Unraveled by Jennifer Estep Page B

him.
    â€œOf course y’all have seen the lobby already,” Roxy said, stepping out of the elevator. “We have a fully stocked bar here, as well as lots of places where folks can sit and enjoy the decorations, along with the view.”
    She gestured at the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the back wall of the lobby. Through the glass, I spotted several paved paths that curved from the hotel down the hill to the theme park below. Neon lights flashed on a variety of rides, including several carousels, a couple of small roller coasters, and the dreaded swing ride that had made me puke my guts out way back when, as Finn had so gleefully reminded me. But the centerpiece of the park was a wide street with wooden storefronts and sidewalks, fashioned to look like something right out of the Old West, although I couldn’t make out all the details from this height.
    In the distance, off to the far west side of the park, the surface of Bullet Pointe Lake shimmered and rippled under the steady breeze. A large wooden dock stretched out like a finger into the lake, pointing to the dense woods on the opposite shore. Sleek, modern boats lined either side of the dock, along with a few canoes and kayaks. All the vessels bobbed up and down on the choppy waves, but no one was out on the lake, given how cold it was.
    â€œAnd of course, our world-class spa is also located on this level,” Roxy chirped again, pointing to a hallway that branched off the left side of the lobby. She looked at Bria and me. “Ladies, feel free to take advantage of any services and packages you like. I made you both standing reservations, so all you have to do is call down and let the spa folks know that you’re coming.”
    â€œOh, Gin definitely needs a seaweed wrap and some cucumber slices,” Finn said. “At the very least. Maybe that’ll get her to loosen up and relax this weekend.”
    Bria and Owen both snickered, while Roxy plastered a neutral smile on her face, not getting his joke. I glared at Finn, but he’d already stuck his hands in his pants pockets and was whistling as he strode away.
    Roxy spouted off a few more facts about the hotel’s amenities, and eventually we wound up in the center of the lobby, close to the wooden display case that talked about Sweet Sally Sue and her legendary jewels.
    â€œThe treasure hunt seems like a great promotional tool,” Finn said, eyeing the couple who were staring down into the case and using their phones to snap photos of the empty jewelry settings.
    Roxy nodded. “Oh, yeah. Attendance at the park and hotel has gone up by ten percent since the treasure hunt started two months ago. It was a brilliant idea on Ms. Shaw’s part.”
    â€œHas anyone actually found the gems yet?” Bria asked.
    â€œActually, about the treasure hunt . . .” Roxy’s face scrunched up, and she glanced around, as though she didn’t want to be overheard, before focusing on Finn again. “The contest was Ms. Shaw’s idea, and she took care of everything, including hiding the jewels. She didn’t happen to tell you exactly where in the park she might have put them, did she?”
    Finn frowned. “No. Why?”
    Roxy cast another furtive glance around. “Well, no one else seems to know where they are. And believe me, we’ve looked for them. We’ve all looked for them.” Her voice dropped to a low mutter.
    We? Who was we ? And the way she said that made me think that Roxy had much more than just a casual interest in the hidden stones.
    I studied her again, even more closely than I had up in her office, but I saw the same exact thing as before—someone who seemed to enthusiastically embrace the cowboy theme of Bullet Pointe and was desperately trying to please her new boss.
    Still, something about her struck me as inherently fake, like all those shiny rhinestones on her belt buckle. Like my friends and I were just