Page 14 of Maneater
“The owner does, yes. The sabotage is confined to this location and spans around a three-week period. No guests have stayed the entire duration.” We nod silently in understanding.“That’s all I’vegot for you. I’ll send over a file after our call for you both to review, which will include details about flights and your stay. Anything else you need, just let me know.”
“Assignments?” Rory asks. With each mission a Maven undertakes, we have assignments to make it easier. Often, we’re some kind of employee since that is the easiest to blend in, but I’m kind of hoping for....
“Vacationers. You have two weeks, which is typical for high-end resort stays.”
I nod. The idea of being on vacation forworkis absolutely thrilling.
“Good luck, Mavens,” he says, then the screen cuts out.
My inbox beeps with a new email as if on cue, and Rory’s does the same. I don’t bother opening mine yet; instead, I shift closer to Rory as she opens the email and the attached file with all the information about our assignment.
This is how every assignment goes. Gabriel gives us a rundown of what the client expects before ending the call, and we receive a file containing everything we might need, including players, employees, suspects, and their respective job titles. It also helps us determine how and what to pack, which we do next.
After we read over the file, Rory heads to her place to pack while I do the same, and then we’re off to paradise.
SIX
Suspect list for Daydream Resorts based on current intel:
everyone.
SEVEN
JOSIE
Rory and I are on the next flight to Fort Lauderdale, where we take a bus to one of the lower Keys, as the resort is located on a small island and is inaccessible by car. From what we’ve learned, employees take a ferry to work every day, which in theory narrows our pool. While there are a few other businesses and homes on the island that Daydream Resorts doesn’t own, the majority of the land is Daydream property.
This also means we’re to be in character from the moment we get on the ferry, playing the part of eager vacationers. We both know from the second we step foot on the property, game faces must be on, because in a situation like this,everyoneis a suspect or a source. The only time that facade can fall is when we’re closed in our room, with not an eye on us.
From what our research has shown, the Daydream resort is the epitome of luxury: a boat ride to the resort, then a five-minute drive on a winding road once you’re on the property through a beautiful, wooded area.
As we arrive at the resort, I take it in in awe. It has a Mediterraneanfeel with lots of white and splashes of bright blue and orange, giving it a fun but clean and peaceful vibe. The front desk attendant is kind and smiling and tells us some of the excursions are out of commission, but, as expected, doesn’t go into details as to why before a bellhop takes us and our bags up to our room.
Once closed into the two-bedroom suite Rory and I will share, I set my coffee from the lobby on the coffee table, flop onto the large couch, and groan aloud, my body sinking into the soft cushions. My mind rolls through days and weeks and months, and I try to think of the last time I slept in, much less the last time I went on a vacation.
It’s been…a while.
Maybe after this assignment, I’ll take a few weeks off. Sleep in every day, book a trip at one of these resorts, and rest for a while. If we manage to find the issue, which I’m confident we will, I bet I could get a pretty solid discount. Perhaps?—
“No resting, my friend,” Rory says after she finishes her sweep of the room for any bugs and cameras, poking my leg. “We’ve got work to do.”
I groan. The only flight we could get not only had a layover but was a red-eye, on which I slept maybe an hour or two. It’s officially noon the day after we got our assignment, and I am so exhausted I could fall asleep right here.
“Five minutes,” I grumble.
“Nope.” No one has a better work ethic than Rory, so much so that, sometimes, I think she might be an actual robot.
Slowly, knowing she’s right, I sit up and reach for my coffee. I take a deep sip, hoping the caffeine hits my bloodstream quickly.
“Okay. What do we have?” I ask once I finish my internal battle with wanting to flop over again, shifting to the edge of the couch to give her my full attention.
Rory smiles wide, shoulders moving back as she pulls out the file she’s created. Without looking, I already know it’s color-coded and tabbed, with notes in the margins and ideas scribbled everywhere. I also know if I scan through it, the light purple ones will be thethoughts and ideas she’s assigning to me, tasks I’ll be expected to conquer personally. Which people do I need to schmooze and what secrets do I need to extract?
“We’re looking at a string of events, the earliest of which were just brushed away as growing pains and/or coincidences.”
