Sara by Tony Hayden Page A

hair.”
                  Deputy Watts asked, “Is her hair naturally blonde or is it dyed?”
                  Mike laughed a little to himself. “It’s natural,” he said. “In fact, I made fun of her just before she left, for putting in brown highlights.” Mike looked at Watts, “Oh yeah, she has brown highlights in her hair.”
                  Deputy Watts smiled and wrote it down. “Do you remember what she was wearing?” he asked.
                  Mike thought for a moment before answering. “She was wearing a short denim skirt that was beige in color and a white cotton blouse, short sleeve.”
    Mike closed his eyes to concentrate, “She was wearing beige sandals with little leather straps crisscrossing all across the top of her foot. She had two or three thin rings on her fingers and a silver charm bracelet I had given her for graduation. It had several hearts around it of all sizes and shapes and they each had one word on the back.” Mike shook his head. “I can’t remember what they said though.”
                  Deputy Watts was writing rapidly.
    “That’s fine,” he said. “ Any scars, tattoos, or other identifying marks?”
                  Mike closed his eyes again.
    “Just a small scar at the outside corner of her right eye.” He smiled. “She tried to follow me over a barbed-wire fence when she was two. Jean was so upset. I thought she was going to ring my neck.”
                  Watts looked up from his form.
    “Jean is Sara’s mother?”
                  “Yes.”
                  “And the two of you are still together?”
                  Mike opened his eyes and looked toward the corner of the small room.
    “Yes,” was all he said.
                  Deputy Watts followed his instincts.
    “Are there any problems at home? Any conditions that might cause Sara to be angry?”
                  Mike saw through the line of questioning.
    “No,” he shook his head. “Sara was raised in a loving and stable home. She was excited to start college in Wyoming, but sh e is very close to Jean and I.” Mike leaned forward in his chair. “This disappearance is highly out of character for her.”
                  Ryan Watts understood and relented.
    “Does Sara have a boyfriend?”
                  Mike sat back again, “No one steady. My uniform made it difficult for her to date, and I was completely fine with that.”
                  The deputy laughed quietly, “I have a four-year-old daughter at home,” he shared. “So I know where you are coming from.”
                  A light knock at the door interrupted the conversation and Sheriff Barnes stepped through.
                  Deputy Watts stood and looked a bit uncomfortable.
    “Sheriff,” he said politely.
                  Sheriff Barnes made eye contact with Mike. Ignoring Watts, he closed the door and sat in his deputy’s seat.
    “ I took some time to question Jordan about the events that led to your daughter’s car being towed to the impound lot.”
    Barnes pulled a small spiral notebook from his shirt pocket and flipped it open.
    “Jordan says that he received a request to tow your daughter’s Honda Civic around two-thirty yesterday afternoon. He says that he was busy in the yard and didn’t get out to the vehicle until after four. He says that when he arrived, the car was unlocked, with the keys in the ignition.”
    Sheriff Barnes looked to his notes.
    “The right front tire was flat, so Jordan says that he towed the vehicle back to the lot and parked it before calling it a night.”
                  Mike’s eyes showed his skepticism.
                  Sheriff Barnes leaned back in his chair and softened his expression.
    “Look, I already mentioned that Jordan is my stepson. His momma