Page 93 of What She Saw

He rang the bell and stepped to the side. A dog barked inside. The door opened to Bailey. She looked very different than she had at the festival. Her makeup was subtle, clean, and her blue eyes were clear.

“Hey, Sheriff. What’s up? Daddy’s not here right now.”

“I came to talk to you about the festival.”

Her smile faded. “Do we have to do this now? My parents are going to be home soon.”

“It’s not about you being drunk in public or that you’re underage.” He wanted her to feel the weight of the charges he could bring.

She glanced around as if she expected a parent to be listening. “Okay.”

“It’s about your friend Debra.”

“What about her?”

“You saw her at the festival?”

“Yeah. We met off to the side of the stage. We hung out for a few hours. Why do you care?”

“She’s missing.”

Bailey threaded her fingers through her hair. “What?”

“Her sister called the station. No one has seen her since the festival.”

“That doesn’t make sense. She was right in the center of the action when I saw her.”

“Who was she with?”

“A girl. Tristan, I think.”

“Tristan Fletcher.”

“How did you know?”

He countered with a question. “What time was this?”

“About eleven, I think.”

“Why did you and Debra go your separate ways at the event?”

“I wanted to get something to eat. My stomach was a little messed up. She didn’t want to leave because a new band was starting to play. When I ate my burger and returned to our spot, she was gone. I was beat and didn’t feel great, so I decided to go home.”

“Did you see Patty at the stand?”

“Yeah. She looked overwhelmed, but she was there. So was Buddy.”

“What time was this?”

“It wasn’t quite midnight. And it was pouring rain.”

“And Debra has not tried to contact you since the concert?”

“No. But we don’t talk all the time. Do you think something bad happened to her?”

“Was she drinking?” he asked.

“Sure.”