Page 73 of Terminal Voyage

English was the primary language in Corazón Bay, so there was no communication barrier. The island accent was pronounced, but understandable.

I stepped into the lobby and approached the front desk.

I would expect a police station to be buzzing with activity, but this place was library quiet.

“Excuse me,” I said to the clerk, who had her head buried in a magazine.

It took her a few moments to look at me. It's not like they were busy or anything. "Can I help you?”

"Hi, I'm a private investigator looking into the disappearance of Kate Moreau.”

The clerk stared at me with a blank expression.

"Is there a detective I can talk to?”

Even though we spoke the same language, I'm not sure it registered.

"Who?”

"Kate Moreau. The supermodel who went missing about a month ago.”

"You'll have to talk to a detective about that.”

"Yes, that would be great.”

"Let me see if he's available.” She picked up the phone and dialed an extension. It rang the desk across the room. The clerk could have easily shouted across the room to the detective, but I guess that was too much work.

After a few rings, the detective picked up the phone.

I watched the whole thing transpire in disbelief.

"There is a private investigator here to see you.”

The detective hesitated for a moment, looked across the room at me, then said, “Send her back.”

The clerk hung up the phone, looked at me, and waved me past the front desk.

"Thank you," I said as I walked across the office and took a seat across the desk from the detective.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" He was in his mid-30s with dark hair, dark eyes, and an overly decorated uniform.

Once again, I told him I was a private investigator.

"Ah, yes. Kate Moreau,” he said in his thick island accent.

"Do you have any leads in the case?”

"How do we know there is a case to begin with?”

My brow wrinkled with confusion. "What do you mean?”

"People come to the island all the time. Then they leave. Perhaps Kate just left.”

"Nobody's heard from her since.”

The detective shrugged. "It's not unusual for a woman to meet a man and run off together. Maybe she is living happily ever after in another location.”

"She would have called someone. Family, friends, her agent.”