Chapter 3
They'd spent two hours re-interviewing everyone at the store with little new information. Now they were working at questioning some of the other shop owners on the street. While D questioned a couple down the street, Jack and Sue were talking to the owner of the barbershop next door. Out of the corner of her eye, Sue caught a girl peaking around the corner of the building. Her dirty, disheveled look had Sue concerned.
Jack was busy with the shop owner so Sue led Levi down the sidewalk towards the girl. Sue smiled as she approached but the little girl started to back away.
"It's okay," Sue said trying to assure her. "Levi here just wants to say hello." The girl looked at the dog apprehensively. Levi raised his paw in greeting making the girl smile. She looked back up at Sue, when she said, "You can pet him…he likes that." The girl nervously reached out to stroke Levi's head.
Sue watched her as she played with Levi. The girl couldn't be more than 10 or 11 years old. She shouldn't be out here by herself, Sue thought, but her clothes were old but not very dirty. Sue wondered if she lived on the streets. She's too young to be alone, Sue assured herself.
"My name is Sue and you've already met Levi," Sue smiled. "What's your name?"
"T-Tina," the girl replied shyly.
"It's nice to meet you, Tina." Levi barks in agreement, helping to break the tension some.
"Are you with the police?" Tina questioned.
"Sort of." Sue knelt down beside her so she could see her face better. "I work for the FBI. Do you know what that is?"
"Yeah, I guess so" the girl mumbled, looking down at Levi.
"What was that? I didn't hear you." When Tina looked up, Sue explained, "I'm deaf, but I can understand you if you look at me when you talk."
"How?" the girl asked, looking at Sue strange.
"I read your lips when you talk," Sue explained. "So I can't understand what you are saying when I can't see your lips."
"Cool," Tina exclaimed. "I wish I could do that, then I could understand what people were saying when I'm too far away hear them." A dark cloud passed over the girl's face. "Maybe then I'd know what Ms. Roberts said to make Jordan go away. She used to come every day, but Ms. Roberts said something to her and she hasn't been back"
Jordan! Could it be the same Jordan? Sue wondered. She looked for Jack, but he was still talking to someone down the street, his back to them. Bringing her attention back to the girl, Sue realized she was still talking.
"…came here to find her, but she left with a man so I waited. She didn't come back and it got dark. I knew Ms. Roberts would be mad so I slept over there." Tina pointed to some boxes and trash in the corner of the alley. "Jordan promised she'd never leave me…but she didn't come back." Tears appeared in the young girls eyes, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.
While Sue was talking to the girl, she didn't see the black sedan creeping up the street and stopping behind them. When she saw Tina look behind her, a scared look coming over her face, Sue spun around expecting to see Jack or D. She screamed when she saw the men coming towards them with guns.