I fall back a step, my hands coming up to cover my mouth as my head shakes.
“They have her,” I mutter.
“What is it, Emma?” Eric asks.
“Graciela didn't take a couple of days off. They have her. Wherever the other girls are, they have her. She never would have quit this job. Especially not like that. Coming to work here on this island was her dream. There's no way she would have just walked away from it. And her mother wouldn't have told her she needed her help. Her mother is the one who encouraged her to go out into the world and follow her own dreams. She's the one who told her to be true to herself and go out and make the most of herself. Whoever wrote that note didn't know her well enough,” I say.
My teeth clench so hard my jaw hurts as I turn back to Alonso. “Where is she?”
“I told you, I don't know. I got that note and that's it. I haven't been able to get in touch with her.”
“You need to stop pretending,” I tell Alonso, my voice made of gravel. “You aren't convincing anyone. I know this resort is a cover. You're offering your guests the same drugs you're using to keep control over the women you're treating like bottles of liquor in a minibar. You churn them through your little prostitute training academy, then turn them out to entertain your VIP guests. Six of them are being held right now. The five you have marked as being on leave and Graciela. I don't know how you got your hands on her, but she better not be hurt. Tell me where they are.”
“You have to believe me when I tell you I don't know what you mean.”
"I don't have to believe a word that comes out of your slimy mouth. You need to stop thinking about your cover because I already know it isn’t true. What you should actually be worried about is that if there is a single hair hurt on any of those women, I will personally see to it that you are put on a small platform and gradually lowered into prison while guards announce that you traffic women and pump them full of drugs to keep them compliant. Then they'll bring you back up, let you recover a bit, then dip you back down. Over and over again until there's nothing left to bring back up. Do you understand me?"
Alonso cracks, his face going red then pale and his hands shaking.
“Okay, I'll admit it. I know about the drugs. They’re offered in the spa and lounge, and to specific vetted guests in their rooms.”
"Or the cabins?"
"Yes. Occasionally our elite guests will want more privacy and will request one of the cabins for the night. Their choice of drug is delivered to them there along with anything else they might require."
"Like a woman who fits their description of choice?" I ask.
He shakes his head hard.
"No. Nothing like that. All I know about is the drugs. I don't know who orders them or how they get here. All I'm responsible for is collecting guest requests, ensuring they are authorized, and having their choice delivered to them. Yes, that is done by the women on the staff, but that's it."
"Get off it, Alonso. I heard you talking to Rosa. You told her a guest was renting cabin three for the evening and that you wanted her to fulfill his expectations."
"Mr. Coltrane," he replies with a nod. "Three lines, a bottle of whiskey, classical music, and fruit tarts. It's the same thing every time he visits. The last time he was disappointed because the room was not set up to the specific way he requested it, and it had to be redone, which cut into his time. I was emphasizing to Rosa that she needed to be prompt and ensure everything was done the right way. No one else was in that cabin with him."
"You talked to Frederick about the girls going on leave," I point out.
"The women who are on leave are taking time off from work. It's part of the benefits offered to them when their manager hired them.”
Alonso sounds confused, and his wide eyes are getting bloodshot.
"Graciela was never offered leave."
"I know that. It's not something I offer when hiring new staff."
That strikes me.
"You didn't hire Rosa?" I ask.
"No. She was brought in by the staffing company."
"What staffing company?"
"The resort is constantly looking for new staff, exactly like I told you. Many of the people who come to work here think it sounds amazing until they understand the full pressures and responsibilities."
"Like being expected to fulfill the sexual requests of strangers?" I ask.
"No," he says firmly. "Being away from home. Not having access to social media, as is the policy of the resort for all staff. The formality and standards. It's easy to think working on an island will just be about partying and relaxing, but that's not what is required of our staff. Those who leave have to be replaced, and we like to have a larger staff than we need to ensure there is never a guest left waiting. A staffing company is used to fill those spots in addition to hires by the resort itself.
"Oh, God," I gasp, looking at Eric. "The note from Emmanuel. It said, 'he didn't hire her.' He was talking about Alonso. Alonso didn’t hire Rosa. Graciela must have told him I asked about the two of them talking. He wasn't having a relationship with her. He was trying to warn her. Rosa had probably agreed to leave, and he was trying to help as many others as he could."
Chapter Thirty-Four
"Rosa's death wasn't accidental," Alonso gasps as the words formed in his head.
“No, it wasn't,” I explain. “Just like I told you the morning she was found. She was murdered. Somebody bashed her
