Free Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) by Kathi Daley Page A

checked in?”
    “She’s missing.” Tj explained about the events that occurred after the bus from Reno had arrived, leaving out the part about the dead woman in the cove since Dylan hadn’t given her the go-ahead to talk about that yet. “Do you recognize this man?” Tj handed her Doc’s sketch.
    Frannie studied it. Her brows furrowed beneath the medium brown bangs that framed her face. “No, I can’t say that I do. This is the man she left with?”
    “According to the other models , this is what he looked like. The sketch is a composite of the descriptions we received.”
    “Do you think Kiara is in some kind of trouble?” Frannie asked.
    “We’re not sure. The girls reported that Kiara seemed to leave with the man willingly , so at this point we’re operating under the assumption that she knew the man. Perhaps he was a boyfriend or even a brother.”
    “Kiara never mentioned siblings or a boyfriend. Honestly , in all the years I knew her, I never saw her speak to anyone other than her grandmother, who used to drop her off and then return for her an hour or so later. Do you think the man Kiara left with is from the village?”
    “We don’t know at this point ,” Tj informed her. “I suppose I could go out to the compound to see what I can find out.”
    “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