'Go on.'
'We used to swim on impulse. Which means, you know…skinny-dipping?'
Brian gave her a look. 'Really?'
She nodded, even mustered a little smile. 'We didn't invite you guys along for that.'
Brian's expression was distant; probably, Brass was thinking, the husband was contemplating missed opportunities.
Now Regan appeared thoughtful. 'Only…this seems like a little late in the year for that. You know…too cold?'
'Yes it is,' Brass said. 'I do need to go over some old ground.'
'Please.'
He took out his minicassette recorder. 'And it's best I record it.'
'No problem.'
'But you will need to speak up a little.' He clicked it on and asked, 'How long have you known Missy?'
She sighed, shook her head, the blonde hair shimmering; she was a lovely woman-ex-jock Brian appeared to be a lucky man.
'Since Michigan State,' Regan said. 'We were both Tri Delts. Then, it turned out that our hometowns weren't that far apart-she grew up in Kalamazoo and I was from Battle Creek. We'd both been cheerleaders in high school and our towns played each other and…well, we were kindred spirits. So, anyway, we started riding home together for holidays and stuff. She was a year older than me, and helped me adjust to college and sorority life. We became best friends and…and have been ever since.'
Her lower lip was trembling, her eyes moist. Nick handed her a small packet of tissues and she thanked him; but she remained composed.
Brass asked, 'You moved out here because of Missy?'
'In part. I was looking for a new start, and Missy and Alex made it sound like such a great place to live. She'd keep talking about fun and sun, and me stuck in Michigan-anything to get the hell out of there!'
'Not much for winter?' Nick put in, with a friendly little smile.
She shook her head. 'I just hate winter, I despise snow. Plus, I was having sinus headaches and my doctor recommended I go somewhere warm, with a more steady climate. And my best friend and her husband were here.'
She was speaking louder now, more animated.
Brass asked, 'What can you tell us about the last time you saw her?'
The upbeat attitude faded, her eyes clouding over. After a while she said, 'It was such a typical day for us girls. Nothing special about it, but if you had to pick a representative day for what our friendship was all about, and what we did together, that day would've served just fine. Shopping, lunch, then…'
Her voice broke.
Brass paused in his questioning while Brian Mortenson put a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. Regan choked back a sob, digging into the tissues. She dabbed at her eyes. Her makeup did not run, however-studying her, Brass realized Regan's eyeliner was tattooed on.
'I…I'm…I'm sorry,' she finally managed.
They gave her a long moment to compose herself, then Brass went at it again. 'I do need more detail, Mrs. Mortenson,' he said. 'Let's start with what time you and Missy got together that day.'
Regan thought back. 'We were in separate cars. We usually didn't pick each other up or anything, we'd meet someplace. That morning…We met at Barnes and Noble, the one out on Maryland Parkway…by the Boulevard Mall?'
Brass and Nick both nodded.
'Anyway,' she went on, 'that was around ten. We had coffee and a scone, then browsed for a while. Alex had a birthday coming and he's such a movie freak that Missy wanted to get him this special movie book.'
'And did she?' Brass asked.
Nick remembered that although the Chinese food had been found in Missy's Lexus, no other packages remained.
'She did,' Regan said. 'Missy found just the right book for Alex-this biography of Red Skeleton.'
Nick smiled a little; but neither he nor Brass corrected her: Skelton.
She was saying, 'Alex is into the old movie stars-but, actually…I wound up giving it to him.'
'You gave it to him,' Brass repeated, not following.
Twisting the tissue in her hands, she said, 'We were planning to have Alex's birthday at our house-we've done that before.'
Brian nodded.
She went on: 'The store wrapped it for her and she just gave it to me to keep, till the party.' Regan's voice shrank even more. 'Of course, we never had that party, not after Missy disappeared.'
'And you gave him the book.'
She nodded.
'When?'
For a second she seemed to not understand the question, then said, 'On his birthday,' as if that should have been obvious. 'I stopped over and gave him the package, and told Alex it was from her.'
'This was a month after she disappeared.'
Another nod. 'I thought he'd appreciate that. That it would seem…special.'
'And how did he react?'
She smirked sourly. 'I guess it wasn't the smartest thing I ever did-he really broke up. He cried and cried.'
And then she began to cry too, muttering, 'Stupid…stupid…stupid…'
Mortenson rubbed his wife's neck. 'Don't beat yourself up, baby. You were just trying to be nice.'
Picking the momentum back up, Brass asked, 'Okay, where to after the bookstore?'
'Caesar's-the Forum shops for a couple hours. It's expensive but there's lots of fun stuff to see.'
'So you were just window shopping?'
'Mostly, but Missy did buy a nice sweater at…I don't remember which store, for sure. It was a year ago….'
'Think, for a moment.'
'…Saks, maybe? Only, we pretty much made the rounds that day and hit almost every store. She could have bought that anywhere. And maybe something else…But anyway, I'm positive she was carrying some bags when we went back to our cars.'
'Okay. You get through shopping at Caesar's. Then what?'
'Lunch. It was after one by then and we decided to go to the China Grill at Mandalay Bay.'
Nick, in his friendly way, asked, 'That's kind of a tourist trap, isn't it?'
'Yeah, sort of, but the food is really good. And Missy and me, we're people watchers. We both get a kick out of watching the tourists and guessing who they are and where they're from. It's better than the zoo.'
'Do you remember what you had for lunch?'
'Grilled mahimahi. That's what I always have there. It's great.' Her grief over Missy appeared momentarily displaced by her enthusiasm for her lunch. 'They grill it with pea pods, yellow squash, carrots, leeks, and shitaki mushrooms.'
'What about Missy? Wouldn't happen to remember what she ordered?'
'She had a fave, too-Mongolian beef. Without fail, that's what she'd order. Great girl, but no sense of adventure when it came to food.'
'What did you two talk about over lunch?'
Regan shrugged, her mood upbeat again. 'Missy and I decided to get the boys to take us to see the Harry Potter movie.'
Brian Mortenson rolled his eyes just outside his wife's line of vision.
'You girls talk about anything else?' Brass asked. 'Was Missy having trouble at home?'
Regan shook her head. 'Not really-she thought the world of Alex, and he's been crazy about her since college.'
