Paige MacKenzie Mysteries Box Set

by Deborah Garner

  Juanita looked up from wiping down the bar. “What can I get you? Beer? Coffee?”

  “Actually, I’m looking for Miguel,” Paige said. “His truck’s out front, so he must be here.”

  Juanita laughed. “Oh, no, don’t tell me he’s got his hooks into you already.”

  “I need to talk to him,” Paige said, ignoring the comment. If she hadn’t been worried about Abuela, she might have laughed back. “It’s important. Abuela’s gone missing and I think he can help find her.”

  “Abuela’s missing?” Juanita turned serious. “Wasn’t she in the church courtyard this morning? That doesn’t make sense. She never goes anywhere.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what everyone has been saying,” Paige said, still scanning the room for Miguel. “And no, she didn’t show up this morning. She wasn’t in her room and some of her clothes are missing.”

  “Whose clothes are missing?”

  Paige turned to see Miguel emerging from the restroom. “I like the sound of that, depending on who it is, of course.” Miguel’s smirk annoyed Paige, but she didn’t have time to worry about an attitude adjustment.

  “Abuela’s,” Paige said.

  Miguel looked confused. “Abuela’s clothes are missing?”

  “ABUELA is missing, you moron,” Juanita said. She grabbed the beer glass off the counter and dumped its contents in the sink. “Forget the beer. See if you can help find her.”

  “Father John thinks she might be with Whitehorse,” Paige said, “and you’re probably the only one who knows where he is.”

  “I have no idea where Whitehorse is. Juanita, have you seen him today?” Miguel was starting to look upset.

  “No, he hasn’t been in. Not yesterday either, now that I think of it.” Juanita set the bar towel down and frowned. “And it’s not like him to skip a day, especially a Saturday. Not unless he goes out of town to gamble.”

  “We just have to find him,” Paige said. “Hopefully Abuela is with him. If not, he needs to know she’s missing.”

  “I thought he stopped the gambling,” Miguel said.

  “No, Miguel. You know I overhear a lot of things around this place and I usually keep my mouth shut.” Juanita leaned forward and lowered her voice so the customers at the back table wouldn’t hear. “But since it sounds like Abuela might be in trouble, I’d better tell you: I think Whitehorse has been back at it again.”

  “Why do you say that?” Miguel asked.

  “Phone calls,” Juanita said. “He gets phone calls in here sometimes that make him spit out some mighty harsh words. And he looks angry and scared when he gets off the phone. Only time I’ve ever seen that look on him is when he’s on a gambling binge. And I don’t like the sound of that guy’s voice who calls him, either. Business-like but gruff. I’m telling you, it’s no friend of his. Mind you, you didn’t hear any of this from me. But if it helps you find Abuela, take it and run.”

  Miguel grabbed his keys off the bar, motioning to Paige. “Follow me back to the resort.” He called back to Juanita as he disappeared through the front door, “I owe you for that beer.”

  “For once I don’t care,” Juanita said. “Just get out there and find Whitehorse and his sister.”

  Paige gripped the steering wheel of her rental car tightly as she followed Miguel back to Agua Encantada. Between the dust blowing upward from behind his truck’s wheels and the speed he was driving, she could barely keep up. She was relieved when they both pulled up in front of the resort office. She turned the ignition off, took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. Miguel was already inside the office talking to Marisol when Paige came through the door.

  “Why would I know where Whitehorse is, Miguel?” Marisol looked even more confused than the crowd at the church. “He’s your drinking buddy. You’re the one who should know how to keep tabs on him, if anyone should. Did you try looking at the Coyote?”

  “He is not my drinking buddy, or any kind of buddy of mine,” Miguel said. “And, yes, I tried the Coyote and he was not there. Juanita has not seen him, either. I just wondered if you had seen him.” Miguel threw a concerned look at Paige and then looked back at Marisol. “Never mind, just take care of Josie and Rico. Make sure to feed them. And tell Ana I am going out of town, so she will not worry.”

  “Oh, Ana didn’t come in today,” Marisol said. “I thought you knew. Lena called to say she opened the spa for her, said Ana wasn’t feeling well.”

  “What?” Miguel said. “Ana is never sick. Did you try calling her house?”

  Marisol frowned. “No, I didn’t think to. The spa’s only been open a couple hours and Lena just called up here twenty minutes ago to tell me she was covering for the day.”

  “Didn’t you have to give her a key to get in?” Paige asked.

  “No, I assume she got the key from Ana.”

  “Ana would not loan out her key to the spa,” Miguel said. “Not even to Lena. You have keys, right?”

  “Sure, we have keys to everywhere on the property,” Marisol said, reaching below the counter and pulling out a cluster of keys on a wide metal loop. “For maintenance issues, or any sort of emergency when you’re not around.” She sorted through the keys, flipping each one over as she moved on to the next. As she reached the end of the set, she frowned. “I don’t see the spa key, though. And no one asked to borrow it. Maybe Lena took it while I was doing the breakfast dishes?”

  “That’s odd she wouldn’t have told you,” Paige said. “Maybe someone else took the key?” She tried to keep her voice even, to avoid upsetting Miguel, but it was too late. He was already out the door, Paige right behind him. Reaching the spa, they came to an abrupt halt. The door was locked.

  “Lena?” Miguel shook the door handle, which refused to budge. He knocked on the door, his shouts growing louder. “Lena, open up!” He reached in his pocket for keys, coming up empty. Again he grabbed the door handle and tried to yank it open.

  “My keys are in the truck.” Miguel turned to start for the parking lot.

  “No, follow me,” Paige said, tugging on his shirt. “We can go around the back.”

  Miguel followed Paige around to the side fence and watched as she scaled it and dropped down on the other side. He did the same, scrambling after her as she reached the back window.

  “Do I even want to know how you know this?” Miguel’s breathing was ragged.

  “Probably not, but it doesn’t matter right now, does it?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Then grab that window and shake the frame,” Paige said. “I’m not tall enough to reach it, but you should be able to. The inside latch is loose. You can pull it open.”

  Miguel stretched up to the window and rattled the frame, but the window stayed closed. Paige glanced around on the ground and picked up a small stick. “Try this.”

  “I have a better idea,” Miguel said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pocketknife. Prying it open, he wedged the blade between the window and the frame, maneuvering the space until the window popped open.

  Again, Miguel called out, “Lena?” No answer.

  “Now what?” Miguel said, looking at Paige. “I cannot fit through that window.”

  “But I can,” Paige said, threading her fingers together to demonstrate a step. Miguel understood and laced his fingers into a step, catching Paige’s foot and boosting her up high enough to climb through the window. She grasped the upper edge of the window frame and maneuvered her legs in first. “Go back around to the front door,” Paige shouted as she dropped inside the building.

  Despite the aroma of eucalyptus, the adrenaline running through Paige’s system nullified the spa’s usual serenity. The absence of music was also eerie, the silence intensifying the sense of menace.

  Paige started through the dark building, grateful for the light from the adobe structure’s few windows. Calling out for Lena, she made her way to the front door and unlocked it, stepping back quickly as Miguel rushed in.

  “Did you f
ind Lena?” Miguel said.

  “I called her name, but didn’t get an answer. Check the treatment rooms down the hall. I’ll look in the dressing room.” Paige pointed Miguel in one direction and headed in the other.

  “Lena?” Paige called, opening the door to the dressing room. She patted the wall, found the light switch and turned it on, but the room was empty. A quick check of the restroom had the same result.

  “Paige, down here,” Miguel shouted. “Hurry!”

  Sprinting, Paige followed Miguel’s shouts to the treatment room where she’d had the massage just days before. But, to her shock, it was not Lena she saw. Instead, Ana huddled on the floor in the corner of the room, wrists and ankles tied together. Miguel was working frantically to loosen a thick cloth tied around her mouth. When he finished, Ana sputtered thanks and fought to catch her breath.

  “Ana,” Miguel cried, starting in on the rope around her wrists. “Lena did this to you? Why? Why would she?”

  Ana pulled back. “No, of course Lena did not do this…why would you even think that?”

  “She called Marisol and told her you were sick and that she was working for you today,” Paige said.

  “That doesn’t make sense. Lena wasn’t even here this morning. I opened the spa, just like I always do on Sundays. But….” Ana’s eyes filled with fear.

  “Then who did this to you?” Miguel shouted.

  “A man came in….” Ana managed, rubbing the rope marks on her wrists as Miguel untied the ones around her ankles.

  “Whitehorse?” Paige asked. She grabbed a box of tissues from the counter and offered it to Ana, who pulled two sheets from the container as tears rolled down her face.

  “No, not Whitehorse,” Ana said, dabbing her eyes with the tissues. “I don’t know who the man was. I’d never seen him before.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Miguel shouted. “Because if he did….”

  “No, Miguel, no!” Ana cried. “Please do not go crazy. He did not hurt me!”

  Paige left the room and returned quickly. “I called the office and asked Marisol to call the police. They’ll want a description. Can you remember what the man looked like?”

  “I do not know. I was scared. It happened so quickly. I do remember he was tall and heavy and had a deep voice. I thought….” Ana started shaking again. Miguel cursed and left the room.

  “Miguel, wait,” Ana called.

  “It’ll be OK,” Paige said, her voice soothing, but sympathetic. “Just tell the police whatever you remember when they get here.”

  “Please, go follow my brother,” Ana pleaded. “He does not think clearly when upset. He is going to do something stupid, I just know it.”

  Paige glanced over her shoulder, hoping Miguel would return but her intuition told her Ana was right; he was headed for trouble.

  “Come with me, then,” Paige said. “I’m not leaving you here alone. I’ll walk you over to the office so you can stay with Marisol. Then I’ll go find Miguel, I promise.”

  Paige helped Ana to her feet and led her out of the spa building and across the property to the office, where Marisol took over. With Ana safely in Marisol’s hands, Paige took off after Miguel. It didn’t take long to locate him; she just followed the cursing and door slamming coming from the direction of his truck.

  “Miguel, what are you doing?” Paige hurried to the truck, catching him just as he was climbing into the driver’s seat.

  “What do you think I am doing?” he snapped. “I’m going to find the guy who did this to Ana.”

  “Then I’m going with you,” Paige said, rounding the front of the truck. She climbed into the passenger seat, despite protests from Miguel. “You’re too upset to drive anywhere alone. Besides, I told your sister I’d follow you.

  “No,” Miguel insisted. “She should not be left alone now.”

  Paige refused to move. “Marisol is with her, and the police are on their way. She’ll be all right. I’m going with you. I promised Ana.”

  “You are one stubborn woman, you know?”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  Miguel backed the truck away from the office and took off. To Paige’s confusion, he didn’t head straight for the resort driveway, but pulled up in front of Paige’s casita.”

  “No,” Paige said, crossing her arms. “I’m not getting out. I’m going with you.”

  “Fine. Then grab a toothbrush and a change of clothes.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because I know where we need to look and it is not in Tres Palomas.” Miguel’s words rushed out. “Or you can be smart and stay here.”

  “No,” Paige repeated, jumping out. “Just wait. And don’t think about taking off, either. I’ll just follow you in my car.” She ran into the casita and tossed a change of clothes and toothbrush in her overnight bag, pausing for only a second. This won’t be easy to explain to Jake. Making sure she had her cell phone in her pocket, she rushed back to the truck.

  Miguel stepped on the gas the second she closed the door and took off up the driveway, passing the incoming police car on the way out. He lifted a hand in greeting, but didn’t stop.

  “So where are we going?” Paige struggled against the movement of the vehicle to put her seatbelt on.

  “To find Whitehorse.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Whitehorse opened the door to the storage shed and stepped inside, a plate of carne asada in one hand, a bottle of water in the other. He looked at the makeshift sitting area his sister had made from Navajo blankets and an old wooden cot, and felt a stab of guilt.

  “You shouldn’t be out here, hermana. I told you I would get food and bring it back to you. I told you to stay in the trailer.” Hector never bothered with the trailer. It was the safest place for Abuela to be.

  “The door was open,” Abuela said. “You took a long time. I decided to walk while I waited for you.”

  “She’s fine, Whitehorse.” The voice came from the worktable. “Though you didn’t do her any favors by bringing her to Gallup.”

  “And what are you doing here, Lena?” Whitehorse barked.

  “I’m here to protect my investment.”

  “Your investment?”

  “Yes, my investment,” Lena said. “And Hector’s, of course.”

  If Whitehorse hadn’t been so distraught over the mess he’d gotten his sister into he would have laughed. “You’ve been in on this all along? Don’t fool yourself. Hector’s using you, just like he uses everyone.”

  “You’re wrong,” Lena snapped. “Besides, you’re one to talk, Whitehorse. You’re in a lot deeper with Hector than I am. At least I don’t owe him money.”

  Whitehorse exploded. “I wouldn’t owe him money now if not for the two of you scheming! This whole enterprise was supposed to get me out of debt, not dig the hole deeper.”

  “You can’t blame your problems on anyone but yourself, Whitehorse. You’ve been gambling longer than I’ve been alive and you know the consequences, so don’t blame me.”

  Lena crossed the storage unit and pulled a carton from the top of a stack of boxes. Bringing it to the worktable, she dropped it forcibly and used a box cutter to slice the top open. Reaching in, she pulled out large plastic bags and set them on the table. Grabbing a clipboard with paperwork and a pen, she focused on the task at hand.

  Whitehorse looked at Abuela, who simply shook her head, resigned.

  “Why did you bring her out here, anyway?” Lena said, nodding toward Abuela as she studied the plastic bags and checked off items. She set the clipboard down. “I expected to be alone this morning. Imagine my surprise when Abuela wandered in. And not a pleasant surprise, either. This just makes one more person who has to keep quiet.”

  “I was worried she’d overheard something she shouldn’t have,” Whitehorse said. “Miguel said she was going to tell a story about boxes this week.” He turned to his sister. “Is that right?”

  “Yes,” Abuela said. “A young girl asked for a story about boxes.”
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  “And what story were you going to tell, Abuela?” Lena asked.

  “Boxes represent what we do not know. We cannot see in from outside.” Abuela made the shape of a box with her fingers.

  “So what is in the boxes, Abuela?” Lena asked, pushing forward.

  “Anything,” Abuela said. “Or nothing. That is the point of the story. It is the unknown that we question, that is what is in the boxes.”

  “You see?” Lena said, turning back to Whitehorse. “Now look what you’ve done. Your sister has no idea what’s in these boxes. You should have left well enough alone. What do you think happened when people didn’t see her after Mass today?”

  Whitehorse began to pace. “I wasn’t thinking about that. I just didn’t want her telling anyone about the boxes.”

  “You weren’t thinking at all,” Lena snapped. “Now they’ll be looking for her, all of them: Father John, the kids who stay after Mass to hear her every week, Luz, Marisol, Miguel, that nosy reporter who’s staying at the resort…. And everyone’s first thought will be that she’s with you.”

  “No one in Tres Palomas knows where this place is,” Whitehorse said. “They don’t even know I have property out here. They all figure I go out of town to gamble, which is true.”

  “Yes, but it’s not the whole truth. And with your sister missing, this little side business is at risk.”

  “First of all,” Whitehorse spit out, “this isn’t my little side business. Hector built this storage unit and that dinky trading post out on the highway. All I had was a quiet trailer. The rest of it is all his.” At the mention of Hector, Abuela glanced at Whitehorse, eyebrows rising.

  “And mine,” Lena added as she dumped the contents of one bag on the table. A batch of smaller plastic bags spread out across the surface filled with silver pins, earrings and pendants.

  “Fine, delude yourself,” Whitehorse said. “And, second of all, my sister isn’t missing, she’s just visiting. I panicked about the box story and brought her out here, but obviously I was wrong. Look, I’ll show you.” Turning to his sister, he asked, “What’s in the boxes, hermana?”