Page 44 of Just Hide

"She's not here. So, where is she?"

Connor looked at Cami expectantly in a way that told her he had the utmost confidence that she was going to figure out this unsolvable problem.

“I’m going to see now. I started a search while we were on the way,” she said.

"While you look her up, I'm going to see if they can give me a location on her cellphone," Connor emphasized.

“Wait! You probably don’t need to.” Cami felt a flash of relief as she checked her phone. “She's a fan of Karma Hot Yoga. It’s a yoga center a couple of miles from here. She’s mentioned here that she does classes most afternoons at four or five p.m. She seems to be a regular. At any rate, she’s talked about it a lot.”

"I'm still waiting for the cell triangulation, so let's go to the yoga center if that's the only check-in," Connor said. "And let's take a look at her. We need to see who we're searching for."

Cami pulled up a photo of Nadia. She looked to be of average height and a slim build, with a wayward mane of red hair that would make her easy to spot. She had a pretty, oval face and pale blue eyes.

They got in the car again and headed straight there.

The yoga center was in a strip mall a couple of blocks down the hill. The mall contained a mix of restaurants, bars, convenience stores, and a couple of clothing boutiques.

Karma Hot Yoga was in between a coffee shop and a restaurant. The lighting outside was warm and inviting. The frosted glass doors were closed.

Connor pushed them open, and Cami followed him inside. This was where she would be, surely?

It was where she had to be. There was no time for any mistakes or any delays. This case was now in crisis.

Inside the hot yoga studio, a rush of hot, humid, incense-scented air greeted them. Music with a strong background beat was playing. Warm, orange lights were flashing in the ceiling, giving the place a strangely disco feel. And a group of sweaty, smiling women were filing out, laughing, and talking.

"It's such an addictive workout," one was saying.

"Definitely my new must-have," another agreed breathlessly.

"I don't see her," Cami muttered. This suspect was nowhere among the group. She looked again, more carefully this time, scrutinizing all the faces for the one she knew had to be here.

But it wasn't. This was impossible! Nadia had mentioned hot yoga so many times on her social media that Cami was sure that it was her afternoon ritual. And she wasn't there?

"I guess we need to find out why not," Connor muttered in a tone of voice that told Cami nothing that happened on this case had the capacity to surprise him anymore.

Connor walked up to the instructor—a slim, smiling woman—who was just finishing up saying goodbye to one of her clients.

"We're looking for Nadia Becker," he said. "I'm FBI, and it's in connection with a case. We need information from her."

The instructor turned, frowning. "I'm sorry, who?”

“Nadia Becker. I believe she joins this class most afternoons,” Connor said.

The instructor looked blankly at them, then she delivered the bombshell.

“I’m sorry, she doesn’t. In fact, I’ve no idea who you’re talking about."

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Cami felt horrified, and disbelieving, as Connor turned to stare in puzzlement at her.

This was their strongest lead, and Nadia had been all over her own social media, talking about this hot yoga. Now, she wasn’t here, and they didn’t know where she was.

Connor was looking at her with doubt as if he’d trusted her to read the social media correctly, and she hadn’t. Well, how could she when something so unexpected had happened?

“Was it another branch she went to? Another time?” he muttered.

She shook her head. “It was this branch and this time that she mentioned.”

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