Free She's Not There by Marla Madison Page B

response to him or if she just didn’t like him. The division between attraction and repulsion could be as narrow as the one between love and hate. He was engaged, she reminded herself–and to the police chief’s daughter.
    She’d limit her explanation to what had taken place at the Center’s meeting. He’d find out about that soon enough. “I wanted to let you know that I did talk to Amanda Hawkins from the Center in Oconomowoc about the increase in missing women. She hadn’t been aware of it yet but moved forward with it and met with the heads of the other Women’s Centers in Milwaukee and Waukesha County. They’re all concerned. Unfortunately, the most they can do is caution women on developing new relationships.”
    “And you thought I needed to know this, why?”
    Her attraction to him downshifted to ire. “I believe when I talked to you, I mentioned that I would be taking this up with the Centers, and I wanted you to know I’d followed through.”
    He shrugged. “Ms. Rayburn, I shouldn’t have to tell you that as far as the Milwaukee Police Department is concerned, that changes nothing. There still is no hard evidence of a crime—not enough for us to employ our scant resources to it considering the budgetary problems we’re facing.”
    Lisa fought back her frustration. “Mr. Wilson, you alluded to knowing about a group that assists abused women in relocating. It would be helpful for the Centers to know if does exist and is affecting the statistics. Anything you could tell us could make a difference.”
    “I’m afraid I don’t know any more today than I did when we talked. We heard about it from a reliable source, which of course I cannot reveal.”
    Lisa studied him carefully as he talked, undecided whether he was lying or if he wasn’t telling her the whole story. The fact that she couldn’t tell made her uncomfortable; her inner radar for deception rarely let her down.
    She got nothing helpful from the rest of the stilted conversation and when he walked out the door, she expelled a rush of air she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in during his visit.

    After dinner that night Lisa left the house with Phanny, keeping their walk restricted to well-lit areas. She hadn’t admitted it to Shannon, but the break-in rattled her.
    Eric Schindler and James Wilson were on her mind–both exasperating men. No wonder she preferred younger men; they hadn’t lived long enough to develop that kind of high-and-mighty attitude.
    Lisa considered Eric Schindler. She remembered TJ saying he was still hung up on his wife even though it had been years since the woman disappeared. She had only TJ’s instincts to substantiate that he wasn’t a murderer. But what did a murderer look like? Or act like? Would a guilty man be working this hard to find out what happened to his wife?
    Lisa had agreed to work with him, so she’d have to set aside any reservations. Put up with his irksome manner and disgusting cigar smell. 

24
     
    Saturday morning Lisa spent more time than usual—for a Saturday—on her appearance. Her hair, newly shaded by Roland to a soft ash-blonde with pale platinum and golden blonde highlights, fell to her shoulders in loosely curved layers. The gray slacks and white Irish knit sweater she wore complemented her figure. She donned a pair of mid-heeled boots, high enough to be fashionable but not too difficult to walk in.
    When she arrived at the diner to meet Eric, she glimpsed her reflection in the window as she walked toward the door. She looked damn good. She’d seen a photo of Eric’s wife. The woman’s beauty was startling. Lisa suspected that was what had intimidated her into fussing over her appearance.
    Waiting for her at a table near the back, Eric had a newspaper opened in front of him. He was dressed in jeans and a white shirt with thin blue stripes covered by a pale blue sweater that contrasted with his dark hair. When she joined him, she noticed he wore a pleasant, woodsy