Page 15 of Wired Justice

“Thank you. I slept very well.” She wouldn’t look at him. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Me too. Let’s drive over to that park Hernandez suggested and continue canvassing. Did your computer program turn up anything?”

“Not yet.”

Ginger thrust her head between the seats, and Jake caressed the dog. The Lab shut her eyes and rubbed against his hand wantonly as Sophie watched. Blotchy red appeared on her neck and she turned away, taking a bite of the local Portuguese pastry. She was thinking about him touching her. Wishing he’d touch her like he was stroking her pet.

Good.

Jake brushed her arm as he put the Jeep in gear, and once they were on the road, he took her hand.

It was a bold move, and he knew it was the wrong one when Sophie pulled her hand away and tucked it into her lap. “Jake, we have to talk. Last night . . .”

“Last night happened, and I’m not sorry.” Talking was a mistake. Talking would make her withdraw back into her shell. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“I won’t be one of your . . .”

“I know. You told me. And I told you . . . what I told you.” He cleared his throat. He didn’t want to have to try to define what they were to each other at this stage. “Can we just move on? Do we have to analyze this?”

“Do we?” She eyed him. “I think you were a little generous with the amaretto last night.”

He cracked a grin. “Was I? Didn’tnotice.”

She rolled her eyes and groaned. “You’re what they call a bad boy, Jake.”

“You have no idea.” He winked.

She punched him in the arm, hard, and this time he was the one who groaned.

East Point Park was on the dry side of the island’s volcanoes. Golden brown hills covered in dried grasses swept down to a horseshoe bay of gleaming turquoise water, black sand, and stunted kiawe trees. The area was sheltered from the prevailing wind by a rocky promontory. Tents were clustered under the overhanging trees.

Jake and Sophie began their questioning at the edge of the campground.

They had no luck with the campers, nor the beachgoers enjoying the sun and sand. Finally, the pimply young man occupying the ticket booth on the way into the park nodded at the sight of Julie’s picture. “Yeah. I saw her. She was here for two days. Let me see where.” He typed into a laptop and looked up. “She stayed in campsite 19A.”

“Was she with anyone? Did she share the campsite?” Sophie’s voice was low and urgent, and the young man looked up, really taking her in for the first time. His eyes widened as he tracked her face, her scar, both of their utilitarian black clothing.

“Who did you say you were?” They showed their Security Solutions IDs.

“This young woman is missing. We are trying to find anyone who might have seen her.”

“Well, people are not supposed to share campsites, and it didn’t seem like she did. But she was sharing a fire with a couple.”

Jake took out his phone and showed the couple from the park outside of Hilo. “Any chance it was these two?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact. The three of them were barbequing. I leave the ticket booth when it closes at six, but they already seemed to be having a good time before I left.” The tops of his ears turned red. “We’re not supposed to allow alcohol in the campground, but it’s hard to call people on it.”

“Did they camp that night?” Sophie asked.

“Yes. The couple only stayed the last night that your missing woman did.” He tapped some buttons, and nodded. “Yep. Spot 19B right next to her.”

“What were their names?”

“Jim Webb and Holly Rayme.”

Jake and Sophie thanked him and walked through the campground to the site in question. Jake surveyed the level, sandy sites with their tidy enclosed metal fire ring. “So she met them here. Probably went to the next park with them. They know something, I’m sure of it.”

“I agree. Is it time to contact Freitan and see if we can get that couple picked up?”

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