Page 68 of Asher's Assignment

Esther nodded. “Edie can stay in my room with me; two of you can take Asher’s room, and one of you can sleep down here.”

“I’ll take the sofa,” Audra said.

“That works.” Edie headed for the stairs. “Essy, did you change bedsheets yet?”

“No.”

“Okay. I’ll grab a set from the linen closet for the spare room. Brooke, Annabeth, if you want to come with me, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

While they went upstairs, Esther turned to Audra. “You can stow your bag in the corner over there, if you want. Or we can put it in the laundry room.”

“Wherever. I’m not picky.”

“That corner is fine.” Esther pointed to a spot by the front window. “The laundry room is kind of tight.”

“Sounds good.” Audra walked over and deposited her bag. “So, what did you and Jo discover?”

“Connie Tyler’s real identity.”

Audra’s eyes widened. “Seriously? It was that easy?”

“With facial recognition and AI, yes.”

“That makes me worry about the future of undercover work. I’m glad I’m out of that game.”

Esther plopped back down on the couch, sinking into the cushions. “How is normal life treating you?” Audra had retired from her job with Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service just a few months ago.

Following Esther’s lead, Audra sat in the recliner. “It’s been an adjustment. I’m not used to having so much free time. Though Brooke’s been keeping me busy.”

“That’s right. Edie mentioned Brooke asked you to head up security for the new resort.”

“All I can say is, I’m glad I have Sam and the others to help me implement the security system. Once the place is up and running, I can see myself in charge of day-to-day operations. But the actual system? That’s not my forte. She hired an outside consultant too.”

“She’s aiming for next year, right?”

“Yeah. June. The building’s exterior is done. So are the private cabins. It’s all interior work now and hiring staff.”

Esther couldn’t wait to see it. Knowing Brooke, it would be elegant and luxurious, but affordable. The woman was as rich as Midas, but she was down-to-earth. She wanted the resort to be for everyone.

Clatter on the stairs drew her attention. Edie, Brooke, and Annabeth rounded the corner from the short hallway.

“All settled?” Esther asked.

“Yes,” Edie replied. “Fill us in. What did you find out?”

Esther stood, picking up her laptop from the coffee table before walking over to the island. She opened it. “So, I found a family photo of the Tylers from a news article. Jo ran an image search on it and found a match to Connie Tyler from a social media picture at high school in Pennsylvania that’s a good fifteen years old. There were no names with the picture, but because I’m one of those planning types and am on every committee under the sun, including my class reunion committee, I have a subscription to a yearbook website. Jo searched it and we found her. Connie’s real name is Lindy Nieman. Her parents were murdered just shy of eleven years ago. The police thought she’d been killed, too, but dumped elsewhere. Her body was never found.”

Brooke scoffed. “Because she’s been living under an assumed name. Are we sure she didn’t murder them?”

“I mean, it’s possible.” Esther lifted a shoulder. “She probably would have just found out she was pregnant. Maybe they didn’t want her to keep the baby? I don’t know why, though. She was an adult at the time. Just out of college. I don’t think she killed them, though. The police found a significant amount of her blood at the scene. I think she was wounded, maybe left for dead. Or she was wounded, taken, and then escaped.”

“I think we should talk to her,” Annabeth said. “Go straight to the source and get answers.”

Brooke chuckled. “Dean’s rubbing off on you.”

“Well, it worked when we looked into my sister’s death.” Annabeth shrugged.

“I agree with you,” Audra said. “Having her daughter missing, and the fact that we already know who she is, will probably make her more willing to talk.”

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