hear the ocean. There are no palm trees to sit in the shade. No sounds of the women singing, no smell of flowers. In fact, I don’t see any green at all.”
“You’re kidding. You’ve got the sun, the beach.”
Jason sniffed the air. “Actually, it smells of burro pee.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Damon said as he looked down at his stained pants and leather sandals. I’ll wash everything out tonight. Will that suit you, your Highness?”
“As long as you get that sick puppy smell out, I’m good.”
Damon leaned against the railing. “You sure this doesn’t remind you of Hawaii? It’s an island.”
“Nope. That hot, dry sun? Hawaii is gentle. This is harsh. You turn into a prune here. Even too hot for swimming.”
“Sort of like Florida, then?”
“A lot like Florida but different.” Jason picked one of the beds and then unpacked his shaving gear. He leaned against the doorway of the bathroom just as someone whistled from downstairs.
“Showtime!” said Damon, jumping to his feet.
“Listen, if she calls and I’m asleep, I don’t care how late it is. Wake me up, okay?”
“Will do, Jason.”
They ran downstairs to join the rest of their teammates who were gathering, waiting for instructions.
Chapter 12
Kiley called ahead to make sure Aimee and Martel were still home and then walked the short distance to the Carr residence. Andy was puttering in the kitchen, and he directed her to go upstairs to see the girls.
“Martel talked to Damon. They arrived safely,” Andy shouted up the stairs after her.
Kiley leaned over the railing. “When was that?”
“They just hung up. About five minutes ago.”
“I wonder why Jason hasn’t called me?”
Andy shrugged. He held a glass of wine in his right hand. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“Do you have enough?”
“We’ve got plenty.”
“Okay then. Let me go check in with Aimee.”
“Roger that,” Andy said and went back to his food prep.
She found the two girls painting the smaller bedroom a light shade of blue. “Wow! Looks nice, Aimee.”
“You think so? I debated. I thought maybe this room would make a nice nursery, if that should happen. But I liked this blue, and it goes with the color of the sky, so I went with it.”
Kiley smiled at Martel. “Andy says you got a call from Damon?”
“Yes, he told me they landed safely. He said Jason has been trying to reach you.”
Kiley checked her phone. No messages registered there. “I gave him this number to call. I’ll give him a try right now. Just a minute.”
She ran to the master bedroom, sat on a chair on the deck overlooking the ocean, and dialed Jason’s number again. He picked it up on the first ring.
“Hey there. I’ve been worried—”
Kiley was relieved to hear his voice. “Nothing to be concerned about. I told you that.”
“You need to tell me what’s going on, Kiley.”
“Corbin published my article early, and they’ve been getting tips pouring into the paper. He’s got the police chief calling me, so it looks like we’re getting some action.”
“That’s good news. So what was the complication you talked about? And, honey, don’t ever leave a message like that again, okay?”
“Fine. I won’t.”
“And? The complication?”
“Now Carmen’s gone missing.”
“What?”
“I’m going to fly back there tomorrow and do some digging. Find out who she talked to. And now since the police are interested, I’ll have someone to give my information to. I’m going to help them, Jason.”
“Hold it, Kiley. They said you could help them?”
“Well, Corbin said—”
“Did the police say they wanted your help?”
“The chief called my editor; said he had some questions for me. So, I’ve left him a message and told him I’d answer all his questions tomorrow when I arrive.”
“No way, Kiley. You didn’t promise to go back to Portland?”
“I think it will be fine now. I have allies. Michael is on the story, so is my editor, and I have the ear of the chief.”
“This is the chief you didn’t trust to give the information to before?”
“Yes, but that was—”
“The one hired by the mayor you said told your editor to bury the story?”
“Yes, but that was—”
“And you haven’t received any reassurances from anyone. You were not even sure you could trust your editor, last I heard.”
“But with Carmen out of the picture, who’s going to go interview the houses, and the—?”
“What houses, Kiley?”
“The group homes several of these women were staying at. I’ve got notes, and interview tapes from the staff. If I have to, I’ll share these with the chief so he can do his investigation.”
“Have any of the girls been