“We are new to the area, and we haven't found a permanent place to live yet, so yes, that's why we're still in the hotel.” She nodded. “It isn't too bad, other than the fact that it's Chloe and me in one and a half rooms, not counting the bathroom. There's a pretty good fitness center, which I haven't been able to use as much as I'd thought I would, and an indoor pool, which Chloe and I have used several times. And they do have a pretty good restaurant, so we're able to eat well. Though I'm afraid Chloe is getting spoiled. The chance of me making waffles or pancakes for breakfast every day once we're in a place of our own? Slim to none.”

“Not a cook?”

“Not really. I do okay, but-truthfully-not my thing. Before Chloe, I ate most of my meals on the run. Now I have to make sure we eat healthy and watch the sugar, which means my days of having leftover cake or brownies for breakfast are over.”

“You eat brownies for breakfast?”

“Doesn't everyone?”

He laughed, and she found herself liking the sound of it.

They drove a few miles in silence. Finally, Nick asked, “Are you going to be talking to the parents of the donor kids?”

“I haven't decided yet,” she admitted. “On the one hand, most of these kids are over eighteen, so it's not a legal issue. On the other, if there is something else going on here, the parents should know about it. I'm just not sure they should hear about it from me.”

“That's why I think you need me to set up these appointments, take the lead on contacting these kids.”

“I seem to have missed that connection.”

“Because my niece is the one who's missing. It's a great cover. Besides, I'm starting to grow on you. You like me.”

“Why do I need a cover?” She ignored his attempt at humor.

“Because otherwise you, being an official investigator-a private investigator-could create a panic amongst these kids, who are then unlikely to talk to either of us.”

“Panic might be too strong a word,” she said, “but I suppose some of the kids might feel uneasy if they knew there was a full-scale investigation going on.”

“You said you thought that some of these kids were contacted by the police when they were checking the phone numbers on Belinda's cell phone. As I recall, they all denied knowing her, or said the calls were wrong numbers,” he reminded her. “Which tells me they didn't want to be part of any investigation.”

“Possibly. On the other hand, at least one of these kids thinks you're the reason Belinda is missing.”

When he started to protest, she said, “And remember that you've already contacted these kids via the message board, and no one responded. So I think we're just going to play this by ear. Sometimes I'll take the lead, sometimes you will, but when you make the contacts, I tell you what to say. And I tell you what to type in your emails and I'm on the line when you make those calls. I want to hear exactly what's said and the manner in which they say it. I want to hear the pauses-what's not said as well as what is said.”

“Fair enough.”

“You won't mind working from a script if it comes to that?”

“Hey, I did theater when I was in high school.”

“Really? What plays were you in?”

“I had the title role in Harvey,” he said loftily.

“The title role in Harvey was an invisible rabbit.” She worked unsuccessfully to control the smile that tilted the corners of her mouth. “And had no lines.”

“None that you could hear.”

Emme laughed. “All right. We'll try it your way and see what happens. But if I think we're getting off track, or I don't like the way things are going, I call you off and you don't argue with me.”

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Okay, if you don't like the way it goes, you get to shut it down.”

“And shut you out.”

“Right. You get to shut me out.”

“And you don't argue if that time comes.”

“Right.” His sigh was loaded with reluctance. “I won't argue with you.”

“I call the shots.”

“Sure. You call the shots.”

She smiled in the darkness. Somewhere she'd read the line, “Promises made in haste are the first to be broken.” She didn't believe for a minute that Nick would keep his word.

“So when do we start? And where?” he asked.

“We start with the email addresses and phone numbers I expect to get from Hayley tonight.” She checked her rearview mirror before taking the exit that would lead them from I-95 back to Conroy. “In the morning, I'll call the chief in Eastwind to see if we can get our hands on the surveillance tapes from the museum, see if we can get a picture of this guy who was stalking Belinda. It could mean something, or nothing.”

“Why don't you just call the museum and ask to see them?”

“That would constitute a huge security breach for them. The firm that handles the security isn't going to want anyone to know where their cameras are or what measures they take, and I certainly don't blame them. The only way we can hope to get a look is by subpoena, and the museum and the security company will probably want to fight that-again, not that I blame them. My guess is that the case will be solved before the legal issues are resolved, but since you never know for sure how things will play out, we'll get that ball rolling anyway.”

“All right. I can start calling some of these kids. Maybe I can arrange to meet with-”

Emme shot him a loaded glance, and he caught it.

“What?” he asked.

“Did we not just agree that I call the shots?”

“Well, yes, but…” He held up one hand in surrender. “Right. Sorry. When you've run your own business for as long as I have, you're used to being in charge. It can make you bossy and impatient at times.” Nick took a deep breath. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“I think I'm going to like this new Nick.”

“You like men who do whatever you tell them to do?” He frowned as if the idea was foreign to him.

“There are times when it works for me.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“I'm counting on it.”

He raised an eyebrow, but did not comment further.

“In the meantime, we need a game plan. There are too many questions, too few answers right now. For starters, I think we want to approach the kids who were at the art museum on January twenty-fourth. Maybe one of them will have a better description of the guy Hayley says was flirting with Belle.”

“Hayley said that after lunch, Belinda and one of the other girls went in one direction, the others went somewhere else,” Nick recalled. “Maybe she'll be able to tell us if the guy followed them, and if Belinda spoke with him.”

“That was Ali, I think. So we'll put her near the top of the list. And then Henry and Lori. Maybe Ali can shed some light on just how far your niece had gotten on her search for their donor, and where Belinda went after they left the group. After that, we go on to the others on the message board, see if anyone knows anything or has heard anything from our missing girl.”

Emme thought for a moment, then added, “And we need to find this kid, Aaron, to find out exactly what he told Belinda to do that would help her find her donor. I'm pretty sure I saw a reference to him when I was reading through some articles online. I think we need to know, step-by-step, what formula he followed to find his donor, and if he gave those same instructions to your niece.”

“The next obvious question being, if he did, did Belinda follow them?”

“And if she followed, where did they lead?”