Kerri exhaled and dropped back to her chair.“I’ll catch a few Zs upstairs. What do I have to go home to? The cat’s been fedand doesn’t miss me.”
Alex had tried, now it was Buck’s turn toreason. He, Alex and Jo Babiak had volunteered to stay and help with the suddenuptick of new sightings. One of them was a psychic who wanted cash for herexciting new reading. Six others weren’t much better. Still, no use arguingwith the tired, pretty cop now mumbling back to Buck, trying to get comfortablewith her arms folded and her cheek down on her laptop she was trying to use asa pillow.
He bent to her, spoke gently to the obsessedperson with the squeezed-shut eyes. “Kerri, please, they’ve closed this onedown. There’s no more funds for it. Don’t you have to worry about yourcat’s future?”
“I’ve set up a trust fund.”
“Uh, detectives?” they heard from the door.Kerri raised her head and they both looked that way.
A uniformed man stood there with a worried-lookingwoman. Pretty, dark-haired, mid thirties, already looking back to the stairwaythey’d come up as if she’d changed her mind and wanted to flee.
“This way.” The officer made her mind upfor her and led her to Kerri. “Another possible sighting of Sasha Perry,” he said,glancing at Buck, trying not to roll his eyes.
Kerri was up and alert again, offering aseat, welcoming the woman whose large dark eyes looked more uncertain thancrazy or out for cash. She gave her name – Liddy Barron – and sat, clasped her hands,worked them against each other.
“You need me?” Buck asked after giving thenewcomer the once-over, glancing hopefully for the door.
“No thanks, we’re good.” The two men left,looking relieved, and Kerri gave Liddy a friendly smile.
“So,” she said, opening her laptop andstarting a new file. “You may have seen Sasha Perry?”
Liddy’s hands flew apart. “Big may. Imay also be losing my mind.”
Kerri couldn’t help it – she laughed. “Welcometo my world,” she said, and watched the woman facing her untense a little;appreciate the shared moment of irony. Honesty up front, how different.
“And where do you think you saw Sasha?”
“On Prince Street last Sunday,” Liddy blurtedfast to outrace losing her nerve. Then fell back in her chair, peered dubiouslyback to Kerri. “I’m waiting for you to laugh again.”
“Not at all.” Kerri smiled but saidnothing, letting her silence prod.
Liddy breathed in. “I was with my husbandand a friend at Gino’s sidewalk café. They were yakking and I was halflistening, sketching people walking past. I’m an artist, and one of the peopleI sketched was, well…”
She reached and got out her sketchbook. Openedshakily to the page. Leaned to put the book open on Kerri’s desk, angling it toshow her. “This girl.”
Kerri looked. Brought her face closer, blinking,then raised her eyes back to Liddy.
“I thought it was just another sketch,” Liddysaid, still nervous. “Didn’t place the face at all. My friend Beth kept saying,‘She reminds me of someone,’ but couldn’t remember who, and I forgot it tillBeth called me today and insisted, ‘It’s her, that missing coed.’”
Kerri still stared at the sketch, frowninga little. “You didn’t place the face? This girl’s photo was in the news for overa week.”
“Coinciding with me being in the hospital.I was in an accident. Got, uh, run over, had a broken leg, two cracked ribs anda concussion.” Liddy clasped her hands again and looked down at them, clearlypained. When she looked back the detective’s eyes bore the intensity that had staredthrough the camera at the police conference.
“So I never saw those news reports. Neversaw this girl’s face, though it’s been suggested to me that someone may haveturned on the news in my hospital room as I started to get better. I don’tknow. I don’t remember.” Liddy’s voice trembled. “From the concussion, there’sa lot I don’t remember.”
Kerri was tapping keys on her laptop.“Gino’s is at 110b Prince Street.”
“Right. A few doors down and across thestreet from the loft we just bought. We hadn’t seen it yet, actually. My friendBeth is a realtor and tried to talk us out of it.”
“Oh? Why was that?” Kerri was getting afunny feeling. The sketch and this story… She watched Liddy Barron hesitate,clearly pained.
“Because of what I’d been through…andbecause it’s the apartment where the actor Charlie Bass hung himself.” Liddywinced as she said it.
“I know that case. Very sad. He hadpromise, talent.”
The two were silent for a moment. Kerri’s gazewas back on the sketch. The resemblance was eerie; the eyes looked right backat her. But the most striking thing…
Kerri tapped the sketch. “You’ve drawn astud in her ear.”
Liddy leaned and looked; nodded. “Right. A funny-shapedstud high in her right ear. Maybe a rounded daisy shape?”
“You saw her wearing that?”
“I must have, that’s what I sketched. Now Idon’t exactly remember.” Liddy blinked; frowned a little. “Wait – I doremember, yes, it was an irregular rounded shape.”
Kerri held her breath. “That’s interesting,because Sasha didn’t wear that stud in her graduation picture. I don’t think itwas in any of the photos released to the press.”
Liddy looked at the detective, surprised.
“Think hard,” Kerri urged, leaning an elbowon her desk to steady herself. Her heart pounded. “In your mind can you remember,a little more closely, what that stud looked like? You said it was rounded…”
“Yes, but not one rounded shape.”Liddy’s brow creased; she shook her head a little. “More like a small round ontop of a bigger round…kind of like a snowman or…or – I’ve got it,” she cried,and pointed to the sketch. “It was a teddy bear!”
13
Shut it down,say no more, Kerri thought though she was bursting,just exploding to take it further. Liddy Barron had come close but there wasmore, something incredibly specific, to this tiny detail never released to thepress. Kerri couldn’t say what but her mind raced, trying to figure this. Sashahad loved that stud but hadn’t worn it a lot – although, oddly, she wore it thenight she disappeared; two friends had seen her, kidded her about it.
Just two friends but still…others had seenit other times; the description could have traveled
