Beautiful Girls

by Gary S. Griffin

  I answered, “No, but of course Rob had to be at each place not long before we were there.”

  Harmony added, “Edie, Rob wrote that Mel and he were at the waterfall in Red Rock not long before us. Plus, in the last clue he wrote that Mel was getting restless.”

  “Interesting. So, what’s next?”

  I said, “Well, we haven’t opened the latest clue that we found here in the aquarium. Would you like us to read it?”

  Edie said, “Sure, go ahead.”

  I opened the clue and passed it to Harmony to read.

  When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.” Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.

  Edie said, “We’re getting near the end of Chapter 25. We must be near the end of the hunt, too.”

  I agreed.

  Harmony added, “Yes, I agree, too, Edie. In an earlier clue today Rob wrote about the end being tomorrow.”

  Edie said, “Guys, I’m so worried for you. I’m praying all the time. Please be careful tomorrow.”

  I said we would.

  Edie said, “Harmony, do you think you should stay at your condo tomorrow and let Stevie go by himself?”

  Harmony answered, “I am too scared to be alone right now, especially at home. Rob knows where I live. He left a letter on my front door yesterday.”

  Edie replied, “Oh, that’s right. I forgot. I understand how you feel.”

  I said, “So, that’s where we stand. Harmony, please read Rob’s latest clue.”

  Dear David,

  The end is coming soon. Rest tonight as two challenges will test you tomorrow.

  First, find the hole of death at Desert Pines. Look for your next clue in the sand around the green.

  Nabal

  Edie asked, “What does that mean, Stevie?”

  “It must mean a golf course, since he writes about a hole and sand and the green. Harmony, is there a golf course named Desert Pines?”

  “I am not sure. There could be. I do not play golf. It seems like a logical name for a course in Las Vegas.”

  I said, “On our way out of here, we’ll stop and ask the concierge. I’m sure he’ll know.”

  “Good idea.”

  Edie said, “I hope this does end tomorrow.”

  I said we did too.

  “Have you been talking to Lieutenant Lomita?”

  I answered Edie, “Yes, we’ve called him a few times today, including just before we called you. He has the Las Vegas police on standby to help us if we see Rob. We just never did today.”

  “This is just so weird and unbelievable.”

  I agreed with Edie.

  Edie said, “I’m praying for your sister, Harmony. Stevie thinks she’s strong. I know she needs to be.”

  Harmony answered, “She is Edie. I truly do not think I could survive if I was in her place. I was having difficulty today and I was with Stevie, not Rob.”

  Edie said, “Stevie will save her. I believe it.”

  “I believe that in my heart, too. This is very hard…” Harmony was on the verge of breaking down again.

  Edie said, “It will be over soon. Stay close to Stevie.”

  “I am.”

  Edie than said to me, “Give that poor girl a big hug.”

  I smiled at Harmony across the table and said, “I will.”

  Harmony grabbed my hand.

  Edie said, “I look forward to meeting you, Harmony. Stevie tells me you remind him of a younger version of myself.”

  “That is what he told me, too.”

  Edie said, “I don’t know how that can be. Maybe he just misses me and is seeing things.”

  Harmony answered, “I am not sure.”

  I said, “Hey, you two, I’m only being honest. Look, I’ll take a photo of Harmony with my cell phone. I’ll call you back after I send it to you.”

  I did it and then called Edie.

  Her first words were, “This is hard to believe. The resemblance is remarkable. We really need to figure out our connection.”

  “I told you.”

  Edie said, “It makes me want to meet you even more, Harmony.”

  “Thank you, Edie.”

  Edie said, “Well, Stevie, I miss you very much but I haven’t met anyone here who looks like you.”

  We laughed at that comment.

  Edie then said, “Look, one last thing, guys. I’ve been thinking about our wedding, Stevie. I know we want a small one now. Why don’t we get married in Las Vegas? Tawny and I can come there when this is over.”

  I smiled and said, “OK, are you sure?”

  “Why not? It has everything there we need for the ceremony and places to stay and relax after all this.”

  I said, “If you want to, it sounds good to me.”

  Edie said, “And, Harmony, I want you and your sister to be there too. You can be our witnesses.”

  “Are you sure, Edie?”

  “Yes, it’s the least we can do for all your help.”

  “Thank you,” said Harmony.

  Edie added, “And, tonight, if you’re scared, you have my permission to hold Stevie tight. Give him a kiss for me.”

  “I will.”

  I didn’t know what to say so I stayed quiet. This all seemed so strange.

  “Stevie, I’ll get off the phone now. I love you and miss you. I can’t wait to be with you again. Tawny says hello, too.”

  “I miss you baby. I want to be together with you on Monday.”

  “Goodnight, baby,” Edie said, as we hung up.

  We ate our dinner and it was great Mexican food. We shared our appetizers and entrees. Harmony ordered us a second round of margaritas.

  On the way out of Mandalay Bay we learned that there is a Desert Pines golf course in the north part of Las Vegas, about seven miles north of UNLV. We planned to get there midmorning on Sunday. We took a cab back to Paris, and drove back to the condo.

  A half hour later we were parked and walking into Harmony’s Avalon condo. It was after 11 PM. I was beat. So was Harmony. She had slept in the Mustang on the drive back to Henderson.

  I grabbed a bottle of water while Harmony went to her bedroom. I sat on the sofa and thought about all the whirlwind events since Monday. It all seemed like a dream, and much of it was a nightmare. Three wonderful people were dead. I met a special set of twins. And, Rob was still out there with one of those twins.

  Then, Harmony slowly walked by me. She had changed into a white sleeveless cotton nightgown that ended way above her knees. She had also brushed her hair and she smelled incredible. She looked gorgeous. She also looked vulnerable again.

  She sat next to me on the sofa, exposed nearly all of her legs and said, “I am not quite ready for bed.”

  “What would you like to do?”

  “I want to be with you.”

  Oh boy! It could be an innocent statement, but I wasn’t sure.

  While I was thinking, I couldn’t control myself. My eyes made their way up her legs. I was uncomfortable. I guessed it showed because when I remade eye contact with her, she winked at me. She also grabbed the blanket on the back of the sofa and wrapped herself in it.

  I recovered enough to say, “Would you like to talk?”

  “Sure, what about?”

  “Let’s talk more about your story; yours and Melody’s, OK?”

  “OK, where should I begin?”

  “At the beginning.”

  The Twins’ Story

  Sunday, October 24, 2004

  Harmony Pima had not met Rob Nealy. Nor had she met Edie McCall, Sid Gabriel, Bambi Deer Gabriel or Tawny Gabriel. She’d never been to any mountain cabin above Tucson. She’d never been to Beverly Hills. She’d only been to Los Angeles twice; once for the beaches and the other time to see Disneyland and other sights.

  The twins had lived in foster homes in and around Phoenix
and Tucson. She counted five homes over their first fifteen years. She talked briefly about the abuse and neglect in these homes. Neither twin had been sexually assaulted, but they saw their “fosters” do drugs, alcohol and were witness to and were the subjects of violence. They spent their last three years in the Arizona foster care system at Sunset Ranch, an orphanage located in the northeast part of Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, at the edge of the desert.

  Harmony said, “By this point, Melody and I counted the months until we would be free. The ranch was very nice. The people were friendly and all, and we were able to go to a real high school, but it was still an orphanage. I wish I had Melody’s optimism; she always makes the best of things in life. She sees the silver lining. I guess I see the dark clouds. I am not and was not clinically depressed. I was just sad that life had dealt us this hand. I am a realist, I guess.

  “Melody knew I was unhappy; no, it was different from that, she knew I wanted more out of life. I wanted to go to college and wanted to get married and have a family. I guess I wanted a normal life. I guessed it could not all happen. Most of all, I needed to get away from the orphan life. So, Melody agreed we would start our new life when we turned eighteen.

  “Only the ranch counselor seemed to understand us. She helped us get our high school diplomas and found us our first jobs and apartments. I wanted to come to Las Vegas because it was booming and the glamour appealed to me. Melody liked the idea too, so that is what we did. We took any jobs we could find, except stripping or being a prostitute. We worked hard, and saved and set our goals – getting this condo and two cars. We are still saving for our future, not that we can save a lot each month, but we are still doing it.”

  “You two have come a long way and done very well. You should be proud.”

  “Thanks, but now this has happened.”

  I took a sip of my water and said, “Let me ask you this, in all the years in the foster homes and at the camp, did you ever see or hear from your real parents?”

  “No. All I ever learned is that our parents were not married, that our mother could not keep us and that our father was now dead.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “The counselor at the ranch, Sister Carrie, told us we were literally left on the doorstep of Child Services in Tucson. No one knew our parents. She showed me our paperwork and it had ‘Parents Unknown’ written on it.”

  The two words that started us down the path to solving this case had almost sailed by me. I had nearly asked my next question that would have led us away from the answer. Instead, I caught myself.

  “Who told you that?”

  “The ranch’s counselor, Sister Carrie.”

  “I thought that’s what you said.”

  “I did. What is wrong, Stevie?”

  “Is that photo in the bathroom hall from your ranch days?”

  “Yes, I keep it to remind me of how unhappy I felt.”

  “It looks it. Wait a minute…”

  I got up, walked to that hall, and looked at that photo again. I turned on the overhead light.

  “Of course!”

  Harmony had followed me.

  She said, “Of course, what?”

  I pointed to the woman in the photo.

  “Is that Sister Carrie?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “When was that taken?”

  “The first year at the orphanage.”

  “So, that’s about eight years ago?”

  “That is correct.”

  “We just found the connection between you and Rob Nealy and Edie.”

  “We did?”

  “Yes, let me explain.”

  She said, “OK. Let me get us a new bottle of water first. I get the impression this is going to take some time.”

  A half hour later I had explained everything I knew about Sister Carrie. Harmony had heard that Carrie was now working at a soup kitchen in Tucson. I told her I saw her there two days earlier. Neither of the twins had seen her in the past five years.

  While I told Harmony what I knew, I was thinking about what I didn’t know. I had removed the photograph from the wall. It was lying on the marble coffee table facing me. I kept glancing down at it. Sister Carrie stood center front surrounded by fifteen children. The twins were on either side of her. She had her arms over their shoulders.

  Then, another epiphany struck; Melody had the same color hair as Carrie. Melody also had her smile. Harmony had Carrie’s eyes and nose. Both twins had her chin.

  “Oh my God!”

  “What’s the matter, Stevie?”

  “Look closely at the photo, at Sister Carrie and you two.”

  “OK, why?”

  “You both look like her.”

  “No, I do not. I have black hair and hers is red.”

  I cited the matching facial features.

  “Oh, Stevie, you are making a wild guess.”

  “Plus, look how she has her arms on your shoulders. She’s holding you two with pride; a mother or aunt’s pride.”

  “Stop saying that! It cannot be!”

  Harmony began to cry. I moved closer to her. I put my arms around her waist. She put her head on my shoulder and cried some more.

  I said, “This is tough talk. I apologize. You’re right, I don’t know for sure. I am guessing. I’m trying to figure this out. I’m sorry that I jumped to a rash conclusion.”

  Her reply surprised me. “I accept your apology. However, what you concluded makes sense. All of a sudden all these memories of times with Sister Carrie take on a different perspective. It is very disconcerting.”

  “That’s one word for it. By the way, who gave you this photo?”

  She looked into my eyes and whispered, “Sister Carrie.”

  She turned, looked down into her lap, and said, “We need to speak to her soon.”

  “I agree; after we rescue Melody.”

  “Yes, that is the highest priority. I am so scared, scared for Melody, especially.”

  “I am too.”

  “As I said earlier, she is stronger than me. I do not know if I could survive what is happening to her.”

  “You’re stronger than you think, Harmony.”

  “I am not.”

  “You are keeping calm and helping me, believe me.”

  “It is taking all my self control to do so.”

  “Yes, but you are doing it.”

  “I am because you are here. I would have broken down if you were not.”

  I was about to say another soothing statement, but I paused. I was seeing her anxiety and sensed the measure of it. My words would be inadequate. I turned and hugged Harmony. She did break down; she had her head on my shoulder and she collapsed against me.

  I let her cry it out. Minutes went by.

  She finally whispered, “I don’t know how I would live without Melody. She’s all I have.”

  I noticed in times of high stress like this that Harmony dropped out of her formal manner of speaking.

  I said, “Don’t think that. We will find her and rescue her.”

  “What if that crazy man stops us?”

  “We won’t give up. He knows I won’t stop looking.”

  “We are blessed to have you, Stevie.”

  “Will you pray with me, Harmony?”

  “Yes, but, please let me say it.”

  I said, “Oh, sure, go ahead.”

  “Let us pray. Dear Lord, please watch over Melody. Keep her safe. Help us find her. Deliver us from this evil man. We do this all in your son’s name. Amen.”

  “Amen. That was beautiful, Harmony.”

  “Thank you.”

  It was after one o’clock in the morning.

  Harmony said, “I am ready for bed. Good night, Stevie.”

  “Good night, Harmony.”

  Happily, the night ended with a last hug.

  Death Hole

  The aroma of freshly brewed coffee woke me. It was Sunday morning. Harmony was sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter eating her gran
ola. I sat up in bed and said good morning.

  “Good morning, Stevie. Did I wake you? I tried to be very quiet.”

  “No, you were quiet. It was the smells of the coffee that did it.”

  “Oh, I am sorry. The coffee is ready. Would you like a cup?”

  “Please.”

  Harmony got off her stool and poured me a large cupful. Then, she brought it to my sofa bed and sat next to me. She gave me a quick kiss and said softly, “You are helping me to like men again.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m glad, Harmony.”

  “Thank you.”

  She put her hands on my left hand and gave it a squeeze. I could see it was 8:30 on her living room clock.

  She asked, “Would you like some granola, too?”

  “Sure, in a few minutes. Let’s talk about our day first.”

  “OK.”

  “We should get to the golf course before noon, don’t you think?”

  “That is a good idea.”

  “I’ll call Edie and Lomita before then. I think those calls will be brief.”

  I paused a moment. This beautiful, damaged, young woman, who was somehow related to my fiancée, happily waited patiently for my next statement.

  I asked, “Are you ready for today?”

  “I think so.”

  “It’s the final day of clues. If Rob was telling the truth we have two more steps on our tour. I have no idea where or what the grand finale will be.”

  “I agree.”

  “We need to be careful, even more than yesterday.”

  “Yes.”

  “Here’s the thing, Harmony. After the golf course, I want the police to be with us at the final location.”

  She looked worried and didn’t speak.

  “What I mean is I want them there, but I’d like them to be discreet, maybe in plain clothes. Because I think Rob may plan something special, something bad for the last stop.”

  “Oh.”

  “I know. I just want you to be aware. Please don’t do anything to provoke him. Please follow my directions or the police’s, OK?”

  “I will do anything you say.”

  “The key is to rescue Mel and to keep you safe. That’s what I must do.”