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“Where did she blow the case, Max?” Odelia heard Dooley ask his friends, but she was already darting across the street, followed by Chase, as she honed in on the Hampton Cove Star, the town’s most popular hotel. “We’re looking for a blond woman who’s friends with a dark-haired woman with a dolphin tattoo,” she announced.

“I’m sure we’ll find her in no time,” Chase said dryly. “I mean, how many blond women could there possibly be staying at the Star?”

Only one, she hoped, though it wasn’t likely. They walked in, and headed straight for the front desk, where the desk clerk, a gangly teen, stood checking his phone, a bored expression on his face.

“Hi,” said Chase, producing his badge. “Can you help us out, buddy?”

“Depends,” the pimple-faced youth said, looking annoyed at the interruption.

“We’re looking for a blond woman,” said Odelia, a little out of breath.

“And she’s friends with a dark-haired woman with a dolphin tattoo,” said Chase added. “If that helps.”

“It doesn’t,” said the kid. “Do you have a name for me?”

“No, we don’t,” said Odelia. “But I mean, seriously, how many blond women could possibly be staying at the hotel, right?” She laughed.

The kid didn’t even crack a smile. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a little more specific. I need at least a surname.”

“Well, I don’t have a surname to give you. Only a description.”

“Not much of a description, though, is it?”

“Look, who knows the people staying here? Like… members of your housekeeping staff, maybe?”

“You want me to ask the cleaners if they happened to see a blond hair on one of the pillowcases in the last couple of days or so?” he suggested with a smirk.

Odelia suppressed a sudden impulse to grab the kid by the neck and squeeze.

“Don’t you have photo ID in that computer of yours?” asked Chase. “Can’t you scroll through it to look for any blondes?”

“First off, if you think I’ll let you sniff through our computer, think again. There are laws, you know. Privacy and stuff? And secondly, have you ever heard of hair dye? Blond today, brunette tomorrow?”

It was obvious the kid wasn’t going to cooperate, so Odelia took Chase’s arm, and led him into the lobby, where they took a seat on the same burgundy settees they’d sat on the day before. It seemed like they were spending an awful lot of time in this hotel.

“We’ll just sit here and wait until this blond woman and her friend come walking in or out,” she said. “I mean, sooner or later she has to pass by the lobby, right?”

“Could be that she already checked out,” said Chase. “In which case this whole thing is simply an exercise in futility. No, why don’t I call your uncle and maybe he can make this kid stop jerking us around?”

“You mean lean on him until he breaks?”

“Sounds like a plan, right?”

Just then, Vesta and Scarlett waltzed into the lobby, followed by four cats.

“What’s this I hear about a break in the case?” asked Vesta.

“There would be a break in the case, if the kid behind the reception desk would play ball,” said Chase. “But since he’s not, so far we’ve got zip. What have you got?”

“Nothing much. One girl remembers seeing Kirk, but he was by himself. Buying a bra,” said Scarlett, raising her eyebrows meaningfully.

“Probably a present for one of his lady friends,” Chase ventured, at which point all three women present rolled their eyes at him, the gesture clearly telegraphing ‘Duh!’

“Why don’t I have a crack at the kid?” Vesta suggested.

“And me,” said Scarlett, and before Odelia could stop them, both women were stalking up to the reception desk, the kid eyeing them with a distinct sense of disdain. He clearly wasn’t too fond of his job.

Odelia and Chase watched on as Vesta and Scarlett talked to the teenager, and saw his face change color. First from his natural pink to a bright beet red, then to a sickly white.

And as they made their way back, Vesta announced triumphantly,“We have a name and a room number, you guys and gals. The name is Norma Connors and the room 425.”

“Miss Connors is very blond and also has very big boobies—at least according to our pimply expert over there.”

“How did you do that?” asked Chase, a touch of awe in his voice.

“Well, first I told him that I’d tell his manager about the sex sites he’s been visiting on the front desk computer,” said Vesta.

“And then I told him I’d start screaming at the top of my lungs that he’d just touched my boob if he didn’t give me the room number of the pretty blonde with the girlfriend with the fish tattoo,” said Scarlett.

“How did you know he’d been surfing to naughty sites?” asked Odelia.

“Oh, will you look at the kid?” said Vesta. “He’s a teenager, hormones raging through his teenage body, and probably not a girlfriend in sight. Now let’s go, shall we? I believe we have a date with a suspicious blonde on the fourth floor.”

Chapter 34