Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) (9 page)

“They won’t let you past the gate at the end of the road,” Frannie warned her. “The compound is on private property
, and the privacy of the villagers is well guarded.”

“Do you think they
’re dangerous?” Tj wondered.

Frannie considered this. “Dangerous? Probably not. But the people who have chosen to settle in th
at remote location have done so for a reason. I believe Kiara might have descended from the original family that settled in the area, but there are others who choose to live there for different reasons.”

Tj realized Frannie was correct in her assumption that she’d never make it past the front gate. She needed to find someone in
the village who knew Kiara and might be able to provide her current whereabouts. “Can you think of anyone who might know if Kiara has friends or family I can talk to?”

“Not really, although you might talk to Hazel.”

“Hazel?” Tj asked. Hazel Whipple was the seventy-two-year-old postmistress who, everyone agreed, should have retired years ago.

“I know that Kiara’s grandmother would often go
to visit with Hazel while she waited for Kiara to finish up here, so they must be friends of a sort. If Hazel can get a message to the grandmother, she might be able to help you with your search.”

“I’ll head to the post office next. Did Kiara ever mention why she left the area?”

“Not specifically. I know she was having issues with her dad, and that she wanted to go to college more than anything. She’s a bright girl with a keen mind who deserves to have a chance at a life outside of Vengeance. My guess is that her father wouldn’t let her go away to school, so she ran away.”

That fit what the other models had said about Kiara joining the completion for the scholarship.

“Okay, thanks. If you think of or hear anything, call me.”

“I will. And please
let me know when you find her,” Frannie added. “I grew fond of the girl over the years. We didn’t speak often, but there was something about her serene nature and quiet focus that I tended to identify with.”

“You need to gain control over those models of yours,” Hazel said the moment Tj walked through the door.

Hazel
Whipple ran a tight ship. She’d been working at the post office in Serenity since there’d been a post office. Hazel, who always wore a proper shin-length day dress and sturdy one-inch heels, was feistier than most women half her age. Technically, she should have retired from the post office with a full pension years earlier, but the spunky widow was determined to remain employed until they put her in a pine box, a sentiment she often shared when concerned friends tried to talk her into slowing down a bit. Tj knew she’d never had children and her husband had died more than thirty years ago. Most felt that as far as Hazel was concerned, the post office, which had been a constant in her life for more than fifty years, was the only family she had left.

“Has there been a problem?”

“You bet there
’s been a problem.” Hazel’s eyes flashed in annoyance. “One of those trollops you’re harboring at the resort had the nerve to come into my post office wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a bathing suit top. The sign on the front door specifically states that both shirts and shoes must be worn in this establishment at all times.”

“That’s true
, but this is a beach town, and most of the businesses loosen the rules a bit during bikini season.”

“Well
, this establishment is not one of those places and the rule is nonnegotiable. Just because we have a beach nearby doesn’t mean we have to live like heathens. The girl had bare feet, shorts so short as to be indecent, and a barely concealed bosom. I told the woman that she would need to come back later wearing proper attire if she wanted me to post her package. She tried to argue, but the rules are the rules, and if we choose to ignore them, it won’t be long before society as a whole leans toward anarchy.”

Tj figured she’d get an earful from whichever model was turned away
when she got back to the resort. Hazel was a strong woman who could be a wonderful and supportive friend, but at times her ideals were so completely outdated that many thought they bordered on the absurd.

“The reason I’m here is because I’m looking for this girl
.” Tj handed Hazel the photo. “Do you know her?”

“Of course I know her. I make it my business to know everyone.”

“Fantastic.” Tj was trying hard to hold her temper with the cranky woman. Hazel hadn’t always been as snarky as she’d been lately; it seemed the aches and pains associated with her advancing age had turned a proper but polite woman into a bitter old lady. “Have you seen her in the past day or two?”

“I haven’t seen her in over a year. She moved away
, from what I’ve been told.”

“She
’s part of the group from the Tropical Tan contest,” Tj informed her. “She came up the mountain with the other models yesterday, but no one has seen her since. I’m trying to get hold of anyone who might know of her whereabouts. I understand that you know her grandmother.”

“Nona
Cooper.” Hazel nodded.

“Do you have a way of getting
in touch with her?”

“You say that Kiara was with those models?” Hazel frowned. Whereas Frannie
had had a look of delight when she’d learned that Kiara had gotten away from her strict upbringing to do something new, Hazel obviously disapproved of the girl’s choice.

“Yes
, ma’am. She was doing quite well. After months of preliminary competitions, she was chosen as part of the final twenty-five. It’s really quite an accomplishment.”

“And she left after she arrived?” Hazel clarified.

“Yes. She left with this man after the bus arrived.” Tj handed Hazel the sketch Doc had drawn of the man who met Kiara at the bus.

“Aaron
,” Hazel stated with certainty.

“Aaron?”

“Her fiancé,” Hazel informed Tj.

“I wasn’t aware that Kiara was engaged.” The truth of the matter was that not one piece of information Tj had gained since the models
had arrived suggested that Kiara was engaged.

“Nona told me that Kiara wasn’t keen on the arrangement. I don’t really have all the details
, but I believe it was something her father agreed to with another man in the village.”

“Kiara was in an arranged engagement?”

“Apparently.”

“No wonder she left the area. Do you think you can
set up a meeting for me with Nona?” Tj asked.

“Nona is particular about who she speaks to. I doubt she’d want to talk to you
, although she does know your grandpa and might be willing to talk to him. I suppose I could set up a meeting with both of you, if Ben is willing.”

“Grandpa knows Nona?”

“They play bingo together.”

“Bingo?”

“At the senior center. Nona likes to get away from Vengeance from time to time, so she plays bingo. Nona doesn’t get along with many people from town, but she seems to like your grandpa all right. If you want to talk to her, you’ll need to do so through Ben, although I doubt Nona will support any idea you may have of trying to get Kiara to come back to the competition.”

“I’m not here to try to talk Kiara into changing her mind if she
’s decided not to follow through on the contest. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Why wouldn’t she be okay?” Hazel asked.

Tj hesitated. She wasn’t supposed to talk about Tonya, but her death might be the leverage she needed to get Hazel’s cooperation.

“I need to tell you something
, but you have to promise to keep it to yourself.”

“Of course. I’m not a gossip.”

Tj wasn’t sure about that. It seemed that Hazel was more often than not in the thick of things if there was something of importance to be known and communicated. She wasn’t quite as bad as Jenna’s mother, Helen, who was the self-appointed queen bee of the local gossip hotline, but Tj knew she was taking a risk by letting Hazel in on a secret Dylan had warned her not to share. On the other hand, now that the Tropical Tan staff had informed the models of Tonya’s death, Tj was fairly certain that word of the murder would be common knowledge by the end of the day.

“There was another missing girl,” Tj began. “She’s dead.”

By the time Tj got back to the resort
, the contestants were gathered on the beach modeling swimwear for a photo shoot. The Tropical Tan staff had arrived and informed the models of Tonya Overton’s death. Tj headed to the house to check on the animals before heading to the beach to watch the models pose in various positions on the sand and in the water.

“Roy
, what are you doing here?” Tj asked the deputy, who was in charge now that Dylan was officially on leave.

“Following up on a lead. At least I’m trying to figure out how to follow up.
I hate to admit it, but I don’t really have the training for something like this.”

Prior to Dylan’s arrival the previous fall
, the town of Serenity had seen very few murders. Roy had been on the force for quite a while but didn’t have Dylan’s expertize in investigating serious crime. The other local deputy, Tim Matthews, had even less experience than Roy.

“What sort of lead?” Tj asked.

Roy hesitated.

“Come on
, Roy. You know you can trust me. What lead?”

Tj had helped the sheriff
’s department out solving two murders to date, so Tj figured Roy had reason to trust her instincts. Besides, why would he be standing around hoping to run into her if he hadn’t already decided he wanted her help?

“We managed to speak on the phone to Tonya’s old roommate. I
t seems that after she got the job with Tropical Tan, Tonya rented a house with two other women for a short time. One of the women, Alexandra Dolby, still lives in the house the three women shared, and we managed to track her down. According to Alexandra, Tonya was messing around with Fenton Ridley during the first few months she was employed by his company.”

Tj looked toward the beach
, where Fenton and a handful of Tropical Tan staff were watching the photo shoot. Fenton was not only making all the calls but was the primary owner of the Tropical Tan Corporation.

“They were having an affair?” Tj clarified.

“If Tonya’s ex-roommate can be believed. According to Alexandra, the affair was as brief as it was intense, and Fenton broke things off after a couple of months.”

“Okay,” Tj attempted to wrap her head around this piece of information. Fenton Ridley was not only filthy rich but gorgeous as well. In addition to that
, he was married, and had been for quite some time. “I guess I can see that the situation was delicate, but how does that make him a suspect?”

“I didn’t say he was a suspect at this point,” Roy pointed out. “I said that the information I received was a lead. It seems that the affair ended badly. Alexandra told me that Tonya was extremely angry when the
y broke up and threatened to tell his wife.”

“Which gives him a motive for murder,” I realized.

“Exactly.”

“Yeah, but why now?” Tj asked. “If Tonya and Fenton were sleeping together and he broke if off
a while back, why would Fenton kill Tonya now? I’m pretty sure she’d been working for the company for a year, so wouldn’t the affair be old news?”

“Opportunity?” Roy took a stab.

“Except for the fact that the Tropical Tan staff didn’t arrive until this morning and Tonya was killed yesterday,” Tj pointed out.

“I checked the flight that the majority of the Tropical Tan staff arrived on this morning. Neither Fenton
nor his wife were listed as passengers,” Roy informed her. “Fenton, his wife, his wife’s sister, and his son from a previous marriage all flew in on a private jet. His party arrived yesterday morning. I confirmed that all four members of the party checked into the Serenity Lodge at eleven a.m. In my mind, the affair, coupled with the opportunity, makes Fenton a person of interest at the very least.”

“So bring him into the station and interview him,” Tj suggested.

“Boggs says no. He says we really have nothing to go on, and he doesn’t want to bother someone with Fenton’s wealth and influence unless we can come up with more.”

Typical Boggs. Always looking out for his reputation.

“Okay, I get what you’re saying.” Tj turned to face Roy. “It seems like a long shot, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to dig around a bit. So what’s your plan?”

“Plan?”

“You’re here in your uniform. I figured you had a plan.”

Roy sighed. “Showing up and scouting out the situation was as far as I got. Maybe you can chat with Fenton and see what you can find out.”

Tj glanced back toward the photo shoot. In addition to Fenton and the photographer, there were three hairstylists, two makeup artists, and five Tropical Tan employees assisting with props and bathing suit changes. It would be difficult to strike up a casual conversation.