Page 21 of Last Ticket to Paradise

Chapter Five

Georgette checked her watch. Late in Palumba but not Grand Forks. She picked up the phone.

“Lawson’s Bookshop. Can I help you?”

“Aunt Henrietta?”

“Gigi, is that you?”

“Yes. How’s everything going?”

Aunt Henrietta clucked her tongue. “Everything’s just fine. Don’t worry. I hope you’re enjoying yourself while you wait for that scatterbrained sister of yours.”

Georgette chewed her bottom lip.Enjoywas not exactly the word she’d use. “The island is beautiful, and so is the resort. Did Mom tell you? Jamie probably hopped to another island with a man she met at the resort.”

Aunt Henrietta snorted. “You don’t have to wrap it up in clean linen for me. Jamie’s shacking up again with some man she barely knows, with an emphasis onbare.”

Aunt Henrietta was the only one in the family who didn’t spoil Jamie. When she’d found out Jamie slept with Brice, she’d congratulated Jamie on, what she considered, the only sensible action she’d ever taken. AuntHenrihad never liked Brice.

“Can I talk to Mom?”

“Sure, I think she’s done complaining about lunch and keeping the shop open at night.”

Mom’s breathless voice came over the line. “Is she back yet? Did you find out where she went?”

Georgette gripped the phone. She wasn’t about to fill Mom in on the Palarosa ritual rumor. “Not yet, but I lost her postcard, and I was hoping there might be some clue or hint in the postcard, now that I know the island and the people involved.”

Her mother wailed. “Georgette, you know I like to save all Jamie’s postcards.”

Georgette rolled her eyes. “I’ll send you an identical postcard. But in the meantime, do you remember what Jamie wrote?”

Georgette knew Mom read Jamie’s postcards over and over until she memorized them. Who knew that compulsive behavior would come in handy someday?

While Mom drew in a breath, Georgette grabbed a pen and a piece of hotel stationery.

“Let me think. ‘Palumba is awesome. I’m working on my tan. The Palumba Falls is awesome. Lots of cool people here from all over the world. Lots of money. I got a new necklace, a topaz surrounded by diamonds. Dabbling in the local culture, but may be in over my head. Met a man who’s hot and awesome. P.S. Tell Gigi to come down. Love, Jamie’.”

Georgette pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s...awesome, Mom. Thanks.”

“And then she’d written some numbers in the bottom left corner, but I don’t remember what those were—four of them.”

“Four numbers?” Georgette dropped the pen. Her mother had just shocked her by not memorizing the numbers, too. “Okay.”

“Does it help? She didn’t mention any names. But I think someone bought her the necklace, don’t you? Jamieneverhas to spend her own money on jewelry.”

Please don’t be Jake. “Maybe it was this Frenchman, Jean-Claude. Gives me something to look into anyway. Are you doing okay?”

Mom heaved a sigh. “Your aunt is bossy. The sooner you find Jamie and get home, the better. Brice is beside himself. He wants you back, Georgette, and he’s threatening to fly down there to get you.”

She groaned. “Tell him to save his time and money.”

Georgette ended the call and sat down, creasing the piece of paper where she’d written the contents of Jamie’s postcard. Did the local culture include Palarosa? Maybe Jamie thought it would be fun to cast love spells and got mixed up with something more dangerous.

She turned out the lights and sank into the big bed, her body aching from the midnight attack. She wasn’t about to go home now. Linda had told her she needed some adventure in her life?

Well, she’d just found it.

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