Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) (19 page)

“Really?” Annabeth’s face lit up.

“It would be a huge help.”

“Okay. Anything I can do. You’ve been so nice to me. Nicer than anyone other than Kiara. She brought me some clothes
that a friend gave her a couple of years ago. I haven’t had anything new since.”

“
A friend?” Tj asked. “Do you know the friend’s name?”

Annabeth frowned.
She bit her lip as she searched her memory. “Suzie,” she finally said. “Her name was Suzie.”

“Do you know
her last name, or maybe where we can find this Suzie?”

“You think she knows where Kiara is?”
Annabeth asked hopefully.

“It couldn’t hurt to ask.”

“One of the pairs of shorts had a name on the tag. I asked Kiara about it, and she said sometimes people put their name on the tag of their clothes when they go to camp. It would be fun to go to camp sometime. I don’t know anyone who has actually gone, but one of the books Nona got for me was about a girl who went to camp, and it sounded really fun to sleep in a cabin with other girls and tell stories by a fire.”

“Did the tag have a last name?” Tj asked.

“Wallerman. Her name was Suzie Wallerman.”

Luckily, not only did Tj happen to know Suzie Wallerman but she knew where she lived. Tj left Annabeth in Amber’s care, with instructions to have her hair trimmed and nails groomed after she showered at the house and dressed in some of the clean clothes that Tj had managed to find in Annabeth’s size. Tj didn’t think she’d be gone long, but she made certain that Amber would not only keep an eye on the girl but make certain that she got plenty to eat as well. Amber and Annabeth hit it off immediately. Amber said that Annabeth reminded her of the younger sister she’d left behind when she took the job at Maggie’s Hideaway. However things worked out with Kiara, Tj suspected that Annabeth had found a new friend in Amber for as long as both remained in the area.

Tj had looked up Suzie’s number and called ahead. Suzie was twenty now. She’d graduated from Serenity High School a year ahead of Kiara
would have if she’d attended. She was married now, with a four-month-old baby. Tj remembered that Suzie had dated the same boy all through high school. A lot of young marriages didn’t work out in the long run, but Tj suspected that Suzie’s might. Both she and her husband, Kevin, seemed to be completely devoted to each other after getting off to a rocky start.

Tj stopped in at Grainger’s General Store
to buy a baby gift to bring when she called on the new mom. Grainger’s was considered by most to be synonymous with the town of Serenity, a staple of the community for over fifty years. On any given summer day, the front deck was occupied by both visitors and locals, sitting at the tables provided for folks to gather around to enjoy a game of chess or checkers while sharing a pot of coffee and catching up on local news.

The store was laid out on two stories, the second being open
in the center to the first. Wide stairs at each end of the building gave shoppers easy access to the clothing, camping supplies, and local souvenirs housed upstairs. Emma Grainger had added a new child and baby department the previous summer, so there was an entire corner on the second floor dedicated to everything for the twelve and under set. Tj was trying to decide between an outfit and a stuffed animal when she noticed Hunter in the toy section, holding a stuffed dog as well as a stuffed lion.

“Picking out a new friend?” Tj teased.

“Actually, I’m trying to decide what to get for my cousin’s new baby.”

“I heard she had a little girl.”

“Harmony,” Hunter confirmed. “She really is the cutest thing. Lots of dark curls, blue eyes, and the sweetest smile.”

“Sounds like someone might have a touch of baby fever,” Tj observed.

“Me?” Hunter laughed. Tj loved the way his eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled. “Hardly. I have to admit, though, that although the little vixen is only a month old, she’s managed to pull a few of my heartstrings. I see babies in the hospital every day, but there’s something about Harmony that makes me all gooey inside when I hold her.”

“You do have baby fever,” Tj accused. “If you were a woman
, I’d say your biological clock was ticking
loudly
.”

“So why are you here?” Hunter changed the subject.
“A bit of baby fever yourself?”

“I’m looking for something for Suz
ie Wallerman’s baby.” Tj reached for a giant stuffed elephant that looked cuddly but really wasn’t.

“I wasn’t aware that you were friends with Suz
ie.” Hunter replaced the lion, deciding on the dog instead.

“She was a student of mine the first year I taught at the high school. I’ve been meaning to get her something
, but the main reason that I’m going by today is because Annabeth mentioned that Kiara and Suzie were friends.”

“And you thought she
might know where Kiara has run off to,” Hunter concluded.

“At this point
, I’m willing to pursue any lead that presents itself. I feel so bad for Annabeth. She’s really worried about her sister. The poor thing is only twelve, and it seems like she’s basically raising herself. If I can find Kiara, maybe they can work out a way to be together.”

“Do you think a big sister who just takes off is any better for Annabeth than what she already has?”

Tj paused. “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I just need to find Kiara and then figure out the rest. You know me; I like to nose my way into everyone else’s problems.”

Hunter laughed.
“I promised my cousin I’d babysit Harmony this morning, but I’m free this afternoon. How about I come by the resort later and we put our heads together? A person doesn’t simply disappear, and if what you say about Annabeth’s relationship with her sister is true, she probably didn’t just take off. There must be something we’re missing.”

“Thanks
.” Tj smiled. “I’d love to have your help. I think Kyle is coming by as well. Maybe between the three of us, we can put this mystery to bed.”

Tj thought Hunter looked disappointed that it wasn’t going to be
just the two of them, but after the dreams she’d been having since they’d spent time together on Wednesday night, she was happy to have a third person in the mix. The last thing she needed to add to her plate at the moment were messy emotions she had no idea how to deal with.

After agreeing on a time to meet up, Tj bought a gift and continued on to Suzie’s.

“Coach Jensen
.” Suzie opened the door wide when Tj knocked. “Please come in.”

“I brought a little something for
Jason.” Tj handed her the giant giraffe, which she realized might not have been the best choice for an infant. She’d thought about getting an outfit, but then she’d seen the giraffe and couldn’t resist.

“That’s so nice of you. Please have a se
at.” She motioned toward a sofa situated under a window in a clean apartment furnished with secondhand furniture. “The baby is sleeping right now, I’m afraid. I tried to keep him awake to meet you, but babies sleep when they get the urge, no matter how hard you try to distract them.”

“I understand. I can always come back
to meet him later. I apologize that I haven’t been by before this.”

“
You’ve been busy with graduation and everything. You said you wanted to ask some questions about Kiara Boswell?” Suzie asked as she put the giraffe on the kitchen counter and sat down on a hardwood chair across from Tj.

“Yes. Kiara’s
sister, Annabeth, told me you know her. She’s missing, so we’re talking to anyone who might provide any information that will help us find her.”

“We a
ren’t really friends,” Suzie informed her. “My grandmother knows her grandmother. I was in the park one day and ran into my grammy. Nona was there with Kiara, and they introduced us. We talked while our grandmothers visited. I happened to mention that I had a bunch of clothes I wanted to get rid of, and Kiara was thrilled to take them off my hands. Nona followed us to my house and I gave her three or four bags of hand-me-downs. After that, I ran into Kiara in town a couple of times and we chatted for a minute, but that was really the extent of our conversations. You said she’s missing?”

“Yes. She got off the bus with the other models on Wednesday
, but no one I’ve talked to has seen her since. When Annabeth told me that she received clothes from her sister’s friend, I hoped you might know something that would lead to her whereabouts.”

“I’m afraid I really don’t know anything. I haven’t spoken to her in years. Have you tried talking to her grandmother? The two were really close.”

“Yes, we’ve spoken to Nona. She didn’t know where she was either.”

Suz
ie sat back in the chair, a look of concern on her face. “I hate to even consider the idea that something happened to Kiara, but she really loved her sister. I can’t imagine she’d be in the area and not check in with her.”

“I’m afraid I’ve come to the same conclusion. If you think of anything
, let me know.”

“Have you spoken to Aaron? That
’s the name of the boy she was engaged to.”

“I haven’t seen Aaron around town
, and it’s pretty much impossible to get into the compound. Nona said she’d speak to him, but then she disappeared as well. Annabeth told me Aaron claims not to know where Kiara went after he left her on the beach.”

“
You know, you might talk to Travis Vidal. I know he’s friends with Aaron. It’s a long shot, but I suppose a long shot is better than none at all.”

“Do you have an address or phone number for
him?”

“Yeah
. Hang on, I’ll get it.” Suzie stood up just as the sound of a baby fussing in the background alerted them that Jason had awoken. “It sounds like Jason decided he’d like to meet you after all. Just give me a minute and I’ll get the address and the baby.”

Tj looked around the room while Suz
ie went to retrieve her crying infant.
Tj wasn’t sure she was quite ready for a baby, but she found that she was open to at least the idea of one. Not that she had men lining up to take on the daddy role. Dylan had enough baggage to deal with that she doubted babies were anywhere on his radar screen. And Hunter had denied having baby fever, but Tj had seen the look of longing in his eyes. There had been a time when she was certain she’d have Hunter’s babies. She’d even picked out names: Hudson for a boy and Heather for a girl. She could remember scribbling the names in her diary when she was in high school. Then Hunter had ripped out her heart, and all of her thoughts of child rearing had been torn out with it.

“This is my big man
.” Suzie handed Tj the freshly diapered baby.

“He’s adorable. He looks a lot like his daddy.”

“Yeah, he’s going to be a heart breaker,” Suzie agreed.

“Is Kevin doing well
as a daddy?”

“
He really is. I was worried at first that my irresponsible husband would be a disaster as a father, but he’s really changed since the baby was born. He goes to work every day and comes home to Jason and me every night. At one point I really thought I might have to raise my baby by myself, but now I believe we’re going to make it.”

“I’m so happy to hear that
.” Tj smiled.

After ta
lking with Suzie a while longer, Tj promised to stay in touch and then took her leave. She checked her messages when she returned to her car and found a voice mail from Dylan, asking her to call him. She hit redial and waited for him to answer. She’d found herself wishing she could ask his opinion about the mystery of the nameless girl in the morgue and was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with him during his leave.

“Hey
, Dylan. What’s up?” Tj said when he answered.

“Justin saw a sign for the bikini contest when we were driving through town and wanted to attend today’s festivities. I wanted to ask if it
would be appropriate for children.”

“I guess that depends. There are spectators of all ages
, but many of the bikinis can be pretty small. I suppose it’s a judgment call, although there are other things going on at the resort if you’re uncomfortable with the way the women are dressed. And there are also events going on in town.”

“I guess I’ll talk to his mom about it. So how
’s the case coming along?”

Tj suspected that was his real reason for calling all along. “Not that I’m not happy to hear from you
, but if you’re curious about the case, why don’t you just call Roy?”

“Because I’m on leave and he’s in charge and I d
on’t want him to think I’m checking up on him.”

“I have a feeling he might not mind a little checking up,” Tj answered. “I know the guys didn’t want to bother you while your sister was here
, but things have gotten pretty complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Dylan asked.

“For one thing, Tonya Overton isn’t Tonya Overton.”