Beach Bags and Burglaries (A Haley Randolph Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

“It’s one of the reasons they return to our resort.”
    So, as a maid, Jaslyn knew the intimate details of the lives of the rich and famous. And so did Avery.
    Huh. Something to think about.
    “Please, Haley, let me know if there’s anything you need,” Avery said, switching back to I-really-want-to-keep-my-job mode. “Anything at all, any time of the day or night.”
    Avery left, and I headed down the corridor again in a desperate search for something chocolate. As I passed the room the detectives had used for my interview, I saw the door was open and inside a half-dozen men wearing off-the-rack suits were standing in a circle, talking. Detective Pearce cut his gaze to me. I shot him serious stink-eye and kept walking.
    At the end of the corridor I found a snack shop, a small place with refrigerated cases of sodas and water, a coffee bar, baked goods, and all sorts of treats. French doors led outside to tables and chairs.
    The place smelled great, and immediately I was hit with a major craving for my all-time favorite drink, a mocha Frappuccino, from my all-time favorite spot, Starbucks. I didn’t know how I’d get through this entire week without one—or more.
    But thanks to the Rowan Resort’s all-inclusive policy I could have anything I wanted—including mass quantities of chocolate—so I figured I could manage. I grabbed a Snickers bar and two bags of M&M’s, swiped my resort pass, and I headed outside.
    I had the maze of walkways between the hotel and bungalows mostly to myself, so I wandered through the fountains, trees, flowers, and shrubs enjoying the fantastic California weather and, of course, the candy. By the time I’d finished off the Snickers and one bag of the M&M’s, the chocolate had given my brain a huge boost and Jaslyn Gordon loomed large in my head.
    If Jaslyn wasn’t the type of girl to hook up for the romantic fling, as Avery had claimed, and if she really was interested in studying to get a jump on her upcoming classes—which still seemed really weird to me, since I wasn’t exactly thrilled by my own slow plod toward a college degree—then maybe she was on that secluded end of the island thinking that the view from atop the rocks might jazz up whatever totally boring subject she was reading about. But when I’d discovered her body I hadn’t seen a backpack, notebook, laptop, iPad, or even a textbook.
    According to the info I’d read on the Internet about Jaslyn’s disappearance, she’d gone missing yesterday. Security personnel from the resort had searched the island and, finding nothing, had called for backup. Still nothing.
    I couldn’t understand how the search parties had missed her. I mean, jeez, I hadn’t even been looking and I’d stumbled over her body. And why had her cell phone and driver’s license been found just today? Surely they’d looked on the cliffs yesterday. How could they have missed them?
    I finished off the last bag of M&M’s as I wandered past the line of vine-covered bungalows, and the Sea Vixen beach bag flashed in my head. Where the heck was that woman I’d seen earlier with the bag? I’d trailed her through the courtyard, then lost her. I wondered again if she was staying in one of the bungalows.
    I could stake them out and wait for the woman to appear with the bag—a sacrifice I was willing to make, of course, though under normal circumstances I didn’t really have the patience for long-term waiting—or I could start knocking on doors.
    My choice was easy.
    Just as I approached the first bungalow, movement off to my right caught my eye. I turned and spotted Marcie barreling toward me, her jaw set, her brow furrowed, her gaze transmitting an urgent run-for-it message.
    Oh my God, what now?

C HAPTER 4
    M arcie blasted past me. I fell in behind her. Wow, she was really moving, so I knew something major had happened. I could barely keep up with her and I’ve got pageant legs, the only beauty queen gene my mom passed on to me.
    We whipped