Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries) by Kathi Daley

suspected had arrived in the two eighteen-wheelers parked in the front, and the other by four young men who looked to be of high-school age. One of the boys wore a letterman’s jacket from a high school at the foot of the mountain, so Tj imagined they were in town for the weekend.
    “Thank you for meeting us,” Ben began as he slid into the booth across from the woman. “This is my granddaughter , Tj,” he added as she sat down beside him.
    “You ’re the one looking for my Kiara?” Nona looked Tj directly in the eye. She appeared to be studying her. Tj imagined that she was trying to decide whether to trust her.
    “Yes , ma’am.” Tj smiled. “Kiara came to the resort my family owns in order to participate in a beauty contest. She arrived on the bus with the others but never checked in. Have you heard from her in the past couple of days?”
    The woman looked as if years of struggle had taken their toll. “I have n’t spoken to Kiara since she ran away over a year ago. We were close once, but when things became tense, I’m afraid I wasn’t there for her the way I should have been. I didn’t even know she was coming to town.”
    “Can you tell us what happened?” Tj asked. “I realize it isn’t really any of our business, but if we can understand why she left, maybe we can figure out where she might be now.”
    Nona sat quietly. Tj supposed she was still trying to make up her mind whether to help them. “Why do you seek my Kiara? Has she done something wrong?”
    “No, she hasn’t done anything wrong,” Tj answered. “We just want to make sure she’s okay. If she ’s changed her mind about the competition, we can take her name off the roster, but given the fact that she left rather abruptly, we feel it’s our responsibility to ensure her welfare.”
    “I was surprised to hear she entered a b eauty contest,” Nona admitted.
    “Frannie mentioned that Kiara wants to go to college,” Tj offered. “I understand that part of the prize is a scholarship to the college of the winner’s choice.”
    “I guess that makes sense. Kiara wants to go to college m ore than anything. She feels it’s her calling to be a doctor.”
    “Is that why she left Vengeance?”
    “No, not completely. I raised Kiara until two years ago. Her father thought I had been too lenient with the girl and decided to have her move back home with him. I fought his decision, but as her biological parent, it was his choice to do as he saw fit. After much consideration, Kiara’s father decided to marry her to a boy in the community.”
    “So she ran away.”
    “She did,” Nona confirmed. “I hate to admit it, but I did very little to stop her father from following through with his plan to unite the two. I realized that a union with Aaron would make Kiara’s life easier. He’s a nice young man who is well respected and popular in our community. I hoped that perhaps, as his wife, Kiara would finally gain acceptance among the group. I only wanted what was best for my granddaughter, but she didn’t see it that way. When she left Vengeance, she left us all behind.”
    “Is this her fiancé ?” Ben showed Nona the drawing.
    “Yes, that is Aaron .”
    “He met Kiara at the bus,” Tj informed Nona. “The two left together and she hasn’t been seen since. Could he have hurt her?”
    Nona considered this. “Aaron wouldn’t hurt her. In spite of everything, I believe he loves her. It has been over a year since she left, but still he waits for her to return. Aaron is a popular young man in our settlement who could have his choice of a wife, but still he waits.”
    “Might they be together somewhere?” Ben tried. “Maybe Aaron managed to talk Kiara into running away with him.”
    “I saw Aaron this morning. He didn’t mention anything, but perhaps I should have a chat with him, now that I know that Kiara is missing.”
    “I would really appreciate it if you’d call and let me know what you find out .” Tj handed the