I turn to follow her gaze, but a crowd filters by.
Misty bolts this way, and Michaela scoops her up.
“Would you look at this fuzzy tornado?” She brushes the sand off the adorable kitten. “I’d better find her some water. She’s probably dying of thirst.”
Misty mewls. Tell her I’m dying to be left alone from tiny grabby hands! And I’d like two helpings of dinner tonight for all I’ve been through.
A small laugh strums through me. “Don’t worry, Misty!” I shout as they take off. “I’m sure Michaela will take good care of you!”
I turn and bump into a cute brunette in an ethereal blue dress.
“Oh!” Bernie hikes her drink up a notch. “I almost washed your hair with my champagne.”
“Worse things have made their way in it,” I say.
“I guess you’re wondering what I’m doing here.” She shrugs. “Archie told me about it. He said I should come for drinks as his guest—and see if anything happens.” With Zeke, that is. I think it’s sweet that Archie is trying his best to play matchmaker. Here’s hoping that something good happens to me for a change.
A groan comes from her as she looks to the memorial tribute to Julian.
There he is, my ex, looking as devious as can be.
“You know”—her chest bucks—“that’s probably the most honest depiction of Julian. He was a charmer through and through.”
“So I’ve heard.”
She makes a face. “Despite the fact he was a philanderer and he used me to do it, he really did have a decent heart. I mean, his ex-wife would contest it. I probably would, too, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t a devil.”
I tick my head to the side because I happen to know otherwise.
“What’s that look for?” Bernie’s mouth widens with a smile. “You don’t believe me?”
“You knew him, I didn’t.” I clear my throat a little. “Bernie, did you ever see him getting aggressive with the girls of the Collective? Or acting strange around them?”
She shakes her head. “He didn’t so much as date a single one of them. He was head over heels with me for a good long while. Even once I cut him loose, he remained in hot pursuit of me. In fact, that night, before we took the stage, he said he was going to prove his love to me. He said he was entangled in something dangerous, and as soon as he took care of it, he was going to focus one hundred percent of his attention my way. I wasn’t really looking forward to it.”
Something dangerous?
“Bernie, what do you think he was entangled in?”
“I don’t know. He did say something about the person being present and he couldn’t talk about it. He said it was time to get the sheriff’s department involved and that he wouldn’t wait until morning.”
“Bernie, did you share this with the sheriff’s department?”
She shakes her head. “I bolted out of there so fast, I hardly told them my name. Besides, Julian is gone. Whatever he wanted to tell them, he took it to the grave.”
“I guess you’re right.” That file bounces through my mind. “Hey? Did Julian ever mention those missing girls that once belonged to the Collective?”
Truthfully, I wanted to hear her confirm my suspicion.
Bernie tips her head to the side. “I don’t think so. Not to me anyway. He rarely talked about those missing women. But he did caution the girls still working the Collective. I remember him telling Michaela to be extra careful.” She touches her lips. “Oh, please don’t tell Michaela I said anything. If she finds out I outed her, she’ll kill me.”
“I already know. Michaela told me herself. But despite that, I won’t mention anything about it. So he was telling the girls to watch themselves?” I nod. “It sounds like he genuinely cared for their safety.” Or he was seasoning them to trust him before he knocked them over the head and hauled them away.
She shakes her head. “No, not all the girls. Just the blondes. He thought he saw a pattern forming.” She gives a wave into the crowd. “Would you excuse me, Bizzy? I see an old face I haven’t seen in ages.”
“Of course.”
Just the blondes?
I pull out my phone and pull up an image of Anita, Shelly, and Embry, all blondes with blue eyes, same scrubbed clean, wholesome expression on their faces. They really do look as if they could be sisters. I saw that pattern right away.
Sherlock and Lucky run by, panting like mad.
We’re headed to the café to find Georgie! Sherlock barks. We’re going to shake her down for bacon. And just so you know, Fish is hiding underneath the buffet table. There’s a band of children threatening to cat-nap her.
“I’ll go rescue her,” I say as they take off for bacon-laden pastures.
I’m about halfway to the buffet table when I come upon Archie with an all too familiar face by his side.
“Well hello, you two,” I lift my brows at my sister. Macy has on a little blue dress that brings out the same hue in her eyes. Her golden hair is curled under at the neck, but it’s those siren red lips of hers, curving into a devious smile, that let you know she’s up to no good. “Archie, if she gets to be too much, feel free to pull the ripcord. Maybe we should have a safe word? Something simple like help.”
He bucks with a laugh. His olive skin glows against his pale gray suit.
“That’s awfully kind of you, Bizzy.” He wraps an arm around my sister’s waist. “But I think I can handle whatever this one dishes out.”
Macy gurgles a dark laugh. “I think I’ve been going a little too easy on you.” She swills the brown liquor in her hand. “It looks as if I’m going to have to change that.”
“Give it your best
