On the drive to Three Bunch Palms, Rex felt anxious. He glanced over at Viv, who sat quietly looking out the passenger window. She didn’t initiate any conversation, which always made him feel uncomfortable.
Why is she acting all standoffish? Plus she didn't say yes at first. She finally agreed after I explained how we were going to do some surveillance. She's still hiding something from me. More quiet than usual. Damn, I wish I knew what I'd done.
Rex pulled the SUV into the entrance of the resort. He rolled down his window to talk to the man who leaned out from the air-conditioned hut. "My name is Redondo," he explained. "I have a reservation for the weekend."
The man reached for a clipboard. "Reservation for Rex Redondo and a guest." He eyed Viv, who sat motionless in the passenger seat. When she didn't smile, he looked back at his reservation sheet.
"Got it here. For two. All the bungalows are numbered," he explained in a singsong voice. "Yours is ready." Then he slammed the window of the hut closed. The gate lifted and Rex drove through.
They found a parking spot in the gravel area shaded by palms. Signs indicated their bungalow number 122 was close by. Rex helped Viv out of the car. She stood looking toward the mountain range as he hoisted bags from the back of the vehicle.
He attempted conversation. "So have you been here before?"
"No," Viv said.
With an exasperated huff, he moved toward the path, one rolling suitcase in each hand. He gestured for Viv to walk ahead. The winding path curved away from the parking lot into the resort, through a tree-shaded oasis. He stopped to glance at a map posted on a wooden announcement board.
The low murmur of voices drew his attention. He looked over to find a group of people. They all wore white fluffy bathrobes and had their heads bound in turbans. Sunglasses hid their eyes. One couple was doing all the talking.
He turned to Viv. "So like I said on the phone, my dermatologist sends patients here for special weekend retreats. They get work done and relax too. Have you heard about the place?"
"Yes," she said.
When she didn't add any more, his frustration got the better of him. "Are you mad at me? I'm feeling the distance, ever since last night."
Viv pointed ahead. "That's our bungalow. Number 122."
"So you're not going to answer my question. Okay then, play it that way." He lugged the suitcases down the path and toward the door.
Constructed in mid-century style, their bungalow had a courtyard and a tiled sign with the unit number prominently posted. The distinctive artwork on the tiles reminded Rex of his trips on a cruise ship. He'd done several shows for tourists traveling to Mexico. The bold cobalt-blue design matched the enormous cobalt-blue planters on each side of the door.
In the courtyard two lounge chairs had been placed in the shade of an umbrella. "Our casitas are very similar in design. Have you noticed?" Viv commented.
Relieved that she'd finally initiated some conversation, Rex agreed. "They do look similar. I think Desert Tortoise must have tried to imitate Three Bunch. This place is well known. Old Hollywood stars would come for the natural waters in the fifties."
"The grounds are welcoming," Viv added. Her voice had lost its edgy tone, much to Rex's relief.
"Like Hawaii, the atmosphere, don't you think?" He smiled at her, tapping his key card on the entry pad.
A fire had been prepared in the living room fireplace, and a bucket with a bottle of champagne sat on the hearth. Rex observed the cubes in the bucket. "Looks like the hospitality team just left." He stood in the middle of the room, giving her a moment to look things over. Viv took steps down the corridor.
"Two bedrooms?" She lifted the handle of her suitcase from his grasp and rolled down the hallway. Then she called back, "Just like the casitas. I'll take the bedroom at the back, if you don't mind."
"I'll take the other one," he called after her. She's not gonna tell me what's really bothering her. Okay then, I'll pretend I don't notice. We're here to investigate, not to squabble.
By the time Rex unpacked, he'd talked himself out of feeling irritated. I'm not here to hang out with Viv. This is a surveillance opportunity. He walked down the hallway, book for sitting by the pool in hand, and knocked on her door.
"Come in."
He found her in a bathing suit and cover-up, flip-flops on her feet, a large straw hat pulled low over her face. The brim, dipped over her eyes, giving her a casual but rather elegant appearance. His heartbeat quickened. "Reading my mind," he told her. “How about we sit by the pool for a bit before dinner? I've made reservations for seven. Does that suit you?"
"Sounds good." She sounded deliberately upbeat. But the coolness underneath was plain as day to Rex.
He'd also reserved a cabana by the pool earlier, which he explained to Viv as they strolled across the lushly landscaped path. Palm trees shaded the way, dipping gracefully overhead.
"So you come here often," Viv said. "Is that why you reserved everything?"
"I do know my way around," he admitted. "It was by happenstance, though, that I found out the couple in question were also frequent guests. It will be challenging to find them. Most people make it a point not to interact. And most people wear the same bathrobes and head turbans. Privacy is the policy. Some people even check in with fake names."
"You didn't," she commented quietly.
"I did at first," he admitted. "Wrote us down as Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow. Then I decided not to. I registered with my real name. I'm not hiding anything." He glanced at her. "And I thought using a fake identity might annoy you."
He saw Viv's eyebrows raise over her sunglasses. As he directed her toward the infinity pool, she said, "That was thoughtful of you and observant. You've rightly assumed that I’m uncomfortable with your easy attitude toward the facts."
"But not the truth," he said. "I am very clear on what's a story and how facts and lies can, when carefully crafted, lead to the truth. Just so you know."
Her small smile meant the world to him. He felt slightly better until she said, "But the widow and her date. What if they look at the register and realize we're following them?"
Rex frowned. He hadn't thought of that. In his eagerness to please Viv with telling the absolute truth, he'd missed the obvious. "You have a point," he muttered. "Let me think about that. I do have someone on the inside who may be able to change the check-in information."
They arrived at their assigned cabana. One oversized daybed, the main attraction, had been covered with a fitted white top sheet. Four towels, fluffy and also oversized, had been placed at the foot of the bed. Rex dropped his paperback and stretched, watching Viv from the corner of his eye.
She placed her bag on the left side, sitting down to test the mattress. Before either could stretch out, a familiar voice asked, "What can I get you two? A margarita perhaps, or a dry martini?"
The woman stood under the shade of the cabana. Dressed in blue short shorts and a red tank top, Sutton Drew held a cell phone with a cash payment device. She grinned at Viv and then nodded toward Rex.
Sutton turned around to untie the curtains on each side of the cabana. "Hope you had an easy check-in," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Do you work here?” Viv asked.
"I do now. Got myself a weekend job with some quick talk about needing cash. I told them I'd work for free this weekend and then they could decide to hire me full-time if they thought I'd fit in." Sutton adjusted her sunglasses, which were the color of her shirt—bright red.
Rex stretched himself out on the bed, raising both arms to prop up his head. He patted the place next to him, an invitation for Viv to join him. "We need to play the part of a couple,” he explained.
Viv removed her hat. She tucked the firm round pillow under her neck and leaned back. "Nice," she remarked.
Rex chuckled.
"I mean the pillow."
"They align your spine," Rex explained. "Like I said, everything this weekend is about making your body healthy."
"And about drinking and having sex." Sutton smirked.
"Oh, that won't be us!" Viv said instantly. "We're here to investigate."
Rex sighed. She'd answered so quickly. He knew for sure she was still mad at him for whatever reason. He'd been trying to give her space, but when she was so close, lying next to him, it made ignoring her impossible. If not for Sutton…
He nudged Sutton with his toe. "So did you catch sight of them yet?"
"Sure did. They checked in under the names of Fred and Ginger." Sutton grimaced. "I even know their bungalow and their weekend agenda. I think I can get surveillance on them right after dinner."
"Speaking of check-in," Rex said, “could you find our names and change them to Frank and Mia Sinatra?"
"I can so handle that," Sutton assured them. "Or how about Elvis and Priscilla just in case Frank and Mia are taken? Easily done. The receptionist owes me a favor."
"Already?" Rex exclaimed. "You've only been here a day. You do work fast!"
Sutton rolled her eyes and then winked at Viv. "He underestimates me all the time."
Viv spoke up. "So tell me how you'll do the surveillance, if you don't mind my asking. I'm interested. Are you staying in the bungalow next to them?"
"Nah. I'm not staying at Three Bunch. Commuting from home. I don't need to do anything so old-fashioned as skulking about. I have a drone for photos. It's loud, but I don't think they'll notice. Earbuds block out the sound, and everyone wears them now.
"And I slipped by early this morning to drop in my latest surveillance microphone. I've got everything they say on tape and can listen from an app on my phone. Pretty slick."
Rex sighed. "Enough details. I want a nap." He glared at Sutton, who stood up and asked, "So no drinks then?"
Viv rolled her head to the left. "Not for me." She turned to Rex. "Besides napping, what are we here for? It feels like Sutton has everything under control."
"Oh, she does," Rex admitted. "But I figured we could hang out and have a nice weekend while Sutton is on duty. She can report to us and we can do laps in the pool and soak in the hot springs. Dipping into that salty water, the palm trees swaying in the breeze. The night sky. There's nothing better.
"I don't mind the food either. All done for us. We can sleep and chill out." He closed his eyes, hoping Viv would appreciate his plans.
"Salt water dries out my skin." She sounded a bit cross.
"Is that all you can say? Three Bunch is world-renowned. And it's all on me. So sit back and enjoy your firm pillow." Rex closed his eyes again, a smirk on his lips.
Peeking from the corner of his eye, he saw that Viv had closed her eyes. To his relief, she didn't ask any more questions.
"Well I'll leave you two then," Sutton announced. "Sure I can't get you a cocktail?"
When neither Rex nor Viv responded, Sutton lifted the curtains and slipped out, the fabric falling back into place. Rex watched Viv from the corner of his eye. She stared up to the canopy above, her arms crossed over her chest.
Women. You just can't please them.
Rex closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.