Page 2 of Vows of Murder

“A week in Hawaii on the beach. I’m jealous.” Amy glanced around the dining room. Judith and Deek had jumped in to help as soon as the meeting adjourned, so we were already done.

“Don’t be jealous yet. He’s being cagey about where we’re going. I’m thinking we’re probably going to Alaska or Antarctica rather than Hawaii.” I went over to the counter and refilled my coffee. “Is it too early for lunch?”

“Yes. It’s only ten. I can’t get away today anyway. Mayor Baylor has me working up a new PR campaign to bring more retreat groups to South Cove. He thinks that maybe Kane’s group will allow the town to host a yoga retreat or something out atthe compound.”

“Is that what he’s been working on?” That made a little more sense than inviting a group with religious tax exemptions to the area. “If they host a retreat, they’ll have to paytaxes, right?”

“Or at least our tourist counts will increase in the off months.” Amy grabbed her purse. “I think the mayor’s in bed with the devil, but it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Amy was right about that. Our mayor had a habit of supporting big developments for the sake of lining his pockets. Whether or not the town wanted the new business. He’d tried to get me to sell my house and property for years. Almost since I moved here.

My phone buzzed with a calendar reminder. I had the final fittings on my dress in Santa Barbara at noon. It would take at least an hour to get there. I’d take a book and eat lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant after the fitting. Or maybe I’d be on carrots and water until after the wedding. It all came down how the fitting went.

I grabbed my tote and said goodbye to my staff. Deek held up his hand, so I stopped by where he was stocking books. “Do you need me?”

“Your aura is a funky orange today. Did you and the dude fight?” Deek Kerr was the son of a fortune teller. He thought he read auras. Or maybe he did read auras and I was justa nonbeliever.

“We’re fine. Greg’s just a little freaked out about the upcoming wedding.” Greg had been worried about something else. He hadn’t talked about it, but Esmeralda had let it slip. He was being courted for a job by a state law enforcement agency. He’d always said he’d never leave South Cove, but I thought this position might be tempting him. I’d made him a resume last night and had planned on giving it to him this morning. Now, I’d just have to send it to him. He needed to review it and see if there was any work experience missing and if the dates were right. I’d heard that the agency was a stickler for absolute accuracy in the application process. “I’m hoping by the end of the month, he’ll be back to normal.”

Deek set down the book he’d been shelving. “Orange is a serious color for you. Maybe you should chat with my mom or Esmeralda. Sometimes having a professional’s takeon life helps.”

Professional? Rory Kerr and Esmeralda DeClair were fortune tellers, not mental health counselors or even life coaches. I shook my head. “I’m not much into taking advice from the beyond. Anyway,I need to go.”

When I moved to open the front door, a woman came inside, holding a stack of flyers.

“Excuse me, have you seen this girl?” The woman thrust a flyer into my hand. “It’s her senior picture. She went to Cal Poly in September, just down the road. She didn’t come home for Christmas, but she said she was skiing with friends. Then I went to her dorm last week and found out she’s been gone since October. Following this Reverend Matthews. I hear they have a church here. A place called New Hope.”

The picture was of a typical blond-haired, blue-eyed California girl. She grinned at the camera like she had her life in order and a plan to conquer the future.

I didn’t recognize the girl, but only a few of Matthews’s followers came into town. A few of the men drove a van into townonce a week to pick up mail, deliver their crafts to the shops that let them sell on commission, and drop by the bookstore. I’d heard from others that they did their food and supply shopping in Bakerstown. I felt lucky that they came to South Cove to buy books, at least.

I tried to hand the flyer back, but the woman shook her head. “Keep it. Maybe you’ll see her. Her name’s Carolyn. But she likes going by Carlie. She was studying engineering. And she worked so hard to get admitted to the school. I don’t understand what she’s thinking.”

“I haven’t seen her, but Deek will put the flyer up on our community board.” I handed my crumpled flyer to Deek, who looked up after seeing the picture andshook his head.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen her either. I’ll take another one for my writers’ group. Maybe someone has seen her around.” Deek held out his hand fora second flyer.

“Bless you. It’s just the two of us after her dad died last year. I thought she just needed some time at school.” The woman was sobbing now.

“Deek, why don’t you get—” I turned to look at the woman. “Sorry, I didn’tget your name.”

“Molly. Molly Cordon.” She sank into a chair at a table.“I’m so tired.”

“What do you want to drink, on the house?” Deek listed off all the coffee drinks witha little flair.

I smiled at him and left Molly Cordon in good hands. Getting a free coffee and some friendly attention from Deek wouldn’t bring back her daughter or solve the mystery of why she disappeared, but it might just brighten her day fora few minutes.

Walking home, I noticed the flyers in the windows of all the local businesses. If Carlie was living with Kane’s cult, he wouldn’t be too happy when he came back into town and saw them posted. But keeping him happy wasn’t my problem. I felt for the woman sitting in my coffee shop right now. No one should be faced with losing a child and not knowing why.

Josh Thomas was sweeping the sidewalk in front of his antiques store. His wife, Mandy, now worked for him along with his longtime assistant, Kyle. I’d seen a softer touch in the store’s decorations since their marriage. And if my unscientific count of increased customers wascorrect, adding her to the business had been a good thing. He picked up one of the flyers that someone must have dropped. “Didyou see this?”

I nodded. “Her mom’s in my bookstore right now. She looks like she needs a good month of sleep.”

“I know the feeling.” He glanced over at the bookstore windows. “I can’t imagine having your child go missing.”

I thought that out of everyone in town, Josh was the one person whocouldimagine it, since Mandy had disappeared before their wedding. I didn’t bring up the past, as I knew it was still painful. “Hopefully, she’ll be able to make contact with her. If Carlie’s in the—” I almost slipped and said cult, “—at the New Hope compound, I hope someone will see this and have hercall her mom.”

“I hope it’s that easy.” Josh took the flyer and his broom back inside his shop.

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