Page 94 of Night Hawk
Her nametag read Joy Graber.
“Toni Long,” she said. “I reserved two adjoining rooms.” She got out her credit card, and Joy looked over her shoulder to the front doors, likely focusing on Drake, and frowned.
Did she think something funny was going on?
Toni couldn’t have gossip starting in this small town. She got out her FBI credentials and laid them on the counter too. “In case you need additional ID.”
“Oh…oh. FBI.” Joy’s eyes flashed open. “Wow. Are you investigating something?”
“We are,” she said and left it at that.
Joy’s head bobbed one time, and she started entering Toni’s credit card number into her computer. “You let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
Toni hadn’t planned to pick this woman’s brain, but she might have information on Lisa’s disappearance. “Have you lived in town for long?”
“Me and my Earl have owned the hotel since the mid-seventies.”
“Then you might remember the disappearance of Lisa Long from her grandparents’ house.”
“Oh sure, she…wait.” Her mouth dropped open. “Long. Are you related?”
Toni didn’t answer.
“None of my business then.” Joy waved her hand. “It was the talk of the town. Her parents stayed right here for nearly six months looking for the poor little thing. She came to visit and disappeared. Sheriff Raintree decided she’d washed out to sea, but Earl and I don’t believe it.”
Interesting.“What do you think happened?”
Joy leaned closer. “I think a vagrant was involved. Told Sheriff Raintree as much, but never even saw the guy’s name mentioned as a suspect. So I got back to Raintree. He said he ruled that man out, but I don’t see how. He was kind of a creepy guy. Former military. Living on the beach back then. Not sure what happened to him.”
“What was his name?”
“Sheldon Sharkey. Ain’t that just a name?”
Toni did her best not to react. “I appreciate the information.”
“Maybe you can do something with it. God knows that the old sheriff would rather sit in his office than do his job. An outsider, he was. Came in as a highfalutin deputy from the big city and made pals with the mayor. Got himself elected by promising all kinds of good things. Didn’t do anything he promised.”
“Tell me about Lisa’s parents,” Toni said, feeling weird talking about her parents like this.
“Interesting couple. The mom was moody. Sad most of the time, as you can expect. He was a doer. Didn’t sit still for a minute. Spent every second looking for Lisa.”
“Didn’t the mom help?” Toni asked.
“Sure, yeah, but she was really depressed. I think the doc had her on tranquilizers, and she couldn’t cope like the dad. He was a DEA agent and had the skills to conduct a search. Left his wife to fend for herself most of the time in the early days. But he finally convinced her to accompany him, and she gradually pulled herself together.”
Toni couldn’t imagine her parents going through such a difficult time, but Joy had described her parents as Toni had known them, only with less intense emotions. She finally understood so much about them. Maybe her dad had been so hard on her because she wasn’t Lisa. Or maybe he wanted to make sure she was tough enough to withstand anything, even learning that he’d hidden her sister from her or being kidnapped like he’d feared had happened to Lisa.
Joy slid metal keys and a small map across the counter. “This time of year we aren’t as full, so I gave you our best rooms. They’re on the third floor with a balcony.”
“Thanks so much.” Feeling emotional and vulnerable, Toni tucked her card and ID into her purse and grabbed the keys.
“Elevator’s over there.” Joy pointed over Toni’s shoulder, but Toni had already seen the elevator when she took in the eighties lobby décor. Bad décor or not, the hotel was clean, and that was all Toni cared about.
She exited the building and slid into the SUV.
Drake smiled. “All set?”
She nodded. “But turn the SUV around. We’re heading back to your parents’ place to look at Ziegler’s old files before Blake and your brothers get back there.”
