Obviously, from the looks of the expansive house, Mrs. Newton didn’t have to worry about money.
Mrs. Newton fluffed her already-teased hair. “At any rate, her mother leaves Megan alone a lot. It’s sad, but Lauren’s taken her under her wing. My Lauren has her act together. Top grades and a blooming social life to go with it.” She held her head high. “I’m so proud of her. She’s the perfect daughter.”
Sadie wanted to laugh. This lady probably had no clue what her daughter was getting into. “That’s wonderful that Lauren is doing so well, and I’m glad she’s a friend to Megan.”
“Yes, I’m sure she’ll want to talk to you now.” She called out to her daughter, and Lauren bounded down the steps. She was a younger version of Mrs. Newton. Her much more natural blond ponytail was perfectly styled, and she also wore a buff-pink tennis outfit. Maybe a mother-daughter tennis match this evening after the summer sun subsided?
“Lauren, dear, this is Ms. Lane. She’s the investigator looking for Megan.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Lauren said. She walked right over to her and grabbed Sadie’s hand dragging her into the living room. “Mom, can you give us a few minutes to talk?”
“Sure, dear.” Mrs. Newton bounced out of the room, oblivious.
Lauren plopped down on the couch and leaned her head back for a moment before turning and making eye contact with Sadie. Sadie sat down beside her.
“I’m freaked out about Megan,” Lauren said bluntly.
“I’m so glad you’re talking to me. I’m going to need you to be completely honest with me. No one is in this room right now but me and you. To be able to help Megan I need to know the whole truth.”
Lauren nodded. “I get it.” Lauren tightened her ponytail, and then looked directly at her, her blue eyes wide. “That’s exactly why I asked Mom to leave. She can be so controlling and always wants to add her spin to any story.”
“Start at the beginning. What happened that Saturday night?”
“We were going out downtown for a nice dinner. We scored the top two grades in our AP history class. Megan had been saving up for months for this dinner. Megan’s family doesn’t have money. It’s just her and her mom, so this was a big deal. Once we got the grades, we immediately started planning.”
“Okay, so what happened?”
“We made a reservation at the newest and trendiest restaurant in town. I couldn’t believe we were able to get a reservation, but we did. It’s the one inside the fancy Rhubarb Hotel called Sala. It’s also exciting because they play live music, and it’s just the place to go. So anyway, we were at our table and there was a delay in our getting served because it was so busy. I went to find our server to get us some water. By the time I got back, she was gone.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked away. “If I hadn’t left her, maybe she’d be okay.”
“How long were you gone?”
“The restaurant was packed. It was probably at least fifteen minutes or longer. Because—” she paused, looking down “—I took a detour and wandered around a bit, taking it all in.”
“So the last time you saw her, she was at the table. Then fifteen minutes later or longer you walked back, and she wasn’t there. Then what did you do?”
“I looked for her. I checked the ladies’ room and the hostess stand. Then went back to the main seating area. Sala isn’t that large. After I went around the place at least three times, I knew something was wrong. Megan and I like to go out and have fun, but we never ever leave each other like that. She would not have left that restaurant without me. No way. We know it’s not safe. Something happened to her.” Her eyes misted up. “I know it.”
“What did you do then?”
“I went home. Megan’s mom was working the night shift. So I didn’t talk to her until I called the next morning. She hadn’t seen or heard from Megan either. That’s when I flipped out.”
“And you never got any word from her? A text, an email, anything after that night?”
“Nothing.” She paused and her blue eyes filled with tears yet again. “What do you think happened?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll do my best to find her.”
“I know I’m just sixteen, but I’m not stupid. Could someone have taken her?”
“That’s always possible.”
Lauren stood up and started pacing. “I’m so mad at the police. They need to be doing more. I’ve watched enough TV to know that this isn’t exactly a top priority for them. They aren’t taking this seriously enough. They don’t want to commit more resources. It’s not right! I think if my family hadn’t gotten involved they wouldn’t be doing as much as they are now.”
“That’s sad,” Sadie said in truth.
“I know.”
“If Megan was in trouble, is there anywhere she would go?”
“Yeah. She’d come here. To me. To my house. Megan has been through a lot. Her mom works so hard. Megan even got a part-time job at the yogurt shop when she turned sixteen. And her dad, he’s never been in the picture. Like ever.” She hesitated and shifted her eyes away again. “I don’t know what I’ll do if something happened to her. I may put on a big act that I’m all put together, but Megan is the strong one.”
“You’ve been very helpful, Lauren. Is there anything else I should know?”
“I’ll do anything to help, Sadie. Anything.”
Sadie said her goodbyes to Lauren and her mother and went back to the office, settling in at her desk. A few minutes later, she looked up as Kip walked through her office door smiling.
“What’re you doing here? I told you I was working this case.”
“I wanted to see how your afternoon was going. Any leads on the girl?”
“Maybe. I went to see her friend. What do you know about Sala?”
“The swanky restaurant in the Rhubarb Hotel?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not into the fancy restaurant scene.”
“Me neither.”
“But I’ve heard it’s the trendy place to go in town. They have live music on the weekends which is a big draw for the college crowd. During the week it caters to business
