Her car was loaded with her suitcase and several boxes and bags of her belongings. She hadn’t packed everything, because she wasn’t sure when the police would release her dad. She didn’t intend to be there when he got home. Plus, she didn’t want to be late for work. She would worry about missing items later. Right now, she needed to concentrate on her job. Copy editing required focus and a clear head. But clearing her head was a daunting task. Early in the morning she had called her mother’s cell phone, but Kirsten hadn’t picked up. She left a voice mail message, but it had gone unanswered. Where was she? It was midmorning when she noticed it. People walking by offered sympathetic looks, a pat on the shoulder, even an extra cup of coffee. It took a while to figure out why. Suzy Kramer, the crime beat reporter, came to see her. Suzy had gone to high school with Leigh’s mother and was the biggest gossip on the staff.
