First to Die

1"V.

h' '

local guys and I swept a hundred yards into the woods." He shook his head in exasperation. "Not even a footprint. I looked around the car, too. It's locked. No blood, no sign of a struggle. But something happens to them out here. Someone accosts them. Twenty, thirty yards from the hotel." I took a frustrated 360-degree scan of the driveway and the nearby parking lot. A local police cruiser was set up outside the property gate. "Not accosts them. Too risky. It's in plain view. Maybe someone picked them up." "Reservations were only for two," he countered. "And the guy at the front door insists they were headed to their car." "Then they vanish?" Our attention was diverted by the swoosh of a long black limousine turning into the resort's pebbly driveway. It pulled up under the redwood overhang in front of the entrance. Raleigh and I watched the hotel door open and the doorman emerge rolling a trolley of bags out. The driver of the limo hopped out to open the trunk. It hit us both at the same time. "It's a long shot," said Raleigh, meeting my eyes. "Maybe," I agreed, "but it would explain how someone gained access without attracting anyone's attention. I think we should check if any limos have been reported stolen lately in the Bay Area." Another car turned into the driveway, a silver Mazda, and parked near the far end of the circle. To my dismay, a woman in cargo pants and a University of Michigan sweatshirt jumped out. "Raleigh, you said one of your particular skills was containment, didn't you?" He looked at me as if I had asked Dr. Kevorkian, You're sort of good at mixing chemicals, aren't you? "Okay," I said, eyeing the approaching figure, "contain this." Walking up to us was Cindy Thomas. :i