Page 50 of Sunset Beach
“I think so too. I was working the reception desk when Yvonne Howington, that’s the mother’s name, came in with the little girl. Aliyah. Yvonne was raising hell about the settlement, and finally, after our bitchy office manager, who happens to be married to my father, instructed me to tell her to scram, my dad showed up. He told her he’d done all the firm could. So, see ya, bye.”
“Sounds like he did do all he could for her,” Corey said.
“No.” Drue shook her head adamantly. “Yvonne swears Jazmin wasn’t working when she was killed. And she was being sexually harassed by a manager, which the hotel denies.”
Drue went on to describe the time line of Jazmin Mayes’s murder and what she’d learned from her visit with the grandmother the previous day.
“I think it’s great that you care so much about this case,” Corey said. “But I have to ask, what is it you think you can do? You’re an intake worker, as you said, not a detective.”
“Ihave to do something,” Drue said. “Ever since I moved back here I’ve felt so hollow inside, and I don’t know if it’s because I’ve lost kiteboarding—probably for good—or my mom, or what. And oh man, can you believe I just mentioned losing her and a damn sport in the same breath?”
“Yeah, I can. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t run or swim, all the things that are such a huge part of my life.” He reached out and touched her arm. “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“When I went to see Yvonne Howington? Really listened to her as she talked about her daughter? It’s the first time I’ve really felt excited about something in, like, forever. I want to help her. And Aliyah.”
“How?” Corey lifted himself out of the pool and began toweling off.
“To start, I need to check out Gulf Vista, walk around, see the layout, including the laundry room where she was killed, and the back service areas.”
“Isn’t it a gated resort?” Corey asked. “I know you can’t access the pool and patio areas from the beach, unless you have a key card.”
“I think I have a plan.” She glanced over at him. “Want to run a mission with me?”
He looked alarmed. “Is it something illegal?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s illegal. Per se.” She shrugged. “Never mind. I’ll go by myself.” She slid her feet into her flip-flops and began gathering her belongings.
He swatted her with the end of his towel. “Now you’ve got me hooked.”
The germ of the idea was planted in her mind as she rode past Gulf Vista the night she’d visited Yvonne Howington. She’d spotted the resort’s marquee.WELCOME PHELAN-KSIONSYK WEDDING. HAPPY EVER AFTER!
“How are you at lying?” she asked Corey.
“Terrible. I’m basically an honest person.”
“Okay. Let me put it this way. How good of an actor are you?”
Now he grinned, his white teeth flashing against his model-perfect tan. “I’m a normal gay man. Of course I’m a great actor.”
Drue fell silent.
“Hey,” Corey said. “You knew I was gay, right?”
“No,” she said, trying to cover her mortification. “Which makes you an even more terrific actor. And you’re just right for the role I have in mind.”
They pulled up to the gate at the Gulf Vista in Corey’s gleaming black BMW convertible. A security guard approached the car, dressed in a close imitation of a Royal Bahamian police officer’s uniform, correct down to the whiteBermuda shorts, red sash and pith helmet. “Hi,” Corey said, leaning out the window. He pointed to Drue, who was dressed in a striped navy sundress and pearl earrings. “My fiancée and I are getting married this fall, and we’re considering having the wedding here, so we’d like to take a look around, if that’s all right.”
“Have you spoken to Danielle Thompson, in our events office?” the guard asked.
“Oh no, it’s a little early for that,” Corey said. “We thought we’d just have a drink in the bar and walk around and get the feel of the place. I mean, we haven’t even set the date yet.”
“Miss Thompson is the one who speaks to all our brides,” the guard repeated.
“She’s not a bride yet,” Corey said, giving the guard a conspiratorial wink.
A car pulled in behind them and the guard looked over his shoulder. He reached into his pocket and produced a white guest pass. “Name?”
“Sanchez,” Drue said quickly. Just as well she didn’t give her real name here.
