Page 56 of Phoenix Rising

“Beautiful name. I’ll be in town for a few days, Aja Blue LaLonde. If you see the person again or need help, call me. Nice to, ah, meet you.”

With that, he was gone. Aja Blue watched him walk away, his loose-limbed stride long and sure. He had an ass that she wanted to grab. The overwhelming urge to run after him struck her, and she took a few steps before stopping. She’d learned early to only depend on herself, and she’d lived by that mantra. But watching Christian Zamora walk out of her life was enough to change her philosophy.

With a shake of her head, Aja Blue turned around and headed out the door.

Chapter Sixteen

Hunter returned to the suite and filled the others in on their interrogation of Raphael Ramsey. Neither he nor Christian felt he was guilty of destroying their belongings. Audria would withhold judgment until he was proven innocent. He had no alibi, so he was still on her list.

She was glad to have her coworkers’ assistance, but she would miss being alone with Reese. She’d admitted to herself that she loved him and wanted to spend as much time as possible together until they had to part ways. It would pass much too quickly the way it was.

“If this Guru Phoenix is indeed Richard Caraway, I wonder what he did with Tilly,” Talia mused.

“Who is Tilly?” Audria asked.

“His sister, Matilda. She has Down syndrome.”

Audria knew his sibling had been in the hospital when Richard Caraway had escaped. A sudden image of their first day in Sedona flashed through her head. “This might be a long shot, but I met a woman with Down syndrome the other day. She was handing out flowers to welcome people to town. She said her name was Ariel.”

Talia gasped. “Like the mermaid. Tilly loved her.”

“She was also using a walker. Didn’t you say his sister broke her ankle?”

“Yes,” Talia confirmed.

“Her shirt said Sunshine Residence,” Reese remembered. “It must be a group home.”

Hunter typed into his phone. “It is. Their mission statement says they help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live independently while providing a caring, nurturing environment.”

“I hope Ariel is Tilly,” Talia murmured. “That is where she needs to be instead of hidden away from society by her murderous brother.”

“I’ve been giving this some thought,” Hunter announced. “If it is Elijah, he’s gone to great lengths to disguise himself by possibly shaving his head and growing a beard. We’ll act like we don’t recognize him. Then we’ll skip out early before he can stop us.”

“Oh, that is good,” Talia agreed. “That will drive him crazy. Then we can speak with Tilly tomorrow before we see him again. We will make him sweat like the dog he is.”

“Reese and I had better disguise ourselves.” Audria picked up the bag and found a blonde, shoulder-length wig and brown contacts. For Reese, temporary hair dye would turn his black hair white, and he’d wear brown contacts too.

“I will help you,” Talia offered.

Audria didn’t recognize herself in the mirror by the time they were finished. She swung her head, causing the wig to swish from side to side.

“You look good,” Talia praised.

“Thanks.”

Audria exited the bathroom, and Reese’s eyes widened. “Nice.”

She hoped the blush she felt didn’t show. “Your turn.” She helped him add the dye to his hair and eyebrows. Then he popped in the contacts. Instead of his usual tousled style, which was incredibly sexy, he slicked it back. He should’ve looked funny, but all Audria wanted to do was jump him and have her way with him.

#

Audria and Reese led the way to Spiritual Beginnings, with Talia and Hunter following behind in their flashy carmine red Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. Audria had felt some serious car envy when she saw their ride. It was magnificent. Reese had wanted to get behind the wheel, but they didn’t have time.

Reese parked in the lot, and they headed inside the building. After passing through security, they approached the check-in desk. This would be the first test. They’d talked to Helen Krause for a while last time as Ross and Amy Green. If she didn’t recognize them, chances were Elijah wouldn’t either.

“Welcome to Spiritual Beginnings. Do you have a reservation?”

“We do. Russell and Allie Moore.”

---