Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) (14 page)

“It sounds nice.”

Annabeth shrugged. “It can be, if you like that sort of thing. A lot of the kids who grow up there stay, but I want to go to school, like Kiara.”

“You don’t have a school?”

“There’s a woman who gives classes at her house, but they’re boring so I usually don’t go. I like to read. Nona gets me books.”

“What are your favorite kind of books?” Tj asked.

“I like books about animals. And I like mysteries. I’m pretty sure I’ve read all the Nancy Drew books.”

“Do you ever read books like the type they have in schools?”

“Nona got me some books about history, and I like math. I guess my favorites are books about science. Especially stuff about space. Nona tries to help me to learn new things, but she can’t really help with stuff like algebra. When I get older, I’m going to learn everything I can about math and science. Kiara knows a lot of stuff. I keep hoping she’ll decide to come home.”

“Do you think she was planning to do that?” Tj asked. “Come home?”

Annabeth shrugged. “I don’t know. She told me she would come for me when she got settled, but she never did.”

“And your mom?”

“I don’t have a mother,” Annabeth informed her. “She went away when I was little.”

“I’m so sorry. My mom left when I was young as well. I know how hard it is to grow up without a mom.”

Annabeth shrugged. “It’s okay. I had Kiara before she left. She didn’t live with us when I was little, but she always took care of me. Now that she’s gone, I get lonely, but I have a lot of freedom because there’s never anyone around to tell me what to do. Do you think you’re going to be able to find Kiara?”

“I’m going to try,” Tj promised.

“Can I help?”

Tj thought about it. “Actually
, you can. I need you to go back to Vengeance and listen to what people are saying. Watch what they’re doing. See if anyone seems interested in where Kiara might be. I’ll do the same thing around town, and then we’ll meet up to compare notes.”

Annabeth smiled. “Like spies.”

“Yeah. Like spies. But like a good spy, you have to be very careful not to let anyone know you’re spying. Not even Aaron.”

“What about Nona?”
Annabeth asked.

“Not even Nona. You need to stay home and act like you normally do. Maybe we can meet tomorrow and talk about what we each f
ind out.”

“I can come out to the resort if you
’ll be here.”

Tj hated to think about the girl riding her bike that far. “Maybe I can meet you somewhere and give you a ride.”

Annabeth shrugged. “That’s okay. I like to ride my bike, and I like to get away. Can I have some more fruit?”

“Certainly
.” Tj took her plate. “You must have been very hungry.”

“Yeah
. I guess it’s been a while since I ate.” Annabeth looked around while Tj refilled her plate. “I love your house. I bet it’s nice to live here.”

“It
is
nice.”

“Do you live in this great big place all by yourself?”

“No.” Tj set the plate of fruit down in front of the girl. “I live here with my grandfather, my dad, and my two sisters.”

“And your dog
.” Annabeth reached down to pet Echo, who had been sitting at her feet the entire time she’d been there.

“And Echo
, and four cats too.”

“Cats? Can I see them?”

“Sure. We can go to look for them after you eat. I’m betting they’re sleeping on the beds upstairs.”

“I’ve always wanted a kitten. I found one and brought it home one time
, but Papa wouldn’t let me keep it. He said we didn’t need another mouth to feed. Kiara said I could get a kitten when I go to live with her.” Annabeth’s eyes teared up. “Do you think she’s okay?”

“I think she is,” Tj
said, trying to sound positive. “Don’t worry.” She hugged the girl. “We’ll find her.”

Since t
he models were off-site, the resort was basically deserted except for the contestants from town who were setting up for the annual BBQ cook-off. The models were due to return by midafternoon and would most likely be found lounging by the pool, deepening the tans they all depended on. Spectators would begin arriving for the cook-off at about four, and the first band of the evening was set to start playing at around five. Which meant that Tj had a few—although very few—hours to herself to look into Kiara’s disappearance, as she’d promised Annabeth she would.

Kyle had offered to come over
to help out when she’d spoken to him the previous evening. Jenna was going to be tied up at the Antiquery until around four but promised to come by when she was finished for the day. Ben and his friends, Doc and Bookman, were entered in the BBQ cook-off, as they were every year. The men were already setting up, so Ben assured her he would be on-site should anything come up or need attending to while she was away.

Tj decided that the best course of action was to m
eet Kyle in town. The town of Serenity was sponsoring a celebration of sorts in the park, and Frannie had mentioned that she was going to set up the bookmobile near the bandstand for the day to take advantage of the increased number of potential customers for the new and used books she sold to help provide funding for the public library. As it did for every event and celebration, Serenity had gone all out to make its small-town appeal even more charming. The Town Council had granted the merchants a reduction on their business license fees if they agreed to participate in the campaign to beautify Main Street by hanging an ever-changing array of objects on the lampposts that lined it. During the summer months, huge baskets of flowers that draped several feet toward the ground were hung on both sides of the busy highway.

While the majority of the weekend events took place at the resort
, the town took advantage of the extra tourists in the area by holding events of their own. When Tj and Kyle arrived, several locals were participating in a dog parade. Maybe Tj should have brought Echo. She’d been so busy of late that she hadn’t been spending as much time with her canine buddy as she would have liked. While she had managed to take him out for at least a short walk every day, it had been ages since they’d enjoyed a day-long hike through the deserted forest together.

The schedule taped to a sandwich board announced that following the parade there would be a pie
-eating competition, followed by lawn bowling. Tj didn’t really understand the appeal of eating an entire pie with one’s hands tied behind one’s back. The one and only time she’d tried it, she’d ended up with stains on one of her favorite pairs of pants and a blueberry up her nose.

As predicted
, Tj found Kyle chatting with Frannie near the bandstand, where she’d set up her bookmobile, an ancient van someone had donated to the county. Frannie had painted the exterior with bright colors and had the interior outfitted to store portable bookshelves that could be taken out and set up for displays during special events. Most of the books were used ones the residents of Serenity had donated, but Frannie used the proceeds from the sale to buy a new selection of best sellers.

“Tj, how are you
, dear? I didn’t expect to see you in town all weekend with everything you have going on at the resort.”

“The models are off
-site for a photo shoot,” Tj explained.

“Ah.
I imagine this must be the calm before the storm. Can I interest you in a book?”

Tj picked up a book
to read the back cover. “The main reason we’re here,” Tj began, “is because we’re still looking into Kiara Boswell’s disappearance. Her sister Annabeth mentioned that Kiara spoke of a girl named Lori who she’d met at the library. Annabeth didn’t have a last name, but I was hoping you’d know who Kiara referred to.”

“She must mean Lori Sullivan. Lori and Kiara were both frequent patrons of the library before they left the area.
I wouldn’t say they were great friends, but they did chat from time to time. I remember one summer afternoon when the three of us were trapped in the library during an afternoon thunderstorm. The electricity went out and it was much too dangerous to venture outdoors, so the three of us spent a couple of hours chatting.”

“I know Lori,” Tj acknowledged. “She graduated two years a
go. I heard she went to Princeton.”

“She did,” Frannie confirmed. “I ran into her the other day.
She’s home for the summer.”

“Do you happe
n to have a phone number for her?” Tj asked.

Frannie shook her head
. “I don’t have her cell number, but I might have her parents’ home number in my records at the library. I can check when I’m done here.”

“Thanks
, but the number is probably listed. If I can’t track it down, I’ll let you know.”

“I hope Kiara is okay
.” Frannie looked worried. “It’s been two days. You would think she would have checked in with someone if she had just changed her mind about the competition.”

“Yeah, I’m worried about her too,” Tj
said. “Annabeth came by the resort this morning. She seemed certain that Kiara would have contacted her by now if she were able to do so.”

“I have to say I agree
.” Frannie frowned. “I didn’t know Kiara well, but I do know that she adored her half sister

“Did you get the idea that Annabeth
is being neglected or abused?” Tj asked.

Frannie paused. Tj imagined she was considering her question. Frannie tended to be deliberate in her words and actions.
“Kiara never said anything along those lines specifically,” Frannie informed her. “I just got the impression that Kiara believed that Annabeth was much too bright a girl not to be attending school. Kiara often mentioned that education wasn’t important in her dad’s eyes, and if not for Nona, she would never have learned to read. Kiara shared that many of the females in the village never received any type of formal education. She also mentioned that Annabeth lacked supervision and was left to her own devices much too often. Have you talked to Nona?”

“Yeah,
but she didn’t even know Kiara was going to be in town. She made it sound as if she and Kiara had had some kind of disagreement before she left Vengeance. If you think of anything else or hear anything, call me. You have my cell number.”

“I do have your cell and I will call,” Frannie promised. “And if you find out anything
, please let me know.”

“I’ll do that.”

Tj called information to get Lori’s parents’ number while Kyle returned to his vehicle to store the books he had bought. After a brief discussion, it was decided that Tj would ride with Kyle while they went to visit Lori, who was home and happy to speak to them, and then come back for Tj’s vehicle when they were done. They decided to stop by the Antiquery first to pick up a pastry to bring as an offering of appreciation for the fact that Lori was taking time out of her day to speak to them.

Jenna had several delicious
-looking specials that day. Tj couldn’t help but try a taste of the mini éclairs, which featured the best-tasting chocolate glaze she had ever eaten, while Kyle opted for a slice of rich and creamy Kahlúa pie. The restaurant was packed, so Kyle and Tj sat at the counter in the kitchen, chatting with Jenna while she prepared plate after plate of sandwiches, burgers, salads, and specialty dishes.

Tj reached for a second helping of éclairs.
Luckily, it looked like Jenna had plenty. “If I keep eating these, I’m going to get fat.”

“Speaking of fat
, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” Jenna responded.

Tj’s face fell. “You think I’m fat?”

Jenna laughed. “No, I don’t think you’re fat. With all the exercise you get, you can’t have more than two percent body fat.”

“So what did you want to ask me about?” Tj pushed the napkin with the three éclairs she’d just helped herself to toward Kyle.

“I think I’m gaining weight and I know I’m out of shape. I’ve felt tired and unenergetic lately, and the waistband on my jeans is getting tight. I heard there’s a new dance aerobics class at the community center on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I thought I’d give it a try if you’ll do it with me.” Jenna rang the bell for her waitress to pick up an order.

“I thought you said I wasn’t fat.”

“You aren’t, but I really need this, and I know if I don’t have someone to do it with, I’ll sign up, pay my fee, maybe attend the first class, decide I’m too busy, and never go back. If you do it with me, you can bully me into attending every week.”

Tj laughed. “You know that bullying people into workin
g out is what I do for a living?”

“I know. So will you do it? Please
?”

“If you want me to do it
, I’m happy to, but you aren’t getting fat. You look great,” Tj insisted.

“Yeah, you look great,” Kyle added. “It doesn’t look like you’ve gained any weight at all.”

“Tell that to my jeans that don’t seem to want to button any longer.” Jenna groaned.