Free Beautiful Girls by Gary S. Griffin

women like in both towns. I need something, somewhere else; someplace that Nealy knows nothing about and could never find. It needs to be a place where you or I could get to from either L.A. or Tucson or other places in the region.”
    â€œDo you plan to be with them?”
    â€œWell, some of the time, but Edie wants us to keep looking for her father. I don’t want her to come with me. I promised her that we’d keep looking, but with the girl found, Edie needs to be with her. Plus, I’d like to do it the way I usually operate; alone.”
    â€œWill she agree?”
    â€œI think it’s the only thing we can do.”
    â€œI have a place you could use.”
    â€œYou do?”
    Lomita answered, “Yes, it’s about an hour from here. It’s not anything special. It’s private and well maintained in a little desert community.”
    â€œThat’s what I was thinking of.”
    â€œPlus, I know the local police and they can keep an eye on the ladies.”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    â€œYeah, I am. I don’t want any more killings.”
    â€œWhen could we go there?”
    â€œRight after we finish here. I’ll take you there. Follow me.”
    â€œOK.”
    â€œGarrett, just don’t say anything to anyone here. Tell the ladies only once you’re following me.”
    â€œOK, Lieutenant.”
    Â 

Casa Verde
    Wednesday, October 20, 2004
    We were driving west on I-10. I explained the plan to Edie. She was all for it. I shouldn’t have been surprised. A hideaway from the world sounds wonderful when you’re emotionally and physically spent. That described both Edie and Tawny’s conditions. I also wanted to rest for a day before I took off on my hunt.
    Lieutenant Peter Lomita’s vacation home was in the Chuckwalla Valley, in the small town of Lake Tamarisk. It was about an hour east of Palm Springs and an hour west of Blythe. We drove forty-eight miles on I-10 and then exited and drove north about two or three miles until we arrived at a small development of one-story homes.
    We stepped out of the BMW a few minutes after 1 AM. Lomita walked straight to the house, unlocked the front door, opened it, walked in and began turning on lights. We followed him inside. Edie held Tawny’s hand as we entered. I carried our three bags.
    Lomita announced, “Miss McCall, Miss Gabriel welcome to Casa Verde. Let me show you around.”
    The detective’s desert hideaway had three bedrooms, including two separate master bedroom suites, a kitchen, living room, dining room and a two car garage. The two bedroom suites were at opposite ends of the home. A small, third bedroom was next to one of the suites. That’s the end Edie and I chose for the three of us.
    There was beer, sodas, bottled water and condiments in the refrigerator. Lomita showed Edie where all the dishes, glasses, pots and pans were stored. The Lieutenant turned on the air conditioning and handed me the keys to his golf cart, which sat in the garage bay closest to the kitchen door.
    Lomita showed us a map of the community tacked to the bulletin board in the kitchen. He told us that the Lake Tamarisk community was designed around two spring-fed lakes; the shoreline of one was about fifty feet from the back porch. There was a fire station and library within a block of his home.
    At the end of the tour Edie said, “Oh, this is wonderful, lieutenant. You’re so nice to us. Our little family will be fine here. What do we owe you for your hospitality?”
    Lomita continued to charm Edie, “Not a thing. Just stay safe and rest. I bought this place twenty years ago. It’s my escape from L.A. I come here whenever I have a few days off.”
    Edie said, “Thank you,” and hugged him.
    Edie took a bottle of water and Tawny grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator. They walked back to the bedrooms to unpack.
    Lomita pointed to the community map. “You’re here,