Page 81 of While You Were Spying
The little girl bounces in her chair. “The fairy princess? Mommy, I want blue hair, too.” She looks hopefully at the woman who I assume is her mother.
I crouched to her level. “You saw the woman I just described?”
She nods emphatically. “She was talking on the phone and she laughed like a fairy princess.”
I have no idea what a fairy princess’s laugh sounds like, but she could be describing Isabelle. I always thought her laugh was sexy, but what does the kid know about that?
“Do you remember what color her dress was?” I ask.
“White with lots of blue flowers.”
That was definitely Isabelle.
“Was there anyone else with her? Or was she just talking on the phone?”
“Just talking on the phone.”
“Did you hear any unusual sounds? Maybe a car engine or a car door banging shut…”
She fidgets in her chair, the way kids do when they can’t sit still any longer. Or they have to go pee. “A fairy bell?”
“A fairy bell?” What the heck is that?
“Sweetie,” the older woman, who could be the little girl’s grandmother, says. “Do you mean a bell like Fairy Dust wears?”
The little girl nods again. “Yes, like Fairy Dust’s bell.”
“Fairy Dust is our cat,” her mother explains.
“Did you see the cat?” I ask the little girl. If the adults don’t remember seeing Isabelle, it’s doubtful they noticed a cat wandering outside.
She shakes her head, pouting. “We had to go inside the restaurant.”
Even though the question is pretty pointless, I still ask the adults if they noticed anyone else outside or heard anything unusual when they entered the restaurant. They admit they were too busy talking to notice much of anything.
I thank the family. The hostess then escorts me to another group of customers. They arrived at the restaurant after the family. All agree that there was no one standing outside the restaurant when they entered.
Shaking my head to myself, I walk to the entrance, reining in the need to sprint there.
Blake approaches me, cutting across the restaurant. Virginia is right behind him. “Is something wrong?” he asks.
Given what Connor texted earlier, I’m not interested in telling them anything. I have no idea who they really are and if they have anything to do with why Isabelle and I are staying at the resort.
“No, everything’s fine. Excuse me, I need to catch up with my wife. She had to go back to the resort to check on something.”
That’s possible. It could be that Landon contacted her about whatever he found on Bernard’s computer. Or maybe he just needed her help to distract the old man so that Landoncancheck his computer.
Seeing me, the waitress comes over, carrying the cardboard takeaway box and Isabelle’s purse. “Here’s the chocolate cake.” She hands them to me.
I thank her, and she walks away.
“Hold this a moment.” I pass the box to Blake and remove my sling. A sharp ache bites me in the arm.
Goddamnfuckinghell.
“Don’t you need that?” Blake nods at the sling in my hand.
“I’ll survive,” I say with a grimace.
