Free No Footprints by Susan Dunlap

pay, does she think he’s a fool? The whole deal. He grabs his copies and charges out, just as Tessa’s boss, the guy who actually owns this business, is coming in with our checks. He’s heard the whole thing. He takes the squawker aside, talks to him, hand on his shoulder, never raises his voice. But in five minutes asshole’s back, payment in hand. Like an illustration for ‛tail between his legs.’”
    â€ŸWhat do you think went down?”
    â€ŸDunno. But the owner, he’s not someone to fool with, and Tessa—she’s got a pretty good relationship with him. I mean she runs everything here. All he does is bring the checks by. But once she said he’s not someone you want to cross.”
    â€ŸWho is he, the boss?”
    She stared into the cup in front of her as if she was about to read the leaves. From her wary look, they weren’t going to bring good news.
    â€ŸKristi?”
    â€ŸUh uh. I said too much. I’m not going there.”
    You’re afraid to mention his name? Or was she just caught up in the drama? I really wanted to know. For now, though, I needed to dial back.
‟So, besides the guy who prefers not to answer his cell, what does Tessa care about now?”
    â€ŸGot me.”
    â€ŸWhat’d you talk about, I mean, besides work?”
    â€ŸMe.” And then she laughed. ‟Jeez, I never realized that, before. Me! I didn’t realize . . .”
    â€ŸLots of people never realize. You’re more perceptive than most.”
    She eyed me with a mixture of suspicion and pride, as if I was trying to flatter her, which, of course I was.
    I’d learned more about Tessa, but I was no closer to finding her. I had to take a chance. I said, ‟Did you know she gave away all her clothes?”
    â€ŸAll her clothes?” She repeated the words like she couldn’t fathom their meaning. I didn’t blame her. She didn’t know what I did about Tessa on the bridge.
    â€ŸShe doesn’t have family out here, does she?” I, her supposed friend, should have known that, but I had to ask.
    Kristi hesitated only an instant before saying, ‟No. None . . .”
    â€ŸNone. I do know that. She had some decent job back east; then she got lured out here by some fat Silicon Valley offer and then they laid her off.”
    â€ŸWhen?”
    â€ŸYears ago.” She bit her lip.
    â€ŸBut?”
    â€ŸBut what?”
    â€ŸThere’s something more to this, isn’t there? Something that makes it worse, something she said . . . ?” I was all but holding my breath, trying to draw her in, to not break the mood.
    â€ŸI don’t know.”
    â€ŸFamily? You were saying she had no family? Maybe she left them back east?”

    â€ŸNo. Not . . . I don’t know.”
    â€ŸI think you do.”
    â€ŸWait a minute! Who are you to—”
    â€ŸKristi, she tried to kill herself last night. On the bridge.”
    â€ŸYou mean like . . . jump?”
    â€ŸExactly. I pulled her back. That’s how I know her. That’s all I know about her. Except that I’ve got to find her before she tries again.”
    She was trying to mesh this news with the Tessa she knew. I could see her succeeding. She shrank back away from me. ‟You lied to me. You just wanted to make me talk. What’s going on? How do I know you’re telling the truth now?”
    â€ŸI’m sorry! I’m the one who pulled her back! Kristi, she could be heading back to the bridge right now! Help me! Help her!”
    She hugged her cup to her chest and for a moment I thought she was going to cry or scream. ‟Omigod, she really tried to kill herself? I know things were bad with her boyfriend but—Omigod! The bridge!”
    â€ŸThis is important! You thought she seemed fine for a while. Did you mean that or were you just trying to blow me off?”
    â€ŸShe did. Let me think.” She was pretty rattled. ‟One thing