Read Samantha Sanderson Without a Trace for Free Online Page B

sort through the cards here! She moved to hold the box with Mrs. Creegle. Maybe if she was helping, they wouldn’t make a big deal out of her being inthe office. Surely she could figure out some way to stay in the office while they went through the cards.
    â€œThanks, Sam,” the counselor told her in between students dropping the cards in the box.
    Sam took on more of the weight, almost bearing all of it. “I’ve got it, Mrs. Creegle.”
    â€œAre you certain?”
    The box grew heavier by the minute with the number of cards going in, but Sam could do this. She would. “Sure. I can bring it to the office when everyone’s out.”
    â€œThanks.” Mrs. Creegle headed through the doors herself.
    Sam’s internal grin almost snuck across her face. She had her in ! Mom was always telling her a good journalist looked for ways into the story, not just the outside reporting, but getting in to the story. This was hers.
    The last row of students followed their teacher toward the doors. Sam’s elation nearly plummeted as Aubrey Damas approached, smirk planted firmly on her snooty face. Nikki Cole, who was actually a nice person but seemed to be content with spouting regurgitated Aubrey venom, followed at her heels.
    â€œNice doorman duty, Samantha .” Aubrey pushed her card through the slot.
    Sam let the box go for only a split second, but it made Aubrey jump back, right into Nikki, thinking that it was going to fall and hit her. Sam snickered.
    Aubrey narrowed her eyes. “You’re so evil, Samantha . Just evil.”
    Struggling not to laugh, Sam averted her eyes. Her gaze locked with Luke Jensen’s. “Hey,” he said as he shoved his card quickly into the box.
    â€œH-Hi.” Well, at least she got a whole word out this time.
    He hesitated, as though he wanted to say something else, but then flashed her a killer smile and moved on.
    â€œHey, do-gooder.” Felicia Adams, Sam’s newest friend, was the last student in line. In eighth grade, Felicia recently transferred to Robinson after being expelled from a private school. Everyone had thought she was bad news with an even worse attitude—Sam knew differently.
    Felicia, who had been a cheerleader and on the newspaper and yearbook staff at the private school she’d attended before Robinson, had been forced by her mother to sit out of all extra-curricular activities at Robinson as a form of punishment. Soon enough, her parents and the school had allowed Felicia to join the newspaper staff, and she’d been there ever since.
    She still had a rough attitude, but Sam appreciated her standing up for what she believed in. “Hi, troublemaker.”
    Felicia grinned. “Have you heard anything new?” Her grin disappeared. “Anything about Tam?”
    Sam shook her head as she shifted the box to her hipto hold it more easily. “I’ve not heard anything new, but the police seem to think that somebody here knows something.”
    Nodding, Felicia grabbed the other side of the box. “The way they’re acting, yeah, it sure seems like that.”
    Together the girls carried the box to the office. Sam used her hip to hold her side as she struggled with the office door. Mr. Kelly quickly shot off the bench to help them.
    â€œTake that right to the conference room, Sam,” Mrs. Darrington said even while she narrowed her eyes at Felicia. Obviously, she was one of the people who still didn’t appreciate Felicia’s in-your-face attitude.
    â€œI’ll catch you later, do-gooder.” Felicia waited until Sam had control of the whole box before she let go and left the office.
    â€œThanks.” Sam trudged down the hall, around the corner, but stopped just short of the conference room as she heard Mrs. Trees speaking.
    â€œHere’s the note the security guard found in Tam’s locker,” she said.
    Sam froze, her heart pounding so hard she was sure the