Read Anybody's Daughter (Angela Evans Series No. 2) for Free Online

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    While his brother and sister-in-law were in the kitchen unpacking food they’d picked up from a nearby barbecue joint, Dre’s mother stood in a circle of her church friends, holding hands and softly praying to Jesus. A host of cousins, neighbors and church folks he’d never seen before stood around the living room acting like they were at a Monday-night wake.
    Dre didn’t want any of them there. He needed to think, to plan. He’d already made up his mind that he was going to find Brianna. Screw the police.
    He’d hated the I-told-you-so look on the officer’s face when Dre produced Brianna’s notebook with all the I-love-Jaden doodles. Just because Brianna might have a boyfriend they knew nothing about didn’t mean she was a runaway. She was a smart kid. A happy kid. She had no reason to run off.
    Dre walked into Donna’s bedroom and Angela followed. Dre expected to find his sister sleeping, but she was sitting on the edge of the bed, rocking back and forth like a heroin addict coming down from a high.
    “I wanna talk to Sydney,” Dre said, more to himself.
    “We already did.” Donna was dried-eyed now. “She would’ve told me if Brianna had a boyfriend.”
    Dre shook his head in disagreement. “Sydney’s her best friend. If Brianna has a boyfriend, Sydney knows about him.”
    Angela touched Dre’s forearm. “Let’s go talk to her now.”
    They walked the short distance to Sydney’s house and repeatedly pressed the doorbell. Dre didn’t care that it was approaching ten o’clock at night. This was important.
    Sydney’s father finally opened the door. His hooded eyes squinted at Dre.
    “Hey, Winston,” Dre said with forced collegiality.
    Winston looked past Dre to Angela.
    “This is my girl—uh, my friend, Angela. I know it’s late, but we need to talk to Sydney.”
    An exasperated look crossed Winston Burns’ face. “I’m really sorry about Brianna. But Sydney already told the police everything she knows.”
    “I need to talk to her for myself.” Dre wanted to push past him and bolt into Sydney’s bedroom. “It’s important, man. Please.”
    “It’s kinda late and Sydney’s already asleep. Why don’t you come back in the morning?”
    Dre didn’t want to come back in the morning. He needed to talk to Sydney tonight. After a few seconds, a soft voice broke the stalemate.
    “Daddy, I’m not sleep.”
    Dre peered past Winston and saw Sydney dressed in a knee-length nightshirt.
    Winston grudgingly stepped aside and let them in. Sydney’s mother greeted them from a hallway.
    Winston showed Dre and Angela into the kitchen, where they all converged around a small wooden table. Sydney sat at the north end of the table, with the adults lined up on all sides. The low-hanging light fixture gave the room the feel of a police interrogation.
    “Sydney,” Dre began, trying to conceal his distress, “you told the police that Brianna didn’t have a boyfriend. Is that the truth?”
    Sydney’s eyes darted in the direction of her father.
    “We know about Jaden,” Dre said gently, not wanting to scare the girl. “We need you to tell us what you know. Brianna could be in danger.”
    Sydney hung her head. “Brianna didn’t want nobody to know about Jaden. That’s why I didn’t tell nobody.”
    Winston glowered at his daughter. “You sat up here and lied to the police? Do you know that—”
    Dre held up a hand, silencing Winston. “That’s okay. Just tell us the truth now.”
    “Brianna met him on Facebook,” Sydney said, staring down at the table. “That’s all I know.”
    Dre’s right knee bounced with angst. “Brianna had a Facebook page?”
    “It was private, so her mother couldn’t see it. She had a Yahoo account and a Gmail address too.”
    “Have you ever met Jaden?” Dre asked.
    Sydney swung her head in a slow, wide sweep. “Nope. Neither has Brianna as far as I know.”
    Dre squinted as if a shock of light had suddenly blinded him. “How could he be her