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stop halfway in some small town and stay a day or two, then drive the other half of the trip.”
    She stared into his eyes silently pleading with him to agree with her madcap idea. She didn’t know why it was so important; she just felt the need to get away. Shannon sneaking out on her was the final straw in a long line of things that made her feel like her life was slipping away from her.
    Bradley tilted his head as if thinking. He stayed quiet for so long, she started to tell him to forget it, but he surprised her. “Okay, let’s do it. I’ll have to make a few phone calls so I can move some stuff around, but if you’ll get us checked out and cancel our flight, I’ll do everything else.”
    “Woo-hoo. We’re going on a road trip!” she crowed, leaping off his lap and jogging into the bedroom to get her stuff together.
    Bradley waited until Flower was out of earshot before snagging his cell phone from the table. His call was answered on the second ring. “This is Genie.”
    “Hey, Genie. It’s Brad. Is Mr. Sparks still in custody?”
    “Yes sir, but you know as well as I do that I can’t hold him forever. The charges will never stick.”
    “That’s fine. I don’t need him there forever. Just drag it out for a little while longer will you?”
    “No problem, sir.”
    “Awesome,” he said to himself as he hung up the phone. Now all that was left was to get Flower out of there before Shannon got back.
    ***
    Shannon spent a grueling fourteen hours at the police station trying to get Bob sprung before he was able to make his way back to the hotel. Since Bob was supposed to be overseeing the loading of The Queen of Diamonds equipment and goods, everyone else was forced to scramble to cover being shorthanded for the day. He tried calling Flower several times during the day when he realized that he was going to be a while at the police station, but neither she nor Bradley answered. The police officer in charge of releasing Bob was a woman by the name of Genie Cook, and her tough-as-nails attitude not only grated on his nerves, but also forced him to lose his temper. He very much feared that was the real reason it took so long to get the matter cleared up. When he commented, in passing, that she reminded him of his mother, which by the way was the highest of compliments, she snapped Bob’s file closed, storming off, and it took an additional eight hours to clear Bob’s paperwork after that. Now, standing outside of Flower’s room he knocked several times without any luck. He stood with his hands buried in his pockets, unsure of what to do next, when he spotted the silverware-stealing Queen coming down the hall. He pasted on his friendliest smile. “Excuse me miss.”
    He preened under Shannon’s obvious flattery. “Can I help you?”
    “Do you know where I can find Flower Calloway?”
    His smile faltered at Shannon’s question, and a tiny frown formed between his brows as if wondering whether or not he should answer. Shannon rushed to reassure him. “She and Bradley are friends of mine.”
    At the mention of Bradley’s name, the man’s frown cleared away. “Oh, they left earlier today.”
    “Left?” Shannon repeated dumbfounded.
    “Mm-hmm they’re on their way back to Texas.”
    “Oh,” Shannon said, even though it seemed inadequate even to him. Flower said she was staying for another day, hadn’t she? Now that he was thinking about it, he wasn’t sure she actually said when she was leaving. He’d been awake for so many hours straight that he couldn’t even remember what day it was. The man, Candy, he thought it was, cleared his throat bringing Shannon’s attention back to him. “Is there something wrong?”
    “No nothing,” he answered absently. “Do you know the name of Flower’s boutique in Texas?”
    At Shannon’s question, Candy’s suspicious frown snapped back into place, and Shannon knew he’d made a mistake. “Anyone who is anybody would already know the answer to that one.”