Read Out of the Dark for Free Online Page A

on the table.”
    “Will do,” Luke said.
    Soon they were sitting down to eat, and for a short time, they stuck to safe topics of conversation. It wasn’t until Shelly was taking their plates to the dishwasher and pouring them some coffee that Luke shifted the mood.
    “Tell me about the street fair,” Luke said.
    Shelly set a plate of cookies on the table between them, pushed the cream and sugar toward Luke and leaned back in her chair.
    Luke sugared and creamed his coffee, then picked up a cookie as Shelly began to talk.
    “It was such a perfect day. The last day of our trip. My friend, Deb, took me to this street fair. We’d been there at least a couple of hours when I saw the booth.” Then she grinned. “Truthfully, I probably saw the man who was working there first.”
    “I thought the artist was a woman,” Luke said.
    “Oh, she was, but there was this man with her.” Shelly sighed. “He was absolutely beautiful.” She giggled, a little embarrassed at herself. “You know…long black hair, striking blue eyes, and the most stunning face…like some Michelangelo statue come to life.”
    “Did you get a name?”
    Shelly frowned. “I don’t think so. I saw the painting almost immediately, and after that forgot everything except—”
    “Yeah, I can understand. Sam said something about the artist calling the subject by a different name?”
    Shelly nodded. “Oh, yes! That surprised me. I suppose it stood to reason, though. If I ran away from my family, I wouldn’t be calling myself Shelly Hudson. I’d use another name, which is what I suppose Margaret did.” Then she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “After all, that was a different time, remember? It was the mid-seventies when Margaret disappeared. She got caught up in some cult, obviously changed her name and got lost in that underground society.”
    “Yeah, I gathered that much from Sam.”
    “He was devastated. Looked for them for years, but there wasn’t a clue. Then this…” Shelly shrugged, then wiped her hands across her face, as if to clear her thoughts. “I had to bring it to him, didn’t I, Luke? Please tell me I did the right thing?”
    “Absolutely,” Luke said, and covered her hand with his. “The worst thing in life is not knowing what’s happened to a missing loved one. Trust me, I’ve been through this countless times with other people. Which brings me to the next question. They told you that the woman in the painting was dead, right?”
    Shelly nodded. “Said she’d been dead for years.”
    Luke frowned. “Did you ask about her daughter?”
    Shelly sighed. “No, and I could kick myself, but I was so stunned, it didn’t occur to me to follow up like that.”
    “And that’s where I come in,” Luke said. “What I need is the address where the fair was held. People usually have to rent booth space, so they should have a record somewhere of the renters’ names.”
    “Oh, Luke! I never thought of that!”
    Luke grinned. “Yeah, well, that’s why I get the big bucks and you smell so good.”
    Shelly threw back her head and laughed, her short blond curls bouncing with mirth.
    “You make me feel so much better about all this,” she said.
    “After that wonderful meal, it’s the least I can do.”
    “You’ll have to come back for dinner sometime soon. Paul was saying the other day that it’s been ages since we’ve all been together for a meal.”
    “Name the day and I’m here,” Luke said, then stood. “If you remember anything else—anything at all—call me immediately. In fact, why don’t you call your friend, Deb, and see if she remembers something.”
    “Good idea,” Shelly said. “I’ll be in touch.”
    Within minutes Luke was gone, leaving Shelly with a lighter heart and a kitchen full of dirty dishes.
    But Luke wasn’t through for the day. He had the painting in the back seat of his car and was now on his way to the St. Louis Police Department. There was a detective there who owed