Model Suspect Read online

  Before I could reach any conclusions, a bit of conversation drifted my way from nearby. Two young women wearing maids’ uniforms were standing on the beach a few feet away, staring out at the scene of the fire. “. . . so it looks like we wasted our time getting Suite 1 fixed up so fast, didn’t we?” one of the maids griped.

  “Don’t complain,” the second employee said. “We got paid overtime for it, remember?”

  I hurried toward them. “Excuse me,” I said with a friendly smile. “So you two helped with the cleanup after the vandalism, huh? I guess you must have gotten a good look at that message someone wrote on the wall in there, right?”

  The two employees went silent, trading a cautious glance and then shrugging in unison. “We’re sorry for this unpleasant moment in your Oro Beach Resort experience,” the second maid said, sounding like some kind of recording. “We hope it won’t mar your enjoyment of our beautiful island.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But listen, I’d really like to know exactly what you guys saw before the cleanup. If you could just describe it in your own words …”

  “I’m afraid we have to be getting back to work now,” the employee said in that same robot-cruise-director voice. “If you have questions about your Oro Beach experience, feel free to visit our guest courtesy center in the main tiki hut.”

  “I don’t want to visit the courtesy center,” I said, doing my best not to sound as impatient as I felt. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Bess and George trading amused glances. “I just want to hear what you two saw. If you’re worried about marring my enjoyment or whatever, don’t be. Sydney already showed me a picture of that ransacked cabin.” I smiled hopefully. “Plus I won’t tell your boss you said a word, I swear.”

  “It’s not that.” This time it was the first maid who spoke. She shot a look at her coworker, who looked worried. “I mean, yeah, the resort doesn’t like us talking to the guests about stuff like that, I guess.” She shrugged. “Not that we’ve ever had stuff like that happen before …”

  “It’s that director woman,” the other maid burst out. “She made us sign something.”

  “You mean Madge?” George spoke up, sounding interested. “What, you mean like a film release?”

  “Well, that, too.” The first maid shrugged again. “But also this thing about not talking to people. Basically we’re under orders not to say anything to anyone about anything that happens while filming is going on.”

  “Right.” The second maid tugged at her friend’s sleeve, shooting a nervous glance around the beach. “Now we really do have to get back to work. Excuse us, please.”

  They hurried off without a backward glance. “Wow,” Bess said. “That’s interesting, huh?”

  “Not really.” George fell into step beside me as I wandered down the beach after the maids. “It’s probably standard operating procedure for this sort of production. A way to guarantee that spoilers don’t leak out before the show airs, stuff like that. I’ll have to ask my mom, but I’d be willing to guess that she had to sign something similar when she was catering some of those events before the wedding.”

  “That makes sense.” Bess nodded. “Besides, Madge just accused the three of us of being behind all the trouble. That seems to let her off as a suspect herself, right?”

  “Not necessarily,” I said. “I’m really not sure what to make of Madge, actually. But guilty or not, one thing’s for sure. She’s definitely making our job harder. How are we supposed to investigate when the entire resort staff is under orders not to talk to anyone?”

  “Maybe we should go talk to the people at the med hut again,” George said as we climbed a few wooden steps leading from the beach up to the main section of the resort. “They were willing to talk. Although I kind of got the impression that they don’t leave the med hut much. They kept complaining about it, actually—”

  “Hey, do you hear that?” Bess broke in, casting a glance off to the right.

  “Hear what?” But even as I said it, I heard the sound of shouts and shrieks from somewhere over that way.

  George glanced at the rustic wooden signs that marked an intersection of paths just ahead. “Must be coming from the main pool,” she said. “Should we go check it out? We haven’t been over there yet.”

  “Yes we have,” Bess said. “We passed it when we first got here, remember? Just before we saw Akinyi doing that modeling shoot.”

  George shook her head. “Didn’t you read those brochures I printed off the Internet before we came?” she asked. “There are at least three pools here. That smallish one by the shops is called, like, the spa pool or something. Then there’s the main pool over here, which is much bigger. And I’m pretty sure there’s a lap pool over near the gym too.”

  While she was talking, we were hurrying along the path toward the main pool. We emerged from between two buildings to a panoramic view of it.

  The pool was just what you’d expect to find in a tropical paradise. It was free-form and huge, with a couple of picturesque bridges leading over some narrow parts, a swim-up bar, several diving platforms, and at least three separate waterfall areas. The largest of the waterfalls tumbled down an impressive thirty-foot mountain of boulders that rose along the deep end of the largest section of the pool.

  “Wow,” Bess said. “This is nice!”

  I nodded, glancing around the pool area. The yells appeared to have come from Vic, Bo, and Jamal, who were clowning around on the pavement at the base of the stone waterfall while Akinyi watched from a nearby lounge chair. All of the cameramen were there filming away from various angles. Madge, Donald, and Lainie, along with a few other assorted crew members, were looking on from just out of camera range.

  None of them seemed to notice our arrival. As we watched, Vic danced over toward Akinyi. “Be a sport, Kinnie!” he exclaimed with a wicked grin, advancing on her as she glanced up from the magazine she was reading. “Either come on in for a swim, or I’ll have to make you come in!”

  “Don’t you dare!” Akinyi warned with a frown, holding up one long, slim finger and shaking it at him sternly. “I just did my hair. If you mess it up, I’ll kill you!”

  Vic pretended to cower away while Jamal snorted with amusement. Meanwhile Bo let out a shout of laughter. “Hey, if she won’t take a dip with us, we’ll just have to find another pretty girl who will! And look, there’s one right over there!” He leaped toward Lainie. “How about it? Want to get wet, darlin’?”

  Vic, Jamal, and even Akinyi were already chuckling. But Lainie immediately jumped back, avoiding Bo as he reached for her arm. “No!” she cried.

  “Guess she’s not supposed to let herself be seen on camera,” Bess murmured.

  George shrugged. “Doesn’t look like the camera guys are following that rule,” she observed. “See? They’re shooting all this—well, except for that Butch guy—and Madge isn’t complaining.”

  I saw that she was right. Butch seemed to be taking a break—he was over in the shade of a beach umbrella sipping a bottle of water and talking with Donald—but the other camera operators were all focused right in on Lainie and Bo. Madge was watching the whole scene with her usual hawklike intensity, not saying a word.

  “Good point.” I frowned slightly as I returned my attention to Lainie, whose protests were getting louder and more panicky-sounding with each new lunge out of Bo’s grasp. “And actually, she looks pretty upset. For real, I mean, not just flirty-upset.”

  Bess nodded. “I think you’re right.”

  “Well, you are the expert when it comes to flirting, cuz,” George joked.

  “Please!” Lainie cried loudly at that moment, once more wriggling free as Bo grabbed at her arm. “Leave me alone!” Whirling around, she raced around the edge of the pool and disappeared into a grove of palm trees, looking near tears.

  “Lainie?” Bo called after her, sounding confused. Then he turned and shrugged at his friends. “Dude! What was that all about? I was just kidding around.”

  �
��Maybe she can’t swim,” Jamal suggested.

  “Yeah. Or maybe she just didn’t want you to touch her—couldn’t blame her for that.” Vic grinned as Bo pretended to take a swing at him. “Never mind, looks like it’s just us guys. Last one in’s a rotten egg!”

  Letting out a whoop, he raced over and flung himself into the deep end, landing in a sloppy cannonball with a loud splash. Both of the other guys followed, hitting the water at the same time. Soon all three of them were bobbing around out there. Vic floated on his back, closing his eyes as he drifted under the edge of the waterfall.

  Meanwhile Butch had finished his break and was now filming away with the others. “You’re not giving us much here, guys,” he called out in his usual gruff way. “How’s about doing something we couldn’t film at any kiddie pool in the world?”

  “Like what?” Vic flipped over and started treading water. “You want me to ride a Jet Ski through here or something?”

  Butch let out a snort. “Look, I’m just saying. We only have a week on this boring little island, and your girl seems to be in hiding, and Eberhart’ll flip if we don’t get anything he can use.”

  “Yeah, he’s right about that,” Madge muttered. “Where is that Sydney, anyway?”

  “So what did you have in mind, bro?” Vic asked Butch loudly. I could tell he was deliberately ignoring the question about Sydney’s whereabouts. “I mean, this is a pool, not a stunt show.”

  “Look, I dunno. I’m no director.” Butch shot a look at the thirty-foot rock mountain. “You could climb up there and dive in or something. Even that’d be more Daredevils than floating around like a bunch of old ladies.”

  Vic cast a lazy glance up at the wall. Then he turned over on his back again, not rising to the cameraman’s taunt.

  “Maybe later,” he said with a yawn. “It’s been a long week, you know?”

  Butch scowled. “Gonna be a lot of long weeks if you actually land the cohosting gig next season, boy,” he muttered.

  “Whatever.” Vic yawned, then glanced over at Bo. “How about if Captain Champion here goes first? I dare you, dude.”

  Bo squinted up the mountain too. “I dunno,” he said. “Looks like a tough climb, and I’m in relaxation mode right now, you know?”

  Just then I caught a flash of movement at the edge of the palm grove. Glancing over, I saw that Lainie had just crept back into the pool area, looking slightly sheepish.

  Bo spotted her too. “On the other hand, what the heck,” he said, already swimming for the edge. “Anything to liven up this dead party, huh?”

  He hoisted himself out of the pool, strutting and thumping his chest as he headed for the base of the man-made mountain. Soon he was clambering up, still shouting and showing off as usual.

  “There you go,” Vic told Butch. “Happy now?”

  Butch just shrugged, turning his camera to follow Bo. One of the other cameramen came over for a better angle too.

  “Men!” Bess shook her head, looking amused. “They’ll do anything to impress a pretty girl.”

  I chuckled. “Should we go check on Sydney?” I asked. “It seems like a good time to sneak over to Akinyi’s cabin, with all the other major players occupied here.”

  “Sure.” George shaded her eyes as she followed Bo’s climb. “But wait, let’s watch Bo jump first. I want to see if he lands on Vic or Jamal on his way down. That would be totally Daredevils.”

  Bo reached the top and raised both arms over his head. “I’m king of the world, baby!” he howled playfully, striding out toward a slab of stone overhanging the top of the waterfall. “I’m king of the—oof!”

  The rock suddenly shifted with a sickening scraping sound. A second later it collapsed sideways, sending Bo tumbling head over heels, banging and crashing down the face of the rock wall.

  SHADOWS, SACRIFICES, AND SUSPICIONS

  “It’s lucky Bo knows how to fall thanks to all his adventures on the show,” George commented. It was dinnertime, and my friends and I had gathered in the open-air restaurant along with almost everyone else at the resort. All traces of Bo’s earlier adventures with the fire juggling had been eradicated from view. But the same couldn’t be said about his tumble from the top of the waterfall. His head was bandaged, one arm was in a sling, and he looked generally banged up and bruised.

  Still, all things considered, he appeared to be in pretty good shape as I glanced over at the table where he was seated with Jamal and Akinyi. He was in his usual high spirits, letting out an occasional shout of laugher and trading high fives with Jamal with the arm that wasn’t in a sling.

  “You’re right about that,” I mused in response to George’s remark, not taking my eyes off Bo. “If he hadn’t managed to get himself right side up and push away from the wall when he got near the bottom …”

  Bess shuddered. “Let’s not talk about that,” she said firmly, reaching for her water glass. “I’m just glad Sydney wasn’t there to witness it.”

  “Where is Syd, anyway?” George glanced around the restaurant. “I haven’t seen her since we dropped her off you-know-where, you-know-when.”

  I realized she was right. Sydney hadn’t made an appearance since we’d left her in Akinyi’s bungalow earlier.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But I really need to talk to her. Things are getting pretty serious—first the fire, which could have killed us, and now Bo’s close call.”

  Just then I caught a commotion over near the entryway. Glancing over, I saw Vic and Sydney entering the dining area.

  “There she is,” I said.

  Bess looked over too. “She looks pretty normal, considering.”

  That was true. Sydney was maybe a little paler than usual, but otherwise looked as pretty and pulled together as ever. She clung to Vic’s arm as the cameras swarmed around them.

  “Hmm,” I observed. “Looks like it could be a challenge to catch her alone.”

  “Maybe you can set up a meeting for later, like after the cameramen go to bed,” George suggested.

  “I really don’t want to wait that long. Who knows how soon our culprit might strike again?”

  “Good point.” George shrugged. “For all we know, Vic’s dinner might already be poisoned.”

  “Don’t say that!” Bess looked alarmed.

  I stood up as Sydney and Vic sat down with Akinyi, Bo, and Jamal. “Come on,” I said. “There are still plenty of seats over at their table. Let’s join them.”

  “Nancy! Girls!” Sydney looked up and smiled as we approached. “I was just about to call you over. I feel like I’ve barely had a chance to spend any time with you since you arrived.” She shot me a meaningful look, but didn’t say anything else.

  “Yeah,” I agreed, trying to sound casual and not look at any of the cameras that were filming us. “Maybe we can go for a walk on the beach after dinner or something.”

  “Sounds good,” Butch muttered from behind his camera. “Madge wants more footage of the bride doing the island thing anyway.”

  I bit back a sigh. No, it wasn’t going to be easy to get any time alone with Sydney….

  “So who’s up for some Jet Ski action tomorrow?” Bo spoke up.

  Akinyi stared at him. “You’re planning to drive a Jet Ski with that sling on your arm?” she asked in clear disbelief.

  “Oh, he won’t let that stop him, trust me,” Vic said with a chuckle. “One time on the show when we were doing a stunt at Mount Rushmore, the producers said he had to skip it because he’d sprained his wrist doing the last stunt, and …”

  From there, they were off and running with a series of Daredevils stories. Under any other circumstances I probably would have found the tales and bragging amusing, and I was sure the audience of the TV special would eat them up. But at the moment all I could think about was finding an opportunity to talk privately with Sydney.

  Finally it came. “Oh!” Akinyi shrieked, pushing back from the table so quickly that her chair almost tipped over backward. “Did you all see that? A
fly! It was just—just walking across my food!”

  “Oh, horrors!” Bo cried out in a falsetto, fanning himself dramatically with one hand. “A fly, you say?”

  Akinyi glared at him. “Very funny,” she snapped. “Just because you boys are happy to eat cow patties or whatever on your silly little show, it doesn’t mean the rest of us care to poison ourselves.”

  “Cow patties?” Vic said. “We never ate cow patties. Now cow eyeballs, on the other hand …”

  By then Akinyi’s outburst had brought several resort employees running. They gathered around, a manager apologizing profusely as a waitress whisked away the tainted plate and the others busily shooed away every fly in the vicinity.

  Taking advantage of the momentary hubbub, I leaned over to Sydney. “How about a run to the ladies’ room?” I asked her.

  She nodded and set down her napkin. “Right behind you.”

  As we stood up, Donald glanced over from the next table. “Where are you two going?” he called out.

  “We’ll be right back!” Sydney said cheerily. Then she grabbed my hand. “Hurry!” she hissed in my ear. “Before the cameras catch on!”

  We scooted for the exit. Miraculously, we managed to escape the dining room before Donald could alert the cameramen. Once inside the nearest ladies’ lounge, which was large and luxurious, Sydney collapsed into a chair in front of a wall of mirrors.

  “Oh, Nancy,” she said, her voice quavering. “I’m trying so hard to stay strong here. But with everything that’s happened …”

  I nodded sympathetically. As upset as she seemed, I was hesitant to tell her about that note we’d seen just before the fire. But she had to know what was going on.

  “Listen, Syd.” I took a deep breath. “There’s something you need to hear about….”

  As I told her the whole story, her eyes widened more and more. “Oh, no!” she burst out when I’d finished. “I’m so sorry, Nancy. I’m sure that message was meant for me, and you and the girls almost got hurt instead!”

  “I’m not so sure about that, actually. What if this MrSilhouette, whoever he really is, knows that I’m here to investigate the trouble?” I briefly flashed through the list of possible suspects. As far as I knew, only Vic and Akinyi knew I hadn’t just gotten lucky busting Candy and later Pandora—that I was actually a pretty accomplished amateur sleuth. But that didn’t mean any of the others couldn’t have found out somehow. They’d all spent enough time in River Heights to have figured it out, since my rep is hardly a secret there.