Deadly Dance by Dee Davis Page A

maybe?”
    “No,” Stephanie shook her head. “It was the opposite actually. She was really happy. It was Tony.”
    “I thought you didn’t talk,” Hannah queried, more to keep the conversation going than because she thought Stephanie had anything to do with Sara’s disappearance.
    “I said we weren’t close, but we do still live together. And I have eyes. Obviously I saw Tony coming and going. And she spent a lot of nights in his dorm room. I had to cover if her parents called.”
    Hannah listened for any sign of jealousy. But except for a trace of resignation there seemed to be no malice. “So as far as you know, there was no reason for her to run off.”
    “Even if there were, she wouldn’t do it. She’s the overly responsible type, you know? She’d never just disappear. She’d tell somebody. Just not me.”
    “So who were her friends? Besides Tony, I mean. Who would she have confided in?”
    “I don’t know,” Stephanie shook her head. “I truly don’t. She’s friends with pretty much everyone in the dorm.”
    “Has anything unusual happened?” Harrison asked. “Something out of place. Mail, email. Or maybe someone nosing around?”
    “No,” Stephanie shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She paused, a little frown marking her concentration. “Wait. There was something. An email, I think. Or maybe a podcast or an online post of some kind. Whatever it was, she found it on her computer.”
    Harrison and Hannah exchanged a glance, the hair on Hannah’s arms rising. “So it could have been an mpeg?”
    “I don’t know what that is.”
    “It’s a computer suffix denoting a video.”
    “Yeah, maybe… I don’t really know for sure. She didn’t want to talk about it. I just remember that she thought it was really weird. She said she was going to take it to Tony.”
    “When was this?” Harrison probed.
    “I don’t know, a day ago, maybe two.”
    “Can you walk us through it? You’d be surprised at what you might remember.” Harrison moved over to the table, perching on the edge, his proximity meant to reassure her. “And anything you can tell us will be helpful.”
    “I can try,” Stephanie said with a faint smile, her eyes locked on his. “Sara was sitting at her desk, and the computer beeped. She opened whatever it was and then frowned, clearly confused. I asked what was going on, and she said it was nothing and that she was going to talk to Tony. Then she left. I figured it was just something on Facebook.”
    “So the last time you saw her was yesterday morning?” Harrison asked.
    “Yes. Right before I left for home. She was on her way out the door—heading for class.”
    “And there’s nothing in the room to indicate she got home. No books or anything that would indicate she made it back to the room from the library?”
    “Nothing.” Stephanie shook her head, and this time she sounded positive. “She always carried everything in this big messenger bag. You know, the canvas kind you carry over your shoulder. And it’s definitely not in the room.”
    “How about the computer?” Hannah asked. “Any chance it’s in the room?”
    “No. And I actually checked. She’s got one of those notebooks, and she carries it with her everywhere—in the bag. She never goes anywhere without it.”
    “Makes sense,” Harrison said. “But it was worth asking.” He smiled at her, and for the first time since they’d walked into the room, she relaxed, giving him a timid smile, a dimple playing at the corner of her mouth.
    “You’ve really been a lot of help, Stephanie,” he continued. “And we just have one more thing we need to run by you. That okay?”
    Despite the gravity of the situation, Hannah swallowed her own smile. Obviously Harrison had chosen to play the good cop.
    Stephanie nodded. “I want to help. Really, I do.”
    “Okay, then I need for you to look at this photograph and see if you recognize anything about it.” Harrison handed her his cell, the still of