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'The girl knew Chidi. Sounds like they were going together.' |
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What the hell, he thought. I was looking for an excuse. And this might be a break. Shouldn't take long, and Maureen might not be there yet, anyway. |
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'You won't regret it,' Patterson said, then rolled his eyes upward and pursed his lips. 'Couple of knockouts. Maybe you'll get lucky.' Resuming a solemn expression, he turned away. He headed toward the women and said, 'Officer Hudson will see you. If you'd like to step in.' He nodded toward the opening at the far end of the counter. |
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Trev met them there. He sized them up quickly, decided he didn't much like what he saw, and gave them a smile that he hoped was reassuring. 'Thanks for coming by. I'm Trevor Hudson.' |
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The older woman, probably the girl's mother, narrowed her eyes as if she expected Trev to give her shit and rather hoped he might try. 'Francine Walters,' she said. Her raspy voice was as hard as her looks. She appeared to be about forty, but Trev had seen this type before, and they always appeared older than their years. Her hair was bleached blond. She needed to do the roots. Too much eye makeup. Lipstick too bright. A lean, drawn face with wrinkle lines in the wrong places. It was a face that hadn't smiled much, that spent too much time scowling or giving off sarcastic smirks. 'This is Lisa,' she said. |
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The girl didn't look up. Her head was lowered, her |
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