Sister Amy, and generally acting like an idiot. I hadn't done my homework on the place, and my search almost ended right there. By asking about Peggy, I may have put her in more danger. Time was critical. I had to know what was going on.
I walked onto the veranda of Michelle's house and rang the bell. She opened the door, wearing a big smile. She had changed clothes and was dressed casually in a pair of blue shorts and a halter top. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was barefoot. Her lovely fingers were wrapped around the grip of a nine-millimeter pistol, pointed at my chest.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
'Come in, Mr. Royal,' Michelle said. 'We've been expecting you.'
Uh-oh. This couldn't be good. But, I'd never refused the offer of a pretty young woman, especially if she was holding a gun on me. I entered the house as Michelle backed into the foyer, gun pointed directly at my gut. I didn't doubt that she would gladly put one into my heart if I didn't do what she said.
She waved me into the living room off the foyer. 'That was a pretty good picture our security camera got at the spa,' she said. 'I recognized you immediately.'
The truck driver was sitting at ease in a recliner, no weapon in sight. He stood and frisked me. He took the. 38 out of my pocket and put it on a table next to his chair. He sat back down, crossed one leg over his knee, and grinned.
He was a big man, with oversized muscles bulging out his T-shirt sleeves. His dark hair was cropped close, and his face wore the quizzical look affected by so many body builders who make up for their lack of brains with a lot of brawn. Three angry scratch marks ran the length of his left cheek. Peggy had taken a hunk out of his hide.
I wondered how he had gotten to Michelle's house without my seeing him, but then realized he could have come through the backyard.
Michelle nodded in the man's direction, and said, 'Charlie recognized you on the street a few minutes ago. He thought you were following me.'
'Mr. Calhoun, I presume,' I said.
A momentary look of surprise crossed his face. 'How do you know my name?' he asked.
'You're a famous street punk. Everybody tells me you're as stupid as you look. I wonder if that's possible.'
He was coming out of his chair. 'You smart-ass son of a bitch. You shot my buddies.'
'Sit, Charlie,' Michelle said, and like an obedient dog, he fell back into the chair.
'Minds well,' I said.
'You might want to be careful, Mr. Royal. I might just let him loose on you.'
'Please, call me Matt. We're all friends here.'
'Sit on the sofa,' she said, and took a chair directly across from me. I sat. There was a low coffee table between us, a large flat book of photographs of the Florida Keys lying on top.
'Why are you here, Matt?' Michelle asked.
'I'm looking for a girl. An eighteen-year-old college student named Peggy Timmons. The same girl old Charlie here was chasing a couple of days ago. I heard she just about took him. Looks like she marked him up pretty good.'
Charlie started to rise again, a look of irritation on his face. 'I'll kick your ass,' he growled.
'Sit, Charlie,' said Michelle, again.
'But, Michelle,' Charlie said.
'Sit.' Louder this time.
Charlie sat, but he didn't like it.
I looked at him and smiled. 'You're a lot safer doing what the lady tells you, Charlie.'
He started out of the chair again, but went back down at one look from Michelle. He wanted to tear my head off and, if I kept goading him, sooner or later he was going to take his shot. I was counting on it.
I heard a clock chime somewhere in the back of the house. Five o'clock. The light was slanting through the west-fronting windows now, little dust motes hovering in the beams. I heard a motor scooter pass on the street, and somewhere in the distance a ship's horn sounded. One of the cruise ships was leaving its dock, full of sunburned tourists heading for the next island.
I smiled at Michelle. 'Are you going to tell me where to find Peggy?'
She smiled back. 'No.'
'What about her mother, Laura Timmons?'
'Who?' Michelle looked puzzled, as if she'd never heard the name before.
'Maybe I'll have to ask Reverend Simmermon,' I said.
She and Charlie both laughed, quickly, snorts really, rather than laughter. 'You think that idiot runs things?' Michelle asked.
'His picture is on Charlie's truck,' I said.
She chuckled this time. 'Yeah, I kind of let him think he's running things sometimes. It helps keep his ego in check.'
'Is he on Blood Island?'
She looked mildly surprised. 'My, my, you've been a very busy boy.'
'Look, Michelle, I don't care what you've got going with the spa or anything else. I just want the girl.'
'I can't let that happen, Matt. It's too late.'
'Why is that?'
'She's seen more of our operation than is healthy.'
'And Laura?'
'I don't know anybody named Laura. And if she's Peggy's mother, she'd be a little long in the tooth for our needs.'
'I'm not sure I understand your operation. Do you kidnap these kids into prostitution?'
'Lord, no.' She laughed. 'These kids come from all over to find the light. They're all looking for something, and when the Rev gets through with them, they know they've found God. Or at least the Rev's idea of God.'
'I don't get it.'
'The Rev has a twisted view of Christianity. I'm not sure he believes it himself, but lie sure can sell it to stupid people.'
'What happens to the kids?'
'Most of them are girls. We sort of reprogram them and put them in the spas. They think they're hooking for Jesus. They're idiots:'
I sat quietly for a moment, remembering the vacant look in Sister Amy's eyes. 'You're drugging them,' I said, my voice flat.
'Of course we are.' Michelle let out a short laugh, like I'd just said something stupid. 'How else are we going to keep them down on the farm? Or the spa?' She was enjoying herself.
I crossed my right leg over my left knee, swinging my foot rhytlimi- cally, feigning indifference to my situation. 'How do you recruit diem?' I said.
'Easy. The lost ones are always at the revivals. We do a preliminary look-see, chat them up, and, if they don't seem too smart, we put somebody on them to find out more.'
'Like Jake Yardley,' I said.
'Exactly.'
'Then what?'
'We invite them down to Blood Island for a retreat. A few doses of certain drugs in their food, and they're ours. The Rev preaches to them, takes an interest in them, and tells them we love them. He usually screws the girls for good measure. Then we send them to the Heaven Can't Wait Spa. They've Joined the Circle of Lilies. They think it's some kind of religious order.'
