Free Dark Illusion: A Psychological Thriller Novel by Dana V. Moison Page B

She was as excited as an actress reciting her lines in front of an
audience for the first time, afraid she might not portray well enough the part
that she had taken upon herself.
    “Certainly, as I mentioned, I am
here to help,” she tried to gain some time. Kelly was not yet sure which tactic
to use. Eventually she decided. “Actually, I’m a bit confused. It’s been a long
time, and I’m not sure what exactly you expect to hear. It’s not like I was her
best friend.”
    No, just the fairy godmother
who had promised to make all of her dreams come true.
    “It’s hard for me to think of
anything else worth mentioning. Just ask what you want to know.” Kelly hoped
with all her heart that it would end there.
    “Alright, so how exactly does
this whole model discovery thing work? Did you have to register Mandy with an
agency or update her name in your records?”
    Damn it, this cop isn’t
stupid.
    “Actually we didn’t get that far
along in this process since . . . well, you know what happened.”
    Yes, just too bad you didn’t
even bother to remember the girl you promised the moon to, who suddenly got
murdered.
    “And it didn’t seem suspicious to
you that someone who had gotten an opportunity like that never contacted you?”
    “Well, I’m a very busy woman, so
if someone is foolish enough to pass up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I’m
not going to chase after them.”
    Sharon could feel the hidden
contempt in Kelly’s words.
    “Didn’t you have her number? You
just offered her a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ and moved on? Your
assistant didn’t take her information?” she wondered. The detective in her had
to dig deeper.
    Something just doesn’t add up.
    “As I was saying, pursuing
aspiring models is not a part of my daily agenda. I saw potential in the girl,
presented her with an offer that’s hard to refuse, and told her to get my card
from my secretary.” Kelly tried to tie up any lose ends that she may have left.
“And that’s it. The ball was in her court.”
    “So you’re saying that Mandy’s
case was like any other of a girl who you‘ve offered to make into a model?”
Sharon was just waiting for Kelly to make a mistake.
    “Well . . . yes.” Kelly yearned
to get out of the mess she’d made.
    “And do those cases tend to
repeat themselves much?”
    Actually, Kelly had never offered
any girl the fast track to fame, besides those gullible buffoons who had fallen
victim to her exploits. There was no chance in hell she would help those vain,
lucky girls reach any further than the local dumpster.
    “Not very often, but it
definitely wasn’t the only time I’d given my card to someone who showed
promise,” she said nonchalantly.
    “Can you give me any names?” The
conversation had slowly evolved from a friendly dialogue into a line of
questioning.
    Shit! Kelly was outraged
but tried not to disclose her feelings in front of the detective. “I’m sorry
but my brain is so busy concentrating on other topics: the preparations for the
March issue are in full force. I even needed some time to be able to recall
Mandy.” The smile on her face could not conceal her discomfort.
    “Don’t worry,” Sharon answered
with the same artificial sweetness that Kelly had greeted her with when she’d
entered her office. “The names are probably updated in your records, right?”
    Why do you keep prying, you
stupid cop? Leave me alone!
    “They have to be somewhere . . .”
Kelly was mad at herself for not having been properly prepared for these
questions. She had underestimated her rival. “But how is this connected to your
case?”
    “You’re right. We got a little
off topic.” Sharon preferred to dismiss the matter for now and not provoke an
attack. For the time being she should try to extract as much information as she
possibly could. After all, she was certain that there were no names in the
system.
    If beforehand Sharon had still
been debating, now she had no doubt at all that