carly part six: susan

This story started here.

Dennis came back in, sat on the edge of Susan’s desk and
turned her phone around to face him. He lifted the receiver and
dialed an extension in the building. “Moran here,” he barked.
“You got her? Good, bring her up”

He hung up and grinned, leaning toward her. “This is going to
be great,” he said quietly. “Ben Stein is in there, with the
Chief, giving him a hard time about finding his daughter. And in
about a minute I’m going to open those doors and bring Carly
Stein in. That ought to go over big, don’t you think?”

It pleased Susan to think how much this was going to annoy
Mike Sheldon. The idea that he would appreciate being upstaged
like this was hilarious, and it gave her a certain pleasure to
imagine how Dennis was going to made to suffer for his great
triumph. She turned her phone around to face her again.

The outer door opened and two police officers came in, hauling
between them a limp, sullen girl in a dirty pea jacket. Dennis
barely looked at the new arrivals except to summon them forward
with a gesture. He winked at Susan, went to the door to the
inner office, knocked and opened it. “Excuse me, Mr. Mayor, Mr.
Stein,” she heard him say, “but–”

She didn’t hear the rest because she was looking at the sullen
girl with the long, thick hair and the low bangs. The girl’s
head was tilted forward, but Susan glimpsed her face and stood
up.

Her stomach suddenly ached. She was paralyzed for an instant,
wanting to act, to interfere, but unable to figure out how.

“Mr. Stein, sir, here is your daughter,” Dennis said and the
girl was brought into the office. Susan moved to the doorway,
feeling like she was in a dream, floating, unable to do anything
but watch.

find out what happens next

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