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you got?” Ronan centers his
attention on me.
    “The school’s regular attendance person
wasn’t there today and apparently the person working in her place didn’t call
any of the parents whose students didn’t show.”
    “Fuck,” he says.   “That would’ve given us a much narrower
window.”
    I nod in agreement.  
    “What else?”
    “Well, Jason singled out some known
criminals in the Heights area within a twenty mile radius of the school.   We all talked to them, but came up
short.   Alexandra also retraced Sasha’s
steps from Missy’s house to the school, but didn’t see anything out of the
ordinary.”
    “Speaking of whom,” Veronica says as she
takes quick strides from behind the bar to intercept a brunette woman storming
into the club.   She dresses the part of a
soccer mom and is every bit the small town girl next door.   Her presence sets Veronica off
instantly.  
    I eyeball Josh Lucas as if to warn him
that these two ladies may just have it out.   He glances back at me and raises a hand to say that it’s all cool.   He’s familiar with this woman and she’s
harmless.
    “Melissa, what in the ever loving fuck are
you doing here?” Veronica snipes viciously.
    “My daughter is missing and all you can do
is sit around here and do nothing?” Missy rails.   “I demand to speak to the father of my child.
Ronan!” Missy yells, with an effort to side-step Veronica’s interception and
gain his attention.
    “Listen, bitch, you’re pushing your luck
here,” Veronica says moving closer to Missy and backing her out of the front
door.  
    Missy sobs, her hands drying her tired
eyes.  
    “My daughter is missing.”
    “I know that, honey, but that little,
sweet face of yours and that stupid fucking sob story only works on my
husband.   If you want to deal with Ronan,
you’re going to have to do it through me.”
    “Fine.   Here, I took this earlier today before I sent Sasha off to school.”
    Missy hands over a printed out picture of
Sasha in her black pants, pink shirt and her favorite yellow purse.  
    “I’ll take care of this and will make sure
everyone gets a copy of the photo.   I
know you’re hurting, but you seriously need to take your pretty ass out of this
club right now before it gets kicked.”
    “Jesus Christ, Veronica, have some
decency.”
    “I am, honey,” Veronica says
knowingly.   “The best place for you is at
home just in case she goes back there, so get the fuck home and wait.”
    Melissa exits the club and Veronica eyes
up Josh Lucas, telling him, “Keep that fucking bitch out of this club.”
    He nods.
    “Yes ma’am.”
    Veronica shows the picture of Sasha to
Ronan and then disappears with it.   Twenty minutes later, she comes back into full view with a stack of
papers bearing Sasha’s face and information.  
    “We can pass these out and staple them to
every pole in the township,” Veronica tells Ronan.
    He buries his head in his hands on the
bar’s counter top.  
    I hear the sound of another motorcycle
coming up to the club.   Moments later,
Trish walks in and approaches her parents.  
    After a moment of their time, she parades
herself over to me.  
    “I can help,” she offers.
    “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” I
tell her.
    “Why the fuck not?   Sasha is my sister.”
    “Your father would have my head on a
silver platter.”
    “But we could be that much closer to
finding out what happened.”
    “Yeah, but you see, I can’t actually
function if your father takes my head off, so therein lies the problem.   Besides, I can’t go against his wishes.”
    She resents me for my words, but I know
it’s for her own good.
    “I’m gonna run,
but I’ll be back tomorrow,” I tell everyone in earshot.
    “Good, thanks again, man,” Ronan says.
    I can feel the rush of the wind in my face
as I peel out of the club’s parking lot.   When I’m sure that I’m at a safe distance away from the club’s members,
I pull over.
    Tucking