Rogue Diamond Read Online Free

as well that you're here until you compose yourself and decide what to do next."
    "I don't want their sympathy. If anything, I need their help finding Jenni ." Alex pressed her lips together in an effort to control another wave of grief .
    "Alex, please spend the night here." Rosemary smiled warmly and patted her friend's arm. "I know how difficult it must be to go back to your house alone, so don't do it until you're ready."
    "Thanks, Rosemary, but I'll be all right. You two were so wonderfully calm in the face of a cri si s, and I needed that. I'm afraid I fell apart at the hospital. It was so unexpected. I still can't believe Teresa's gone—" Alex's voice broke off in a sob.
    "I've called the police twice this evening, Sam," Alex continued after she'd gotten a grip on herself, "and they still claim there are no leads on Jenni. Why haven't they found her? What have they been doing all this time?"
    Sam took a d eep breath. "Nothing. To be per fectly honest, th ey're probably doing nothing ac tive right now, Alex."
    "What?"
    "Please try to understand, Alex. The police are extremely busy. And understaffed."
    "You mean they probably won't do much more than the rud imentary questioning they've al ready done?"
    He nodded. "I'm afraid so. I'm sure this case isn't high on their list of priorities."
    "What do you mean? A child is mis si ng! What could be more important than finding her?"
    "It's important to us, but to them . . ." Sam shrugged. "Remember, they have violent crimes to deal with and—"
    "Isn't this violent? A child abducted! I just can't believe it , Sam!" Alex rose and began pac ing the floor.
    "Alex," Sam said, trying to calm her. "You must have patience. There is also a chance—a chance, mind you—that they may not find her."
    She wheeled around, her indigo eyes snapping it her friend. "No! I won't accept that, Sam!"
    "Alex, be reasonable. This isn't the U.S. Things are done differently in Mexico. You can't stomp into the police station and demand your rights. You have none! You're on foreign soil!"
    "My God, Sam, who cares what soil this is? A child has been taken! A child we all loved. No, I won't accept the pos si bility that she may never be found! I have to find her!"
    "Alex, I know you don't want to hear these things, but you must be realistic."
    Rosemary gave her husband a warning glance. "Please, Sam . . ."
    They sat in si le nce for a while, then Sam s aid, "Alex, I didn't mean to upset you this evening. Surely you know we care about Jenni. But I don't want you to harbor any false hopes for finding her."
    "Are you saying you don't think I'll ever find her?"
    Sam took a deep breath. "No, I won't go that far. But realistically, it may be tough. A young Mexican woman was killed today. She had no family. No husband. Her illegitimate child is mis si ng. The only person asking about that child is an American exchange professor. Face it, you don't have much clout, Alex."
    "Dammit, Sam!" Alex exclaimed, close to tears. She knew, deep in her heart, that he was right. Perhaps there wasn't much chance of finding Jenni. But she wouldn't give up.
    "Sam, hush!" Rosemary scowled. "Can't you see you're upsetting her?" She put an arm around Alex's shoulders. "Don't worry, honey. We'll find her. I'll go with you to talk to the police again tomorrow, if you want."
    "Maybe he's right, Rosemary," Alex admitted hollowly. "It's going to be damned tough. I need time to decide what to do next."
    "Well, you don't have to decide tonight. You can take all the time you need right here. I in si st that you spend the night with us. Come on. A good hot bath will work wonders. I know you're bushed. It's been an exhausting day. And look, you have scratches on your knees and elbows. We need to put some di si nfectant on those."
    Alex allowed Rosemary to guide her to the back bedroom and put antiseptic on her scraped elbows. The act made them both feel better, gave them som ething to be concerned about be si des the cri si s. Long after Sam