“Consider this Cupcake Search Headquarters,” Roy said to two guests as he slid their frozen strawberry margaritas across the bar. “This is the place to come for all official information, and search plans for the day. Soon I’ll have official Cupcake merchandise. All proceeds will go directly to securing his safe return.”
Casey and I shared a look.
His face brightened when he saw us sitting at the end of the tiki bar. “If it isn’t my guests of honor. What’s your pleasure?”
“We need to talk, Roy.”
His face fell. “Is something wrong with your rooms? My sister instructed me to give you two of our best suites.”
“No. The rooms are fine.” I motioned to the couple next to us as they clinked their plastic cups together. “We need to talk about what you just told them. Your sister hired me for this investigation, Roy. Any official information—and merchandise—should come from Rosamund only.”
He gave me an oily smirk and leaned forward. “Is that why you’re sitting in a bar in your bathing suit after you spent the morning getting your cards read, instead of combing every inch of this town like your friend suggested?”
His expression softened when he glanced at Casey. But she wasn’t having any of it. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him.
“It’s part of the investigation.” Immediately I felt like I’d said too much.
“You think Marnie took Cupcake?” He let out a robust laugh that made everyone at the pool take notice. “Marnie is a respected business owner and longtime resident of this town. You can’t waltz in here and throw out accusations like that.”
He’d twisted my words, but I wouldn’t correct him. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the investigation with you.”
Another laugh. “You’re not the police, Ms. Dawson. You’re a delusional young woman taking advantage of vulnerable older citizens.”
“Rosamund hardly seems frail,” Casey said. She’d smoothed things over with Roy once already. “She hired us. We didn’t seek her out. And like Addie said, there are things going on we can’t discuss. You want to see your sister get her cat back, right?”
She gave him another dating profile worthy smile.
He was putty in her hands. “Of course I do. My sister never had a family of her own, and her cats are everything to her.”
“Do you have a family, Roy?” I asked.
“I do. My twins are in college now. The wife and I stayed together until they finished high school, and then we decided it was best for both of us to explore other options.” His gaze landed firmly on Casey.
“I appreciate all you’re doing to help us with this investigation, but as Rosamund hired me, I’d love to be included in any plans you have to help find Cupcake—just to make sure no one’s stepping on any toes.” I waited for him to acknowledge me. Once I got a nod, I continued. “Thank you. Now can you tell me if any of the guests that are currently at the pool were here when the search parties were formed.”
He grinned. “I’m not at liberty to share information about my guests, Ms. Dawson.”
Infuriating, but I wouldn’t give out information about the shelter simply because someone asked. So in theory, I understood. But in reality, every minute we didn’t know where Cupcake was would make it harder to locate him. And the most frustrating part was that Roy was right. We looked bad, hanging out in the pool in our bathing suits, even if we were working.
I could tell him about the ransom notes, but he already had enough power over us, and I refused to give him anymore. I turned to Casey. “We should go.”
She nodded and slid off her barstool.
“So soon, ladies?” Roy held up his hands. “It’s happy hour.”
“We’re working,” I reminded him.
He almost laughed at us again, but he must have thought better of it. “Casey, when you’re done with work, I’d be honored if you joined me for a nightcap.”
“Searching for Cupcake is a twenty-four-seven job.” She was too good at this. “But this is a super cute bar. We’ll have to hold the celebration party here once Cupcake is safely reunited with your sister.”
With Persephone in tow, we didn’t look back until we got back to our rooms. I collapsed on my bed. “Isn’t he a peach?”
“He’ll back down if you stand up to him. He’s used to being a bully. No wonder he’s divorced.” Casey settled next to me. “He was about to call the police on all the people who gathered until I went out there.”
“That’s because he likes you.”
“He can dream on, because he’s the same age as my dad, and ew.” She shuddered. “He’s definitely not the guy Marnie talked about during the reading.”
“She did say to beware of men showering gifts on you and to make sure you got the treatment you deserved.” I didn’t want Roy to be the guy in Casey’s reading either, but he did fit certain aspects. “We should probably rethink our approach. It was my plan to get immersed in Rosamund’s world—that’s worked every other time. That’s easier to do in a city than it is in a small town. But if anyone knows small towns, it’s us, right? Sometimes I pinch myself that I get paid for this. So I can understand—”
“No.” Casey sat up and turned to me. “Don’t doubt yourself because what you’re doing looks bad according to Roy. What if he’s trying to push us away from something?”
“I didn’t think of that. Do you think Roy has something to do with Cupcake’s disappearance?”
Rosamund didn’t seem to think so.
“I think Roy’s an opportunist. Whether he got involved in this opportunity before or after Cupcake went missing remains to be seen.” She scrolled through notifications on her phone. “Oh, it looks like there’s been a Cupcake sighting.”
“Where? And how do you know?”
“I started a group before everyone left the motor inn.” She grinned. “Roy only thinks he’s in charge of this investigation. Let him. We’ll keep working.”
“What’s the info?” I got off the bed and dug through my suitcase for something that wasn’t a bathing suit or covered in cat hair.
“They didn’t give an address. Just that they saw him behind where the Dairy Barn used to be.” Casey sighed. “Hopefully nothing a quick search can’t fix.”
“That means whoever posted it is local. Make a note of their name in case it comes up again.” Or we could figure out a way to talk to them. The game had changed since we came to Rappaport. A life was on the line, and we couldn’t rely only on what Rosamund told us to save it.
“The building is still there. Covered in graffiti. It’s five minutes away.”
Once we got dressed, the three of us were back in the SUV. Roy was still holding court at the bar. I’d swear he watched us drive away. Nothing got past this man. He was the mayor of the town that was named after his family, and he wanted to make sure we knew that.
I hadn’t bothered to put Persephone in her carrier. She could ride shotgun with Casey. It was a quick trip, and she’d had enough stress for one day. I could work endlessly, but my cat needed a gentler schedule.
“I won’t let Roy Rappaport intimidate us into failure,” I said more to myself than Casey.
“After today, I understand why Rosamund was so standoffish with us,” she said as she patted Persephone. From the sounds of it, she’d found the spot. “There are some bullies in this town.”
“We’ve only met two people so far. And it seems like they’re not very welcoming to outsiders, which is odd for a town that depends on tourism to survive.” My mind raced as I drove. “Which makes me wonder if Cupcake’s disappearance is part of something bigger.”
“You might be right—but is it our job to solve their problems?”
“Nope. They can duke it out after we leave. Our concern is finding Cupcake.”
The GPS guided us to the street where the former Dairy Barn stood. It was a lonely stretch of road, and besides a couple houses tucked into the woods, its only neighbor was a gas station that had been defunct longer than Casey and I had been alive.
Weeds thrived in the thick cracks of the Dairy Barn’s parking lot. Planks covered the old takeout window, and many spray paint artists had taken the opportunity to leave their mark. A tired, broken rope spanned the entryway, and a rusty sign that warned us not to trespass lay on the pavement.
We were the only car here. “When did that notification come through? I expected people to be here.”
“About an hour ago.” Casey bit her lip as she scrolled. “I’m checking for updates, but there are so many posts in this group they’re getting jumbled.”
I shut the car off and locked the doors. “I don’t want to get out. The woods are thick, and it’s gonna get dark soon.”
Persephone jumped into my lap, claws at the ready. Casey screamed when something hit our SUV.