“Is your husband home?”
“What’s this about?”
I’m on the porch, talking to Kelli’s mom, Lydia Underhill, who doesn’t recognize me from the recent news coverage.
“How do you know my husband?” she says, letting me know she can recognize a possible marriage threat when she sees one.
“I don’t know him. I was hoping to catch you together.”
“Doing what?”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t look like a salesperson. Are you campaigning for some sort of office?”
“I’d like to talk to you about your daughter, Kelli.”
“What about her?”
“May I come in?”
“You expect me to just let you into my house? Are you kidding me? Who are you?”
“Dani Ripper.”
She frowns while studying me.
“Your name sounds familiar,” she says. “You look familiar. Where do I know you from? Carson Collegiate?”
“No. I’m a private investigator.”
“Why would a private investigator be asking about my daughter?”
“It’s about the sleepover Kelli had Saturday night.”
“What about it?”
“After you went to bed, the girls swiped a fifth of vodka and drank it.”
“Obviously, this is a joke.” She looks around, then peers over my shoulder, as if expecting to find a camera crew.
“Just after midnight, two cars full of boys came over. Kelli let them in.”
“Is this your idea of a joke? Because this is ridiculous! Kelli’s an honor student. She simply wouldn’t do that.”
I hand her my card and say, “Talk to her about it. Then give me a call.”
“Why should I?”
“Because something happened here that night, whether you want to believe it or not.”
Her eyes narrow with anger. “I was here the entire evening, and remained here until each girl was safely picked up by her parent on Sunday. I don’t appreciate your insinuations about my daughter, or my parenting skills. What I would appreciate is for you to get off my property, immediately!”
“Talk to Kelli,” I say. “Then call me.”
YOU ARE READING
Promise You Won't Tell?
Teen Fiction"I think something might have happened to me Saturday night. Something bad." Private Investigator Dani Ripper's client list is nuttier than the Looney Tunes conga line, but she diligently solves one crazy case after another, waiting for a game-chang...
